Alexis Gleason Dance Teacher

When working with new studios I like to start with my typical warm up and then get a feel of the different levels that I have in the room.  My basic warm-up includes a variety of stretching, strengthening, and conditioning exercises. I always stand in the front and center of the room so that all of the students can see and follow along.  After the warm-up, I like to then move into across the floor and further technique exercises to get the best feel of the different levels in the room.  Lastly, we will move into the combination and I will make slight adjustments again based on the different levels in the room.  This style of teaching, reading the different levels that are in the room, is how I run every style of class.

In April of 2018, I graduated from Point Park University with a degree in Dance.  The summer of 2017 I lived in New York City and completed the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester.  I have taught at studios in Pittsburgh, PA, as well as taught pre-professional classes at Point Park University.  Lastly, in the most previous contract that I completed, I was titled the show captain and company manager of the cast, leaving me in charge of running rehearsals and keeping the shows clean.

This is flexible and dependant on a number of things including a number of students, distance to dance studio, length of the class, level of class, and more details along those lines.

I have been assisting dance teachers since I was around 14.  When I entered my junior and senior years in college the studio owner at the dance studio that I grew up at trusted me with teaching a variety of different classes including jazz, contortion, ballet, and duets and trios.  When entering college I was asked to substitute teach for the pre-professional dance classes that are held at Point Park University.  The most recent studio that I worked at got in contact with me whenever a college friend began teaching for them.  When I first began teaching there I only taught contortion but quickly got added to teaching jazz, contemporary, ballet, pointe, as well as choreographed a number of routines for the girls and boys of the studio.

I have worked with students as young as 2 up to college students.  At the most recent studio that I worked at the kids typically aged from 10 to 18.

In the most recent contract that I completed, I got to work hands-on with kids.  This contract was a show in a theme park in Pittsburgh.  I have always loved working with kids but being able to not only perform for them but also invite them to be a part of the shows was very special for me.

The advice I give to all of my students is to never give up and to not judge your progress based on the student standing next to you.  Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and no two student's paths are the same.