Stephanie Dodson
Ballet, Jazz, Pre-Dance
Stephanie’s interest in dance was cultivated at an early age. Her mother was a dance educator and studio owner and Stephanie started to dance at age 4-5. As a young child, she and her friends pretended to be dance educators, choreographers, and studio owners.
She began assisting with and then teaching her own dance classes while in her early teens. Her favourite styles of dance are jazz, tap and hip-hop.
A key event in her dance career came when she qualified as a member of a tap quartet to attend the World National Dance Championships held in Germany. She has won a number of choreography awards, including two "Young Choreographer's Awards" early in her teaching career.
Stephanie always aspired to be a teacher, beginning as a dance educator and later qualifying as an Ontario Certified Teacher. She has been teaching dance for over 25 years!
Stephanie teaches dance because she enjoys it. She loves music and being creative, interacting with students and seeing the progress they make and the pride they take in their accomplishments. She also enjoys seeing that they are willing to learn from their mistakes. She expects them to work hard, give their best effort and not give up.
Stephanie especially loves teaching jazz because it is energetic and fun and because most students seem to love it. She also enjoys teaching younger students ballet and encouraging them to use their imaginations and creative movement. She is drawn to tap because of its music and rhythm, and the importance of teaching students timing.
To ensure students get the most out of her classes, Stephanie focuses on keeping them moving and having fun. She focuses on technique and establishing a strong foundation in dance for her students. Above all, she hopes to help them develop a love of dance.
Stephanie finds that very young dancers can be a challenge to teach, depending on how easily they separate from their parents. Young beginner tappers are also challenging, as tap requires more patience and focus. Most recently, Stephanie has been challenged by the demands of teaching competitive dance classes online and helping her dancers maintain focus and motivation with this format.