Passion for Dance

138. Leadership Challenges in Dance Teams: Navigating Lazy, Unmotivated, or Rule-Breaking Leaders

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leaders who are happy and effective will create a team of hardworking dancers who enjoy their time together. A negative leader though, can ruin an ent...

137. Hardworking Dancers Have Teachers Who Do These 3 Things

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since it's Thanksgiving week here in The States, I'll be taking time off to be with family and away from screens and work, but I didn't want to leave ...

136. The Quick Solution to Prevent Dancers from Choking on Stage

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people choke? You've been cleaning your routine for months, you've spent hours in technique classes, and the routine looks flawless. Then final...

135. How Authentic Values Help You Make Hard Decisions

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a passionate dance teacher, do you ever feel overwhelmed or struggle with making decisions? I know after a day of teaching, I often struggle to mak...

134. The 3 Things In Your Control if You Want to Be Successful

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you feel like your dancers are focused, dialed in, and confident when it's time to take the stage, or do they seem nervous, distracted, and scared?...

133. How Dance Teachers Can Turn Comparison into Inspiration

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever looked at another dance teacher who you admire and just felt jealous or had the thought, "How can I compare myself to these top people i...

132. How to Use Your Habit Brain to Reduce the Chances of Devastating Mistakes

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever trained your dancers for a competition, drilling a dance routine over and over, only to have the dancers make a big mistake onstage that...

131. The FIRST Mental Skill Your Dancers Need to Learn and Probably Never Did

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you want dancers with more focus in class or more personal accountability, there is one mental skill that dancers need first. Maybe you're frustrat...

130. Mental Skills of Auditioning and Performing in NYC with Courtney Ortiz

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'm talking with New York City-based professional dancer, Courtney Ortiz. If you've ever wondered what it's like to audition and perf...

129. How to Break into the Confidence Cycle

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 Do you need confidence to perform well, or do you need to perform well before you can feel confident about yourself? Confidence is one of the bigges...

128. My Top Lesson from Hamilton: Plant the Seeds of Your Legacy

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Good leaders think about the legacy they want to leave behind, even if they are years away from leaving the helm of the ship. I had the extreme pleasu...

127. Good Dancers Believe in Their Ability to Learn, Not Just Get it Right

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helping your dancers find the drive to work hard in class is a constant struggle for a lot of us. I think we all want to help our dancers show up with...

126. The Mental Strength to Return to Dance with Miller Daurey

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is inspiring the dance world by documenting his return to dance. Miller Daurey is a former professional team dancer who quit dance at 1...

125. 8 Mistakes that Will Derail Your Dance Goals and Set You Back

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to part three of my goal-setting series! If this is the first time you're tuning in, please feel free to back up a few episodes and start with...

124. Why Goal Setting Works and Why You Might Be Getting it Wrong

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In last week's episode, we talked about the different types of goals and why dance competition goals can actually hurt your motivation. In today's epi...

123. If You Want to Win, Winning Can't Be the Goal

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Good goal setting improves confidence, motivation, and your actual performance. To be completely real with you, most people get this wrong. I...

122. Do Your Dancers have GRIT?

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Grit is in the dancer who works so much harder than the naturally-talented dancer who slides by. Grit is in the dancer who doesn't quit on a new skill...

121. 6 Ways to Teach Accountability

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, I'll be tackling one of the biggest issues I hear about all summer: accountability. I hear from teachers and coaches who feel like...

120. How to Be A Mindful and Supportive Dance Parent

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, I am back with Dr. Megan Babkes-Stellino to answer some of your questions about dance parents! If you missed part one, pause and g...

119. How to Use Summer Reflection to Achieve Your Personal Vision

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Each year I set a word of intention rather than a New Year's resolution, and I usually stop and do a deep reflection on my intention at the e...

118. 4 Mental Toughness Myths That Could Be Holding You Back

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: If you've ever talked to your dancers about taking the floor with a confident mindset or using visualization before a competition, you probab...

117. I'm Backstage, How Do I Stop My Negative Thoughts?

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I was working with a group of dancers recently, and after our discussion about competition mindset, two dancers came up to me and asked, "What do I do...

116. How to Take Control and Reach Your Personal Best on Stage

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I think we would all love a hack for peak performance, wouldn't we? Peak performance is when you are able to perform at your personal best to reach yo...

115. Dance Parents are Terrible! But here's how you can cultivate a positive relationship with your dance parents

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Do you have dance moms and dance dads at your studio or school that drive you completely crazy? I know crazy sport parents can be super chall...

