Helping Your Dancers Maximize Solo Practice: A Guide for Dance Teachers

As dance teachers, one of our greatest joys is guiding students through the preparation and growth that comes with performing a solo. Having taught solos for the past 40 years, I’ve seen how practice habits have changed—students are busier, distractions are everywhere, and staying focused can be a challenge. Making sure dancers maximize their practice time requires more than just assigning homework. By providing structure, focus, and clear goals, we can help them stay on track and reach their full potential.

To make this process even easier, I’ve included a Google Doc template you can share with your dancers. I create one for each student and share it with both the parent and the student (if they have an email). This tool is designed to help them set goals, track progress, and stay organized throughout the season.

I’ve compiled seven essential tips for dance teachers to help their dancers maximize solo practice, leading to greater success, joy, and fulfillment.

1. Break Down Practice with Clear Focus Areas

Encourage your dancers to practice with intention rather than just running their solo over and over. Each practice session should have a specific focus, such as:

• Technique: Ensure they’re prioritizing clean, precise execution of turns, jumps, transitions, and small movements.
• Dynamics: Practice with contrast—soft vs. sharp, fast vs. slow—to add texture to their performance.
• Levels: Experiment with highs, mids, and lows to add dimension to their
• Performance Quality: Work on connecting to the audience through facial expressions, eye focus, and emotional delivery.

Teacher Tip:

Plan your students’ practice priorities during lessons. For example, dedicate one private lesson to dynamics and another to technique. This builds their confidence in specific areas before putting everything together.

2. Help Them Strengthen the Middle and End

Most dancers naturally focus on the beginning of their solo—it’s fresh and exciting. But often, the middle-to-end sections get less attention. Guide your dancers to flip the script by starting their practice sessions at different points in the choreography. Encourage

them to work specifically on the middle and end so these sections are just as strong as the opening.

This strategy also helps combat muscle memory fatigue, ensuring that the dancer maintains energy and focus throughout the piece.

Teacher Tip:

During private lessons, choose a random point in the choreography to begin practice. Ask the dancer to perform from that spot to the end. This helps them feel equally confident in every section.

3. Establish a Practice Schedule

Consistency is key, but younger or less experienced dancers may not know how to create a practice schedule. Work with them to establish a routine that includes:

• Short, focused daily sessions (15-20 minutes).
• Longer, full-run practices a few times a

Teacher Tip:

Encourage them to divide their sessions into three parts:

1. Warm-up and drills: Focus on strength and flexibility specific to their
2. Targeted practice: Work on one or two focus areas (e.g., cleaning transitions or adding performance quality).
3. Full run-throughs: Perform the solo as if they’re on

4. Provide Tools for Success

Organization can make or break a dancer’s preparation. Set them up with tools to track their progress, stay motivated, and reflect on feedback. Share a Google Doc template where they can:

• Write notes on choreography and
• Record practice times and goals for each
• Track judges’ comments and scores after
• Reflect on what went well and what needs work after each practice or

Teacher Tip:

Review the document with your dancer regularly during lessons. This accountability keeps them engaged and shows you’re invested in their progress.

5. Teach Them to Analyze and Apply Feedback

Feedback from competitions or lessons is invaluable, but it can also be overwhelming. Teach your dancers how to analyze feedback constructively by breaking it into manageable steps:

1. Review: Highlight key comments from judges or
2. Prioritize: Focus on one or two corrections to address in the next week of
3. Implement: Incorporate the feedback into targeted practice

Teacher Tip:

Have a debriefing session after competitions to go through their feedback together. Discuss how they can apply specific corrections and celebrate areas where they’ve improved.

6. Build Confidence with Performance Runs

Solo practice isn’t just about refining steps—it’s about learning how to perform under pressure. Encourage your dancers to simulate the stage experience by running their solo for small audiences, like family members or other students. This builds confidence and helps them work through any nerves.

Teacher Tip:

Host an in-studio showcase before competition season. This gives dancers the chance to perform in front of a supportive audience and receive feedback from peers and teachers.

7. Celebrate Progress Along the Way

Success isn’t just about the final performance—it’s about the growth and hard work along the way. Recognize your dancers’ efforts and improvements to keep them motivated. This could be as simple as praising a clean turn sequence or acknowledging how they’ve mastered a challenging transition.

Teacher Tip:

Use the Google Doc template to track milestones, like nailing a specific correction or receiving positive feedback from judges. Celebrate these wins during lessons to keep spirits high.

Final Thoughts: Guiding Your Dancers to Solo Success

Maximizing solo practice is about more than perfecting choreography—it’s about building confidence, developing strong work habits, and helping dancers connect with their artistry. As teachers, we have the opportunity to guide them not just in the studio, but in how they approach challenges and growth. By breaking practice into manageable focus areas, providing structure, and celebrating progress, we set them up for success both on stage and in life.

Click here to access the Google Doc template you can share with your students. This tool will help them stay organized, track their goals, and reflect on their journey. With the right guidance, every dancer can thrive in their solo preparation—and you’ll be right there to cheer them on!