Welcome to our master schedule for the upcoming summer convention season. Join International Dance Acclaim on the road this summer in Chicago and Las Vegas. Discover our standards-based, performance-driven frameworks designed to elevate studio training and maximize student retention.

Event: Energize Dance Convention (Chicago, IL)

• Location: Chicago
• Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
• Time: 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM
• Class Title: The Bridge to Ballet: Elevating the 6-8 Year Old Experience
• Faculty: Rebecca Tsivkin (IDA Director)
• Pedagogical Focus: Discover the Ballet Building Blocks framework. Learn specific, structured exercises to transition primary-level students into formal barre work and introductory pirouettes without losing the vibrant energy or spark of the classroom.

Event: Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo (Las Vegas, NV)

• Location: Las Vegas
• Expo Booth: Visit the International Dance Acclaim team in the main expo hall throughout the weekend to explore our growth-focused adjudication and framework.

Session 1: Stretch & Conditioning

• Date: Thursday, August 6, 2026
• Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM (17:30 – 18:30)
• Class Title: The Competitive Edge: Fusing Rhythmic Gymnastics & Ballet
• Faculty: Rebecca Tsivkin (IDA Director)
• Pedagogical Focus: Learn a unique core stability and floor barre conditioning method. This session fuses rhythmic gymnastics precision with classical technique to build functional strength, elite physical placement, and long-term injury prevention.

Session 2: Tap Faculty Presentation

• Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
• Time: 9:15 AM to 10:15 AM (09:15 – 10:15)
• Class Title: TAP: Teach It Once, Use It Twice: Smart Choreography for Busy Teachers
• Faculty: Dianne Schiller (IDA Tap Director)
• Pedagogical Focus: Tailored for high-beginning and low-intermediate dancers. Learn how to take three foundational combinations and strategically alter the musicality and staging to create two entirely distinct performance pieces. Includes a live technical troubleshooting session at the conclusion.

Session 3: Ballet Pedagogy

• Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
• Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM (10:30 – 11:30)
• Class Title: BALLET: Blueprint for Adaptable Choreography: Technical Building Blocks
• Faculty: Rebecca Tsivkin (IDA Director)
• Pedagogical Focus: Tailored for high-beginning and low-intermediate levels. This session introduces a systematic mapping framework focused on three core technical blocks to maximize muscle memory and build highly adaptable arrangements.

Session 4: Early Learner Development

• Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
• Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (14:00 – 15:00)
• Class Title: BALLET: The Storybook Pathway: Creative Dance to Pre-Ballet
• Faculty: Rebecca Tsivkin (IDA Director)
• Pedagogical Focus: Specific to ages 5 and 6. Learn how to weave authentic ballet foundations into a narrative framework utilizing Sleeping Beauty themes, instilling a structured work-to-improve mindset in young students.

Session 5: Jumps & Male Dancer Integration

• Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026
• Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (14:00 – 15:00)
• Class Title: BALLET: Elevate Everyone: Better Jumps and Boy-Friendly Strategies
• Faculty: Rebecca Tsivkin (IDA Director) and Noam Tsivkin (Professional Ballet Dancer)
• Pedagogical Focus: A technical breakdown of elevation, landing mechanics, and physical safety. This co-taught session provides clear pathways to successfully challenge, motivate, and integrate male dancers into a cohesive classroom environment.

As we move into the final stretch of the season, most dance teachers are facing the same challenge: keeping students engaged and technical standards high while managing the heavy workload of recital preparations.

The key to surviving this period isn’t working harder, it’s teaching smarter.

This week, our IDA Tap Director, Dianne Schiller, shared a perfect example of this through a concept she calls “Teach It Once, Use It Twice.” This isn’t just about saving time; it’s a modular approach to choreography that builds student confidence by layering new challenges onto a foundation they already understand.

The Progression in Action

Using a staple from the IDA F1 Dance, “Latin Spice,” Dianne demonstrates how to take a basic grapevine and “upgrade” it into a complex technical phrase.

As you can see in the video, the progression follows a clear logical path:

1. The Base: A standard, clean grapevine.
2. The Technical Layer: Adding extra heel drops to find new sounds within the same footprint.
3. The Challenge: Incorporating a flap and a spank while increasing the tempo.

