Let's talk about the Roll Over Bridge (rolling Tinsica) — one of the trickier skills to teach well. Here's the thing most teachers run into — they start their students from standing. The problem? Standing up tends to make their legs go up too high, and they end up looking more like a cartwheel than a bridge. So in this teacher tutorial I show you how to teach it from the knees instead. Knee to knee is actually harder than foot to foot — but it's the position students NEED to learn to find that arched-back bridge shape. I take my student Lauren through all four steps: ✅ Step 1 — Bridge Inside Out ✅ Step 2 — Jumping into the Bridge ✅ Step 3 — Dart out the first leg out going into the Bridge ✅ Step 4 — Put it together: Go for it! (not landing in the Bridge) 📌 Before you even start this progression — check the bridge inside out. If your student can't do a linear bridge inside out, they will struggle with roll over bridge. That's your prerequisite. 📌 Watch the legs. Bent, relaxed legs put so much pressure on the low back. We want them straight and strong. 📌 And shoulders over wrists — always. This is a bridge, not a handstand. If your student doesn't have the shoulder flexibility for a proper bridge, they won't get this trick. Take a look and let me know which step your students tend to get stuck on — I'd love to hear how it's going 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 😉

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!

Happy Wednesday, Teachers! I know this is a common challenge with Front Walkovers - students just can’t seem to stand up properly out of them... They pull their arms forward, tuck their chin forward, or stick their but out on the stand up. Here’s a video of one of my students doing my personal favourite drill for fixing this: It’s a kneeling bridge recover against the wall, and it works because it checks a lot of boxes: ✅ Forces correct body placement ✅ Reinforces control ✅ Teaches students to roll through their spine properly ✅ Prevents flinging the arms forward or sticking the but out How to do it: - Kneel facing the wall - Knees touching the wall - Arms reach up and gaze is - Initiate by reaching back with fingertips They bridge down (top to bottom), then recover (bottom to top). 📌 Tip: If they try to stick their but out, cue them to press their hip bones into the wall - that fixes it instantly. I recommend doing this 3–5 times per class with students working on Front Walkovers. And YES this translates into their Front Aerial landing ... it's a two for one:) Let me know if you try it in your classes!

Handstands are the foundation of almost every trick. But most students are doing this wrong… They’re arching instead of holding a true Arc. Here’s the difference: • Arch = dumping into the lower back + shoulders • Arc = lengthening through the spine, toes leading over the top What you want: • Fingers spread, thumbs facing each other • Gaze in front of fingertips • Squeeze glutes + legs tight • Lengthen → don’t collapse • Toes lead the balance Important: Gymnastics handstand = straight line Acro handstand = arc'ed line (especially at Foundationary levels) The Arc is easier to balance, is a game-changer for strength, and gives you that clean (and strong) lyrical line. Quick fix: “Lead with your toes and lengthen out of your back.” If they’re collapsing → take them to the wall and use it as feedback. Small correction… big difference.