Let’s talk honestly for a minute. What’s one part of teaching Acro where you still feel like you’re guessing more than you’d like? Not because you don’t care - but because Acro is complex and doesn’t always come with clear answers. Spotting? Progressions? Mixed levels? Something else? Drop it below 👇 (There’s no fixing here - just conversation.)

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!

How do you actually keep your finger on the pulse of where every student is at? Mixed levels. Mixed ages. Everyone working on something different. It is HECTIC. And honestly? When you've got a lot of kids, you start to forget what they can do, what they've accomplished, and what they're working on next. Here's what I've found works best: SPARKLY STAR STICKER CHARTS. I cannot believe what my senior acrobats will do for that sparkly sticker. They LOVE it. AND it solves the assessment problem at the same time. Here's how it works: ✅ Every student gets their own chart ✅ The chart shows what they're working on, what they've done, and where they're going ✅ When they get a trick, they put a sticker on the chart ✅ Everyone in class can be working in the same trick FAMILY at their own level 📌 Heads up: the first three or four weeks are chaos. Everybody is trying to figure out where they are in the system and earn as many stickers as they can. After that, it calms right down — they get a trick, sticker goes on, you carry on. Here's the magic of trick families. Say we're all working in the cartwheel family: ✅ Square cartwheel ✅ One-arm cartwheel ✅ Open cartwheel ✅ Aerial preparation ✅ Aerial I can have a class where everyone is working on cartwheel family — but each student is on their own level. No mishmash. No losing track. Every kid is progressing as they're ready, AND I always know what comes next for each of them. If you know what comes before and after a trick inside a family, you always know what to work on next. Sticker charts are your friend. If you don't have them yet, make some up this week. Get the sparkliest stickers you can find. Let your students work towards their goals individually inside the same family the rest of the class is in. Let me know if you try it — and what your seniors will do for a sparkly sticker 😉

Welcome to Acro Dance School — the home for Acro Dance educators worldwide. This is a community-first space created for teachers who care deeply about their craft, about teaching with integrity, and about growing together. Acro Dance School exists to support Acro Dance teachers — many of whom have worked without a shared professional community — in becoming confident, connected educators who teach with clarity, structure, and intention. This is not just a place to access programs. It's a place to belong — and to grow. 🌍 What you’ll find here: • A global community of Acro Dance teachers • Conversations around teaching, safety, structure, and student progress • A space to ask real questions and share real experiences • Resources, programs, and courses all in one place 🤍 How this community supports your growth: This community thrives on participation. Here, you don’t have to figure things out on your own. Ask questions. Share what’s working in your classes. Celebrate wins. Work through challenges together. Learn from educators who value foundations, safety, and long-term progress. You don’t need to have everything figured out to belong here - that’s what this space is for. 👋 Start here Introduce yourself in the comments below in this thread: • Where are you teaching from? • How long have you been teaching Acro Dance? We’re so glad you’re here. Melissa Klassen - President The ADTA