Fighting Negativity, Finding Confidence, and Infinitely Evolving: an Interview with Dance Teacher Phaelon Voss
Meet Phaelon Voss, a dance teacher based in Shorewood, IL.
Photo: Phaelon Voss; shot by Red Photography by Michelle
Phaelon started her dance journey at Beth’s Dance Academy when she was 2, where she continued training until she graduated from high school. “During my time there, I was a member of the competition company, which provided me the opportunity to compete in front of, and take classes from, world renowned dancers,” said Phaelon.
She also trained in tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical and hip-hop. Now, Phaleon continues her training at Chicago Movement Collective under Ethan Kirschbaum and teaches at her hometown studio.
In her interview below, Phaelon discusses techniques for combating negativity, evolving as a dance teacher, and more.
Related: Inspiring Others, Taking Risks, and Being Bold: an Interview with Dance Teacher Brittany Fleet
What led you to become a dance teacher?
After college I wanted to continue dancing, but it was hard to find adult classes close to where I live. I was given the opportunity to be a substitute dance instructor at surrounding studios and loved the opportunity to share my love of dance with the next generation. After subbing for a few years, I decided I wanted to take on my own classes in order to teach more consistently and see the growth of the dancers I teach.
Tell us more about where you teach!
I’ve come full circle and have been given the opportunity to teach at the studio I grew up in. I teach ballet and jazz classes and I am the Director and Technique Instructor of our performance team. Our performance team is a smaller scale competition team where our students compete in two competitions a year and have the opportunity to perform at events like Minor League Baseball games and charity events.
Is there a specific challenge many of your students face, and how do you help them overcome it?
I think the most common challenge I’ve seen over the past year is a lack of confidence. I think part of this is because students are finding their groove after a rough couple of years - being on Zoom, having classes canceled, fear of not knowing if we’d have to go through that again.
The simplest way I try to combat negativity and encourage a positive environment is paying attention to language. We do not say “I can’t” in any of my classes. I encourage dancers to spin this and say something like “I can’t, yet” or “I can work on this.” Another thing I do every so often is take time out of class for mindfulness activities.
With my performance team dancers, I purchased notebooks for each dancer to journal as they see fit, set goals and participate in group exercises during class. Some of the exercises included drawing or writing how they felt that day, how dance made them feel, or goals they had both with dance and outside of dance. One of my favorites is to pass the notebooks around and have everyone write one positive thing in each notebook. Dancers are allowed to share what they have written, or they can choose not to and reflect on their own - but typically they choose to share.
Related: Dance Teachers: 5 Ways to Set Good Vibes in Your Studio
What’s one thing you hope all of your students have learned by the time they leave your class?
There are two big things I hope dancers learn by the time they leave my class that apply to both dance and life in general. I hope all of my dancers learn that if they believe in themselves, work hard and never give up, there are no limits to what they can accomplish. I also want them to know no one is perfect, and asking for or accepting help is okay.
Photo: Phaelon Voss; shot by Jacquie Voss
Do you have any advice for dance teachers?
Dance is an evolving art and sport; it is important for us teachers to continue training to learn how to keep our students safe as well as keep up with new styles we may not have had exposure to growing up. The other thing we need to remember as teachers is that the studio is not just for learning about dance - we teach life lessons. I know I would not be who I am today without some of the skills I learned from dance, such as responsibility, time management, accountability and teamwork.
Do you have anything else you’d like to share with dance students or teachers reading this article?
Believe in yourself always and don’t let any negativity creep into your head or heart. It is easy as teachers and students to compare ourselves to everyone around us, and while it is healthy to want to push yourself to the next level, we can sometimes compare ourselves to others to a detriment.
We all have different bodies. We all have different stories to tell. So our movement, our choreography, our abilities and flexibility will vary, and that is what makes dance beautiful.
You can follow Phaelon’s dance journey on Instagram.
Note: This interview was edited for clarity and concision.