July, 2020
National Dance Coaches Association
Table of Contents
- NDCA National Dance Coaches Conference 2021- Mark Your Calendar
- FREE Education Session with Mandy Yip of Acrobatic Arts
- New YouTube Channel for Members Only - Let's Share!
- IADMS FREE Webinars - COVID-19
- 2021 NDCA Award Nominations Open
- Resource - 10 Ways to Succeed with Zero Talent
- Diversity in Dance Zoom Panel Discussion
- Featured Member of the Month - Ally Britton
- Thank You To Our Partners
FREE Members Only Education Series Continues with
Mandy Yip of Acrobatic Arts
WHO: Mandy Yip, Founder/Creator of Acrobatic Arts
WHAT: Zoom Class Titled Creating Dance Team Culture That Cares About Proper Technique and Progressions
Why Progressions in dance, and especially AcroDance matter
Why technique is so important in AcroDance
Creating dance Team culture that cares about technique and progressions
Questions and Answers
WHEN: Wednesday, 7/22 4:00pm PST
How do I gain access to the class?
To access the Zoom class, you must be a current NDCA member or join for $25 before July 23rd. Then, all members receive an email with the Zoom link via constant contacts at 8:00 am PST on the day of class!
Who is Mandy Yip?
As the founder and CEO of Acrobatic Arts Inc, Mandy manages the staff and delivery of all training programs, and the Acrobatic Arts syllabus in over 6500 dance studios in over 30 countries. Over 450,000 dancers participate in Acrobatic Arts classes on a weekly basis! Mandy created the Acrobatic Arts training and certification program, and the Acrobatic Arts Curriculum, producing the most comprehensive, researched program available for AcroDance.
A lifelong learner, Mandy has attended and achieved certification in countless courses, including contortion, hand balancing, inclusive learning, tap, jazz, gymnastics, and safe coaching. Mandy currently sits on the advisory board for YPAD, and assists with the mission of keeping kids safe in dance through this organization. Highly sought for clinics and workshops across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Mandy has taught thousands of dance teachers, and provided expert classes around the world. Mandy is known for bringing passion, technique and in-depth practical knowledge to engaging classes.
New NDCA Private YouTube Channel for NDCA Members
If you would be willing to share a workout, combination, or video that you use with your team, please contact Jenna at Ndcaeducation.online@gmail.com.
International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Response to COVID-19 FREE WEBINAR SERIES
IADMS has always worked to facilitate an international network of communication between dance and medicine. We have all been significantly affected by COVID-19 as a global pandemic. We are dealing with dramatic changes to our work, school and community environments. We have a unique opportunity to come together and support our IADMS community and promote safe and healthy dance environments as we adjust to this difficult and evolving situation.
This page is meant to be a collection of resources to help our community navigate this challenging time. The resources included are meant to help provide information that is specific to dance and COVID-19 and is not meant to substitute for professional medical advice or recommendations from your local health authorities and governments. As new knowledge and understanding regarding COVID-19 is constantly emerging, please also continue to refer to your public health resources and latest research. It is impressive and inspiring to see the creativity and problem solving occurring around the world in our dance community.
2021 NDCA Award Nominations Are Open!
We are accepting nominations for the following categories:
- NDCA Hall of Fame
- All Star, High School, and College Coach of the Year
- Associate Member of the Year (link coming soon)
Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2020.
10 Ways to Succeed with Zero Talent from The Jon Gordon Companies
1. Be On Time – Honor others by respecting their time. Earning respect starts by giving it.
2. Show Up and Do the Work - If they praise you, show up and do the work. If they criticize you, show up and do the work. If no one even notices you, just show up and do the work. Just keep showing up, doing the work, and leading the way.
3. Give Your Best In All That You Do – It doesn't matter what everyone else is or isn't doing. Focus on your contribution every day. When you give your best, you'll inspire others to give their best too.
4. Be Positively Contagious - Your attitude is contagious. Choose to be Vitamin C today. Look for opportunities to encourage and uplift those around you.
5. Have an Attitude of Gratitude – Every day we have a choice. We can choose to be grateful and see the good in all that we have or we can let anger, fear, doubt, and insecurities rob us of our joy and the life we're meant to live. The choice is yours today.
