Let your students know ahead of time what to expect. Tell them to wear comfortable attire, appropriate shoes or socks, and let them know what kinds of movement you plan to start teaching them. If you're teaching a private lesson, yask your student about her personal dance goals. When you know what your student wants to get from the class, move on to preparing your class. Decide what steps you will teach the first day and what movement principles you want to emphasize, such as correct posture or musicality.
It's important to lead your students in a proper, thorough warm-up before they dance. A thorough warm-up should include stretching and light cardiovascular movement. The extent of your warm-up depends on the style of dance you are teaching. A jazz or modern class, for example, demands on more intense stretching than a tap dance class. Tailor your warm-up to suit the kind of dance you will practice. Include ankle warm-ups and calf stretches for an Irish dance class. Lead your students in hip, shoulder and neck isolations to prepare them for the movements of a jazz class.
Teach students the proper posture, stance and positions of dance. This will help ensure that they perform subsequent movements safely and correctly. If you're teaching ballroom dance, help your students achieve the right posture and "frame" of the body. Teach ballet students the five basic positions of the feet and emphasize correct stance and turned-out legs. Observe and adjust students' positions as necessary. Always ask your student before giving a physical "hands-on" correction to avoid making them feel uncomfortable. Remember that everyone's body is different, and that it will take a while for beginners to polish their posture and stance.
When your students are ready to get moving, start with the most basic steps in your vocabulary. If you're teaching someone how to swing dance, for instance, make sure they master the rock step before moving on to anything more complicated. Focus on one or two movements in your first class, depending on your students' coordination. Demonstrate the step a few times before having students try it themselves. Watch students individually, and give them plenty of encouragement in addition to technical corrections.
Keep your students engaged and attentive by using a few different methods of teaching. Demonstration is important, especially for beginners, but you should also provide verbal descriptions of steps. For students struggling with timing and musicality, count out loud or say the names of steps to the rhythm of the music. Use diagrams to show the ideal shape of the body in different dance positions. Give students individual attention, and always be open to questions.
When your beginner dancers feel comfortable with two or three basic steps, put them together in combination. Choreograph an easy, short dance to a fun piece of music that incorporates the steps and positions they've learned. Encourage your students to have fun practicing their new skills as they dance. While you should still offer them feedback on technique and form, use the combination as an opportunity to work with students on their style and musicality. After each lesson, add a few more steps on to the combination. After a few months, you will have a dance your students can perform for friends and family.