114. You Have To Learn How to Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - with Katie Groven

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Do your dancers have the growth mindset it takes to really push themselves to improve? In today's episode, I'll be talking with the one and o...

113. Don't Just Insist on More Effort From Your Dancers, There Is a Better Way

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: When we think our dancers are being lazy or don't care, we tend to yell for full out and push for more energy because we assume the dancers a...

112. 7 Tips for Effective Communication Between Coaches and Athletes

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Healthy communication with our dancers starts with us dance coaches and teachers. We're the role models for how we want to communicate in our...

111. 6 Dance Science Experts Share How They Would Change Dance Education

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode is an epic collaboration of six dance specialists and dance business owners. It's a re-release of an episode of my friend Jeanne's pod...

110. 5 Practical Tips for Team Building like Creating a 5-Star Practice

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Today's episode is part three of a three-part series on team building. In the first two episodes of the series, we talked about the two diffe...

109. 4 Simple Factors that Influence Your Dance Team's Unity

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Establishing cohesion and unity among a group of dancers is an ongoing process, and anyone who's been a teacher or a coach for more than one ...

108. The 2 Types of Effective Team Bonding You Need This Summer

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Team Bonding Series Part 1 Summary: Did you know there are two types of team bonding? I know many coaches believe that if dancers spend time together,...

107. From Fear to Intuition: How to find your own path to success

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: As a dancer, are you following someone else's dream or your own? Do you have dreams of becoming a famous professional ballet dancer? Who do y...

106. My Top 10 Worst Coaching Mistakes and What to Do Instead

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Whenever an event or a season is coming to a close, I like to think back and notice what went well, what didn't go so well, and what lessons ...

105. Why the Best Leaders Always Share the Credit

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: As teachers, studio owners, and coaches, we often don't get credit when things are going well. If our dancers are doing well at competition, ...

104. How to Build Positive Team Culture in Your Studio

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Building team culture takes hard work. The question is, what must we do in order to actually build a positive team or studio culture with our dancers ...

103. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Motivation [Framework Part 3]

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do your dancers get lazy sometimes? Do you not know how to motivate athletes as a coach? If your dancers are lacking motivation, there is something yo...

102. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Resilience [Framework Part 2]

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of the Positive Coaching Framework Series where we'll discuss how to be a dance coach who truly makes a lasting positive impa...

101. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Mental Toughness [Framework Part 1]

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: You may have heard there are four pillars to the Passion for Dance podcast: mindset, resilience, motivation, and community. All of the episod...

100. Small Moments and the Important People You Share Them With

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Passion for Dance podcast! In honor of the 100th episode, I wanted to do something special. My passion has become ...

99. Confidence Myths You Should Avoid and What to do Instead

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we improve our confidence? As teachers and as dancers, building our confidence is a big topic, and there's a lot to it. I chose to tackle this ...

98. How to Strive for Excellence Without Being a Perfectionist

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a perfectionist? Do you work with perfectionist dancers? I was a perfectionist dancer and a coach, but now I'm a recovering perfectionist. Per...

97. 10 Miracle Benefits of Effective Imagery

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do your dancers like to close their eyes and visualize their routine before taking the stage? Does visualization help improve sport performance or is ...

96. Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Next Audition with Caitlin Sloan

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dancers, do you feel prepared for your next audition? Do you know what company or school you even want to audition for? Today's episode is for all the...

95. Why You Need a Daily Practice Intention for Growth and Focus

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary:  The word "intention" is becoming a bit of a buzzword. There are so many influencers and psychologists alike who talk about all of the benef...

94. My Dancers are Being Lazy and Wont Work Hard, What Do I Do?

19 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summary:  It can be difficult to help someone who is not motivated to work hard. Sometimes we feel pressure, as a teacher, to be the complete source ...

93. Why Setting Goals During Competition Season Can Be Harmful and What to Do Instead

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 As a coach or a dancer, have you revisited the goals you set over the summer or at the beginning of your season? Have those big goals been on the fo...

92. I May Have Failed in 2022 but I'm Finding my Purpose in 2023

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you set New Year's resolutions or new goals this time of year, or are you like me and go through a reflection process to choose one word for the ye...

91. How to Feel Happier and Achieve More with Reflection

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Do you ever pause and reflect on your day or your week as a dance educator or a dancer? The truth is, sitting down with your favorite journal...

90. Why You Shouldn't Tell Your Dancers to Get Out of Their Head

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Have you heard the saying "get out of your head" when talking about athletes who are anxious for a competition or a performance? Oftentimes, ...