6. Seek Solutions vs. Dwelling on Problems – How you see the world determines the world you see. When you seek solutions you see a world of possibilities and are able to overcome challenges.
7. Have Passion – Passion fuels your purpose. The strongest may survive but it is the passionate that will thrive. Get excited today!
8. Be Coachable - Stay humble and hungry and be a lifelong learner. The best of the best are always striving to get better and so should you.
9. Do More Than What’s Required – Average effort generates average results. If you want more, do more. Even a little extra each day can create big results over time.
10. Believe in Yourself – Stop listening to the self-sabotaging voices in your mind. Talk to yourself and feed the positive instead of listening to negative. You matter. You are capable. You can do great things. You are here for a reason.
Diversity in Dance
If you missed this enlightening, safe place to talk about the black dance team experience, don't worry! The NDCA is currently in the process of developing a new Inclusion and Engagement Project. Details will be unveiled in next month's newsletter.
NDCA Featured Member – Ally Britton
Please check out our multi-talented NDCA featured member – Ally Britton! Ally has invested much of her life into dance, and has immersed herself in various aspects including performer, instructor, coach, judge, and service. Ally graduated from Cornish College of the Arts, in Washington, with a BFA in Dance. She has coached a high school dance team in Scappoose, a small community in Oregon, for the past 20 years. Ally has also been a studio owner, ballet/fitness instructor for Portland Community College, and Judge for the Oregon DDCA. She served five years on the Board for the Judges’ Affiliation Leadership Team in Oregon. Ally was recently honored with receiving the 5A Division Asst Coach of the Year 2020 by her coaching peers.
As a long time dance coach and member of Oregon’s DDCA (Dance/Drill Coaches Association), what do you enjoy most about these experiences?
There are many things I enjoy about coaching. I love working with my fellow coaches, two of which I had the pleasure of coaching when they were on team. In addition to coaching the high school team, I am honored to be involved in our larger dance team program of youth and middle school teams, and fostering the love of dance at an early age. I feel blessed when I get to observe a dancer’s growth and their epiphany - it is so rewarding to see that joy when a dancer "gets something" for the first time.
I am so grateful to be part of an organization where we compete against and learn from each other simultaneously. I appreciate the connection with other coaches when we give each other suggestions on routines and celebrate each other's victories. Dance team is a family of cherished friendships and experiences, and I feel lucky to have served in this organization for so long. That level of camaraderie inspired me to become a certified judge in 2002. Honing my skills as a judge was another way to serve our organization, share my passion for dance, and contribute to the creative process of others.
As a judge, you sometimes have to judge routines in local competitions that you will compete against at State Championships. How do you balance judging and coaching? How do you keep it fair?
For me, they are two very different jobs. Both roles require me to assess and voice my observations. They both also allow me to get absorbed in dance. They both give me opportunity to share my knowledge and love of dance for the betterment of the routine. I don't think it is possible for me not to be fair. I love dance too much. I want everyone to get as much joy from it as I do. I can't image not giving my best feedback to a team while judging; that would be a disservice to my first love.
Being a judge has given me an even greater appreciation and admiration for what it means to be a dance team coach.
In light of the more recent exposure to the BLM movement, and as a POC working in a predominately white school district (3% POC), have you experienced any challenges within the community you work?
Growing up in a small affluent suburb of Portland, I'm no stranger to being the only Black woman in the room. I've navigated being one of the few POC faces in dance team for a long time. In general, I feel appreciated by the overwhelmingly white community I work with. I've felt very supported and valued for the work I do. But in a small, rural, white town, there's often a lot of unexamined racism that rears its head from time to time. I have been pulled over for no valid reason, and have been followed in stores on several occasions. It’s subtle, but I think in the current climate people are interrogating that more and I've appreciated the support and awareness for BLM.
If you won the lottery, what are three things you would do with the money?
First, I would set up and investment plan that would allow me to pay off my and my love ones debts and allow the funds to grow.
Secondly, I would make sure those I cared about had stable housing (pay off mortgages for loved ones, buy an apartment building or community to provide affordable housing.
Then, I would invest in property to build establishments that are dear to my heart, starting with a dance studio large enough for my team to have priority for practice space.