By the end of the exercise, the students are performing a high-energy, technical combination, but because the “map” of the step (the grapevine) stayed the same, the learning curve is significantly shorter.

Why Modular Teaching Works

When you use “Smart Choreography,” you reduce the mental fatigue for both the teacher and the dancer.

• For the Student: They feel successful because they aren’t starting from zero. They are simply adding “attachments” to a move they’ve already mastered.
• For the Teacher: You can use these foundational “modules” to create multiple performance pieces. By changing the staging, the musicality, or the speed, you can get two entirely different looks out of the same set of steps.

See the Full System at Dance Teacher Web

If you want to move away from reinventing the wheel every season, join Dianne Schiller at the Dance Teacher Web Conference this August in Las Vegas.

She will be teaching her full session: “Teach It Once, Use It Twice: Smart Choreography for Busy Teachers.” She’ll be breaking down three foundational combinations and showing you exactly how to rearrange them into two distinct performance numbers.

The Best Part? Dianne is also hosting a live “Tap Teacher’s Troubleshooting” session. Whether it’s a muddy sound you can’t fix or a step your students just aren’t nailing, you can bring your toughest technical questions and get an immediate solution on the spot.

Overview

This Technique Talk focused on strategies for polishing recital pieces during the “March Madness” spring season. Led by Rebecca Tsivkin (Director of IDA), alongside Pam McCray (Head Judge) and Dianne Schiller (Tap Director), the session provided practical solutions for the unique challenges of preparing students for performance while maintaining the high technical standards central to the International Dance Acclaim curriculum.

---

Core Choreographic Approaches

Teachers discussed two primary methods for setting work: “Clean as You Go” and “Plow Ahead.”

• The Trade-off: While cleaning immediately prevents bad muscle memory from forming, it can stall progress and frustrate students. Conversely, plowing ahead allows dancers to grasp the full spatial picture quickly, though incorrect technique can become ingrained.
• The IDA Hybrid: Rebecca recommended a “medium speed” approach—ensuring everyone is on the correct leg and moving in the right direction without getting stuck on every detail initially.
• Strategic Sequencing: To ensure the end of the dance is as strong as the beginning, Rebecca suggested teaching the finale first and working backward.
• Syllabus Integration: Pam noted that using combinations from the IDA syllabus as building blocks reduces the learning curve, as students already understand the expectations and can focus on performance quality.

---

Spatial Awareness and Mirror Transitions

A critical hurdle in recital prep is mirror dependence, which can destroy a student’s eye line and internal awareness.

• Breaking the Habit: Nicole shared that her studio teaches all dances facing away from the mirror from day one. This eliminates the confusion of “flipping” the dance later, which is particularly difficult for younger children.
• Studio-to-Stage Mapping: To bridge the gap, Nicole’s studio uses numbered floor markings that match the theater’s layout. Taping out “wing positions” in the studio gives students a concrete sense of where they are, allowing them to focus on dancing rather than logistics.

---

Engagement and the Cleaning Process

To combat the boredom that sets in during repetitive cleaning, the panel shared several engagement strategies:

• Observational Learning: Rebecca suggested dividing the class into groups to watch each other. Pairing “Stage Right” dancers to watch “Stage Left” counterparts develops their critical eye; students often notice technical errors that teachers might miss.
• The Rule of Three: To build focus, Rebecca uses a rule where a section must be performed perfectly three times in a row. If the third time is flawed, the count resets to zero. This creates “performance pressure” without the distrust caused by saying “just one more time” repeatedly.
• Gamification: For younger students, Marilyn uses “Super Sticker Day” to reward the completion of specific sections, while Savannah suggested “Counting Challenges” (e.g., counting every First Position in a dance) to reinforce technical awareness.

---

Technical Polishing & Rebecca’s “Crazy” Teacher Tip

The segment emphasized that a performance doesn’t end when the music stops, but when the audience looks away.

• First & Last Impressions: Pam stressed that entrances and exits are the most memorable moments for an audience and require dedicated rehearsal time.
• The “Blurry Eye” Technique: Rebecca shared a professional rehearsal tactic: observing the piece through soft, unfocused eyes.

