In this final installment of this three-part series with Elizabeth Benton, we discuss health and wellness. Besides being the author of Chasing Cupcakes, a mindset coach, founder of The Dagny Foundation, and host of the Primal Potential podcast, EB has also radically transformed her life by losing over 200lbs. If you enjoy the wisdom she dispenses here, make sure you wish yourself a Happy New Year by treating yourself to a copy of her book or listening to the Primal Potential podcast. If you missed Part I or Part II, make sure you catch up! Read More
In Part II of this three-part series with Elizabeth Benton, author of Chasing Cupcakes, mindset coach, founder of The Dagny Foundation, and host of the Primal Potential podcast, we talk about good mindset mantras, surviving failure, avoiding drama and superpowers. If you enjoy the wisdom she dispenses here, make sure you wish yourself a Happy New Year by treating yourself to a copy of her book or listening to the Primal Potential podcast. If you missed Part I, make sure you catch up! Read More
Have you ever heard of Elizabeth Benton? If not, it’s time you did. EB is the author of Chasing Cupcakes, a mindset coach, founder of The Dagny Foundation, and host of the Primal Potential podcast. Phew! I need a nap just writing all of that. I found EB several years ago when I was searching for a great health and wellness podcast, and I’ve been a fan ever since. As I was reflecting on 2020, I thought about how we could probably all benefit from a mindset upgrade, which immediately made me think of EB’s work. So what the heck- I took a chance and emailed her to ask for an interview…Read More
Tyler Muhlenkamp is a dancer with The Walt Disney Company, in Orlando, Florida. It was so exciting to host Tyler at EDC for a Musical Theatre Master Class and Audition Workshop in September. We caught up with Tyler in between his busy schedule of dancing, rehearsing, performing and teaching to get answers to our top 6 burning questions.Read More
It’s common during dance class to find yourself with a little bit of downtime. Whether your dance teacher is working out a section of choreography, changing the music or drilling one-on-one with another student, you might occasionally find yourself in a holding pattern during your class. It’s definitely NOT an invitation for you to stop and do nothing, talk to a neighbor or kick up a ruckus. Nope, no thank you, no way! Instead, make use of every moment and perfect your craft. Here are five things you can do in dance class while you’re waiting for direction from your teacher:Read More
I have struggled with how to write this blog for weeks, because I’m not sure how to keep my first-world privilege from shining through so brightly. But alas, I am first-world privileged and if you’re reading this, then chances are you are too. Today there is sunshine over my home, safety under my roof and satisfaction in knowing my little family is huddled together. But, let’s be honest. While in pandemic mode, I have yelled at my kids and been unreasonable. I have drunk significantly more cocktails than if we were in normal life. I worked out much less and found myself at the fridge when I’m not even hungry. Sometimes, I have felt despair. I’ve watched too much TV, including Tiger King. I have mindlessly scrolled Facebook and read angry posts about hoarders of toilet paper. These are parts of COVID-19 I hope I soon forget, but I am acutely aware it could be so much worse. Read More
Costume Try-On Week is such an exciting event for dancers! Slipping the costume on for the first time is often the “a-ha” moment when the dancers suddenly understand their teacher’s vision for the performance. This is also the moment where your dancers get pretty excited about their time in the spotlight. Simply put, they feel like stars.Read More
Growing up in dance can look differently from state to state, studio to studio and kid to kid. In the past several years dance has made a comeback in the mainstream spotlight of television and film. While this pop culture reboot has done some great things for our art, it has also given rise to some negative trends for both youth and adults. This is one reason why it is so important to take time to find the best dance school for your family. It didn’t occur to me that parents are actually afraid of their children becoming commodities or exploited through dance until I had a lengthy and honest email conversation with a father concerned about his daughter choosing dance as her passion. Read More
Elevate Dance Center is a “kiss and go” studio. This can be hard for some of our youngest dancers’ parents to understand, but we feel very strongly that our children should be given a learning environment free from spectators. Class time is about exploration, mistake-making and growth. It is not a performance, and therefore needs no audience. Read More
Why dance?
Sometimes it’s hard to put into words the magnitude of what we do when step into the studio. When we dance, we throw a party for our soul. As dance teachers, we know we are changing lives in every class, and we think our parents intuitively know it too when they sign their kids up for dance.Read More