89. Why Do Human Beings Dance? With Natalie Orr

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Have you ever had to grieve the loss of your dream even if it was your choice to choose a different path in life? I know I've gone through th...

88. Why Gratitude Lists Don't Work

24 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Gratitude has become a bit of a buzzword lately with people everywhere telling you to start a gratitude journal, have a gratitude practice ev...

87. How to Flip that Mental Switch from Negative Thoughts to Positive Actions

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Do you have big goals and dreams for the year, but when it comes to actually put in the work and practice, you find yourself feeling stuck, t...

86. The Power of Asking the Right Questions with Dr. Noah St. John

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: If you've ever used affirmations with your dancers, this episode introduces a tool for a different way to use them. My guest today is Dr. Noa...

85. Confidence Q&A

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: Just imagine you get up on competition day and you are pumped and excited but actually not nervous. You know your dancers are ready to crush ...

84. University of Kentucky Dance Coach Dawn Walters

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: We're going back in the archives today with an interview from 2020 with the amazing Dawn Walters of The University of Kentucky Dance Team. Da...

83. [LIVE COACHING] Personal Mindset, Honesty, and Reaching Goals without Pressure

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: You may or may not yet know that I do a lot of coaching the coaches in my business. This is where I work with dance teachers and coaches to h...

82: 5 Steps to Cleaning Your Dance Routine While Building Leadership

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: If I know our dance world, then I know that one thing you can count on every season is you're going to have to clean your routines. Whether y...

81. Increase Joy and Motivation When You Celebrate Small Wins

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We naturally bond over shared complaints rather than shared wins. Why do we find a better connection with people when we share our frustrations? Why d...

80. How To Easily Shut Down Your Brain At Night

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine this, you're lying in bed, exhausted from a long day. You start thinking about the email you need to send to that one parent. Then you start t...

79. Why Genetic Testing Can Be A Valuable Tool For Dancers

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have more slow twitch or fast twitch muscle fibers? Does your body process B vitamins quickly making you more sluggish sometimes? Maybe you're ...

78. 3 Steps to Make Sure You Can Compete in Any Context

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever had your dancers do really well in practice, everything looks fine in the studio, but then when you go to competition and change venues,...

77. How Focused Mental Skills Can Support You After Injury

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dealing with an injury can be devastating to a dancer. And it's not just the physical pain, but the mental load that we deal with during recovery is s...

76. Functional Nutrition: The Important Advice You Didn't Know You Needed

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a dance teacher who feels like you can't dance like you used to but just chalk it up to being old, you have to listen in to today's episode....

75. Toxic Positivity and What To Actually Say Instead

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you heard of the term toxic positivity? It's becoming a bit of a buzzphrase, so I want to dive into this complicated topic.  I'm seeing it more ...

74. From World Renowned Dancers to Children's Book Authors: Stories of Resilience

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As you may know, one of the main themes of this show is resilience. I love talking with successful and talented dancers about their own resilience jou...

73. "I Can't Do Left" and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many times I've heard dances say things like "I can't do left" or "I'm not a turner." And of course, there are many times I've thought th...

72. How To Handle Those Big Life Changes

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you are a dance educator long enough, you will go through some big life changes that will impact your career and your dancers. When you have someth...

71. The Most Important Conversation You Need to Have With Your Assistant Coach

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you an assistant coach? Do you have an assistant in your program? Maybe you're in the school setting and lucky enough to be an assistant coach.  ...

70. Developing a Confident Dancer Off the Marley (Part 2)

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, I hosted an online conference called the Confident Dancer Summit, where 20 different dance educators came together to teach a short cour...

69. Developing a Confident Dancer Off the Marley (Part 1)

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, I hosted an online conference called the Confident Dancer Summit, where 20 different dance educators came together to teach a short cours...

68. My Teaching Philosophy and How it Changed Me

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a teaching or coaching philosophy? Personally, it took me years to come up with my own personal teaching philosophy that was really specif...

67. Finding Your Unique Professional Path with Caroline Liviakis

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is Caroline Liviakis, she is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Caroline Liviakis Dance Company (CLDC), choreographing a...

66. Supporting Our Dancers' Mental Health

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a little heavier, but I'm learning to lean into the hard, so I hope you'll join me. I'm grateful that there is a growing conversation ...

65. Team Building with Champion All-Star Coach Stephanie Westbrook

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is Stephanie Westbrook, who is based in Sydney Australia, and currently coaches the University of New South Wales Warriors Premier Dance...

64: 5 Simple Ideas for Continued Personal Growth

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a part of this community, I am pretty confident you are a lifelong learner and someone who cares about being the best version of yourself. N...