“You must give the students a ‘heads-up’ because you look a bit crazy doing it, but the technique makes technical outliers—like a single arm that is too high or a student who is half a count early—immediately jump out from the group.” — Rebecca Tsivkin

---

Managing Younger Performers (Ages 3-5)

The panel reached a consensus that very young students should not perform entirely independently.

• Layered Support: Karen’s studio uses a system involving teachers and assistants in the wings to provide familiar faces.
• Joy Over Trauma: Marilyn emphasized that making the recital a joyful experience is the priority. She often places a teacher on a chair in the front row to provide visual cues, ensuring students (and parents) are excited to return the following year.

---

Final Key Takeaway

The most effective recital preparation relies on the foundation of a syllabus. By utilizing the technical vocabulary students have practiced all year, teachers can maintain high standards even when faced with fluctuating attendance and the typical pressures of the spring season.

---

Additional Resources

Maya Plisetskaya (1976): At 51 years old, her control is legendary. Watch how her feet never seem to leave the floor, creating a seamless glide. Watch Maya Plisetskaya

Polish National Ballet: Look for the “Dance of the Wilis” section. You can see the corps de ballet and the Queen of the Wilis (Myrtha) using these runs to create a haunting, weightless effect. Watch Dance of the Wilis

Watch the section where Fumi Kaneko travels diagonally backward. Her feet are in a tight parallel position, creating a “shimmering” effect that makes her look like she is gliding on ice. Fumi Kaneko – Fairy of the Woodland Glade

Don Quixote: Kitri Act III Variation (Maria Khoreva). This variation is an elite example of how a transitional pas couru (run on pointe) can set the tone for an entire performance. Khoreva enters with exceptional speed and precision, maintaining a perfectly level pelvis and a calm, regal upper body. This is a “Gold Standard” for demonstrating how to combine athletic power with classical refinement. Watch Maria Khoreva’s Kitri Entrance

A Legacy of Excellence

International Dance Acclaim shares this news with immense sadness: our revered Artistic Advisor, Brian Loftus, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

Mr. Loftus was more than an advisor; he was a guiding light whose profound knowledge and passion for classical technique helped set the international standard of excellence for the IDA Syllabus. His wisdom is permanently woven into the foundation of our progressive Tiers and Awards.

A Life Dedicated to Artistry and Technique

A respected figure across the international dance community, Brian Loftus built a career defined by both breathtaking performance and dedicated instruction.

He trained in London and Paris, and danced professionally with the renowned Sadlers Wells Opera Ballet in London and with Grand Ballet Classique de France in Paris.

For over four decades, he was recognized globally as an international guest teacher, lecturer, and choreographer of the highest repute. His vast experience includes:

• A Cornerstone of London Dance: For 22 years, he held highly sought-after “Open Professional Classes” in London’s famed Covent Garden, classes attended regularly by many of the world’s most well-known dancers.
• International Influence: He taught regularly in dance capitals including London, Paris, Germany, Israel, and Japan.
• Company Guest Teacher: Mr. Loftus was invited as a guest teacher with numerous large ballet and contemporary companies across the globe, including:
  • London Festival Ballet (now called English National Ballet)
  • Rambert Dance Company
  • London Contemporary Dance Company
  • London City Ballet
  • Koblenz Ballet Company and Kiel Ballet Company in Germany
  • The Deborah Colker Company from Brazil.

His Enduring Contribution to IDA

As an Artistic Advisor for International Dance Acclaim, Brian Loftus brought the unparalleled standards of the world stage directly to our syllabus. His commitment ensured that every dancer participating in IDA’s program is cultivated with the kind of technical precision, artistry, and foundational strength required for a successful dance career.

Brian passed down specific exercises that are cornerstones of the IDA curriculum—pieces of choreography designed not just to challenge, but to fundamentally shift a dancer’s ability. To honor his enduring contribution, we want to share an exercise he taught for the execution of a dynamic tour jeté. IDA member, dancer and teacher Noam Tsivkin demonstrates this specific exercise, showcasing the precise attention to detail and clean lines that Brian always championed:

Brian’s generous spirit and tireless advocacy for the highest quality of classical training will continue to live on through every teacher we train and every student who achieves success through the IDA program.

