You asked, so we’re doing it. 💥 When I posted about aerials in here a while back, a lot of you put your hands up, and I’ve had messages ever since asking when it’s happening. The last time we did an aerials challenge together was back in 2021. It’s time. The 30-Day Aerials Intensive starts this Thursday, October 22. 💥🔥🤩 For 30 days, we’re working through the ADTA 4-Step System for teaching side aerials together, one step at a time. Here’s how it works: → A new lesson drops every Thursday. → You learn the step, then teach it in your own class that week. → You come back and tell us how it went: what worked, what didn’t, and what you saw. → You post your questions and student videos, so we all learn from what’s happening in real classes. Each lesson comes with clear instructions on how to run it in class, so you’ll know exactly what to do when you walk in. One thing up front: your students won’t have aerials in 30 days, and that’s not the goal. The goal is that you finish knowing exactly what to teach, in what order, and how to spot what’s going wrong. That’s what gets them there. More details are coming over the next few days. For now, I just want to know who’s in?! 💪🤓🤸‍♀️ 👇 Comment “I’m in” below, and tell me what's your biggest challenge or frustration with your aerials right now? See you Thursday! Miss Melissa

Once your junior dancers have a strong bridge with good technique, it's time to start adding variations to keep them engaged and challenge their bodies AND brains. Here are 3 fun bridge variations to play with in class: ✅ Circular Bridge ✅ Kneeling Bridge & Recover ✅ Monkey Puzzle Bridge ✅ Circular Bridge Creates beautiful movement that looks great on stage. Perform with or without the recover to standing depending on your dancers' level. 📌 Tip: Train both sides. Kneeling Bridge & Recover: This one doubles as a drill - it teaches your dancers to roll up through their spine one vertebra at a time without sinking into their low backs. Once they've got it, try it on one leg. Monkey Puzzle Bridge: A challenge for the body AND the brain. Tell your dancers where to place their hands and feet BEFORE they go upside down - it gets tricky once inverted. How it works: - Start by replacing the hand with the foot and twisting into a circular bridge - Pick up the opposite hand and foot to face the back - Continue the same motion — always opposite hand to leg, staying in a perfect square 📌 Tip: Train both directions. Start on their dominant side first. Bridge variations keep your dancers excited about a skill they already know - and give them a clear path to progress beyond the basics. Let me know which one you try first in your classes!