63. When Do I Teach My Dancers About Mental Skills?

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's summer, which for me as a mental performance consultant means busy season! Lots of dance studios and coaches want to focus on mental skills train...

62. How I Plan My Dance Season

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summer is often a time of vacations and relaxing, but also, intensives and summer camps, and usually whole love of planning! If you are someone like m...

61. The Positive Coaching Framework

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We know that being a dance coach with a positive impact is more than teaching dance skills and helping your dancers perform well and achieve competiti...

60. Do You Know How to Give Tough Love Without Hurting Your Dancers?

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I talk about the need for a little tough love in coaching. I'm not telling you to be mean and rude, but there is a time and place whe...

59. Advice from Passionate Dance Educators Joe Nickel & Michelle Tolson

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode features two special guests, who are both professionally accomplished and exceptional dance educators.  As I say in the episode, some...

58. Never Regret a Day

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Coaching and teaching dance is hard, it's really rewarding, but hard. It's easy to feel beat down sometimes. When your dancers aren't listening, when ...

57. How to Prepare your Captain to Become an Influential Leader

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a continuation of last week where I talked about 3 of the key qualities to look for in a captain. If you choose to have formal leaders...

56. 3 Key Qualities of an Effective Dance Team Captain

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you choose to have captains or formal leaders of any kind on your team, that choice can shape your entire season. And I believe the choice of who m...

55. Coaching Advice Inspired By My Darkest Moments

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like many of us are having a hard time lately. There's a lot of burnout, overwhelm, and negativity. And I get it! There are so many reasons why...

54. How to Stay Motivated After Competitive Success

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have your dancers ever experienced success at competition, and then started to back off on the hard work that got them there and act like they can coa...

53. 1 Big Reason Team Conflict Isn't A Bad Thing

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Positive team culture doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen without a lot of effort and intentional team building. But in today's episode, I...

52. The Mindset of a Dance Boss with Erin Pompa

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever thought about using your dance experience and education to do something other than teaching dance? Now, if you are a dance educator out ...

51. Hard-Working Dancers have Teachers Who Do These 3 Things

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all want dancers who are hard working. Dancers who show up and stay focused during class, Dancers who put in 100% effort even if the teacher isn't ...

50. My Dance Story and How it Shaped Me: The Birthday Episode!

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today is the Passion for Dance Podcast's birthday! One year ago, I started this journey, and because I launched the show on my actual birthday, it's a...

49. LSU Tiger Girls: The Coach's Story

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What if we were "Like a Boy?" Would you treat us differently if we were male athletes? The LSU Tiger Girls had a clear and powerful message in their r...

48. Fueling for Competition: Advice from Registered Dietitians Melisa and Yasi of MY Dance Nutrition

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist? My guests this week are both, and the distinction is an important one becuase it me...

47. Coaching and Mentoring for Professional Dance Teams featuring Sabrina and Amira of the Cultivate Code

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guests are Pro Dance Team Coaches and Founders of the Cultivate Code, Sabrina, and Amira. These women have a wealth of knowledge about dancing...

46. Love Languages for Dance Team: How to emotionally connect with your dancers in record time

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Making a genuine connection with each of your dancers can be really challenging, but it's so important as a teacher or coach that we try and connect w...

45. 5 Mindset Lessons from Dance Team Nationals

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we compete? If you have dancers who take on big national championships every year, why? Have they lost track of why? Throughout my consulting c...

44. Confidently Amplify Your Personal Brand with Sonja McCord

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you think that being a professional dancer is out of your reach? I definitely thought so as a young dancer, but my guest today taught me a lot abou...

43. My One Word for 2022 and Why You Should Set One Too

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I don't set New Year's resolutions, even though I'm a big fan of goal setting. And there's a good reason I don't set one big goal for the year. Becaus...

42. 4 Dance Coaches Share Their Best Mindset Lessons

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I am a firm believer that we should not have to coach alone on an island. And if I've learned lessons along the way, I'm going to share those lessons ...

41. Developing a Pre-Performance Routine for Confidence

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mental skills are how you get the most out of your physical skills, and it helps ensure your dancers peak at the right time, and compete at their high...

40. How to Encourage Mental Toughness in our Dancers with Chelsie Hightower

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recently I had the chance to sit down with Bri from Apolla Performance and professional dancer Chelsie Hightower, who you might recognize from So You ...

40. How to Encourage Mental Toughness in our Dancers with Chelsie Hightower

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recently I had the chance to sit down with Bri from Apolla Performance and professional dancer Chelsie Hightower, who you might recognize from So You ...