He will be profoundly missed by his many friends, colleagues, and students around the world.

---

He continued his training at the School of American Ballet where he performed with New York City Ballet in productions of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. He received further training from the Alvin Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet, and State Street Ballet’s Professional Track program before joining State Street Ballet in 2016.

 

You can see Noam performing in Kismet in Santa Barbara. A fully staged musical and artistic collaboration, directed by Broadway’s Lonny Price, featuring the Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, and a cast of performers from across the globe. 

Tickets at https://ticketing.granadasb.org/15635/15647

 

You can see Noam demonstrating in IDA’s Intermediate Tier Videos.

Andrea Yorita is from Irvine, California, where she received her classical ballet training at Academy of Dance under the direction of Merle Sepel, Rebecca Tsivkin, and Mignon Furman.

In 2012, she graduated as a Gillespie Scholar with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied under Jodie Gates, Molly Lynch, and Donald McKayle. Originally trained under the RAD syllabus, Andrea has completed all Vocational RAD exams with Distinction, as well as received the Solo Seal Award. In 2008, Andrea competed as a finalist in the Genée International Ballet Competition in Toronto, Canada. She has participated in the National Choreographers Initiative as an apprentice, and the Traverse City Dance Project. Andrea was a 2016 Dance Finalist for the Clive Barnes Award. She joined BalletX in 2012.

You can see Andie demonstrating in IDA’s Advanced Tier videos. Here’s what she says about the program:

“Working on IDA brought me back to my training with Merle Sepel and Rebecca Tsivkin. It reminded me how important it is as a professional to always remember your roots. As a young dancer, dissecting a set of exercises always allowed me to dive deeper into the movement and pushed me to try and achieve the unattainable perfection of every step. I feel very fortunate to have been trained by Merle Sepel and Rebecca Tsivkin. They not only taught me the incredible athleticism it takes to dance, but also turned me into an artist. I believe that training with this program would make me a physically stronger dancer as well as expand my artistic quality.”

Andie is currently touring the country with BalletX. You can find tour dates here: https://www.balletx.org/on-tour/

Another wonderful summer at Dance Teacher Web in Las Vegas!

 

We have added a new option for our youngest dancers.

If you have already purchased the Prejunior/Junior Tiers, The new Tier A1 (videos, music and notes) will now appear in your downloads. This is a complementary upgrade to the curriculum! Go to your account and redownload the Tier A videos, the prejunior/junior notes, and the prejunior/junior music, and you will see that we have added:

Tier A1 Port de Bras

Tier A1 Dance Steps

Tier A1 Teddy Bear Dance

If you have not yet purchased the program Tier A1 will be included in your purchase.

Enjoy some of the photos and video clips taken at the Dance Teacher Expos in Calgary and Toronto and the Dance Teacher Web in Las Vegas this summer.

By Marlena Juniman –Prima Soft Pointe Shoe Designer – www.prima-soft.com

 

Attitude ([aah-tee-TEWD) A French ballet term introduced by French ballet choreographer Carlo Blasis ,(1797-1876) inspired by the Statue of Mercury by Giovanni da Bologna.

The .Attitude is executed by standing on one leg with the other lifted in back, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees with the leg well turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot. The supporting foot may be flat on the floor, demi pointe or sur la pointe. The arm on the side of the raised leg is curved over the head while the other arm is extended to the side. There are a number of attitudes positions according to how the step is choreographed.

Attitude (at-ti-tude) A state of mind or a feeling either negative or positive, conscious or unconscious. The important point here is that we do have choice. The way a dancer views her life, herself and how she chooses to behave towards it will determine the outcome.

To go through the day with consciousness and ‘chose’ to have a good attitude can contribute much toward a good day, class or audition. To chose or to succumb to unconscious living and give in to negativity may contribute to a negative outcome.

So, like ‘Ahh-tee-tewd’ of ballet, there are a number of attitudes for you to choose according to how you want to choreograph your life.