Noriko Zaragoza shares her Six Essential Teaching Tools.
Happy New Year. This is the time of year when people are thinking of what they want this year to about. Many make resolutions to do new or different things. As a dancer and ballet teacher, I’m in the middle of the season, and my resolutions for my career and well under way.
I would like to shift focus this month and introduce you to a few work essentials I routinely use when I teach. Most of them are like my little helpers and make my life much easier!
- Apple Watch: It connects it to my phone and I can control music from anywhere in the studio. When I forget this I have a really hard time dancing and teaching at the same time.
- Nice workout clothes: My go to is lululemon or Lorna Jane. I had a chance to teach a class for Ivivva Athletica (lululemon’s kids brand) and it was a wonderful experience. I am also sponsored by Audition Dancerwear this year and they keep me stylish on and off the stage. Thank you Audition Dancewear for all your support this season!
- Good teaching shoes: I usually wear dance sneakers for advanced student classes and jazz sneakers for younger student classes so they can see my feet well. I like to have heels when I teach because I have naturally bad posture and the heels help me keep my weight in the right spot.
- A big notebook: I take lots of notes when I am the Ballet Mistress of a production. It is important for me to take notes for the current production as well as future shows. Sometimes I can’t remember all the changes our director/choreographer makes, so it is important for me to write them down. It is difficult to remember corrections for 20 different people at the same time!
- Good quality hot tea: It helps me relax and clear my mind.
- My phone and extra battery pack: I can’t live without this.