Ep. 101- Kim McSwain
Questions asked in this episode:
When was the moment that you realized you did things differently or you had the skill that let you tap into dancers in a different way? (19:20)
How do you approach entering different spaces? What’s your process before you enter the space to bring your fullest self forward? (11:39)
14:45: What was it like to accept your position in Dance Teacher Summit as an expert?
How do you run your classes knowing that there is such a high level of success and engagement? What does that look like in an actual functional class? (16:04)
What have you noticed about the changing generation and things you’ve maybe had to adjust?(23:43)
What have you found in your teaching, where's your scale, where’s your measurements with the students and/or with yourself? (27:22)
Is there something that you do, any kind of conditioning or priming, before you can get what you need out of your students? Do you ask them a question or get them to think about or say anything to get their best self out of them? (30:20)
How much do you dance and move your body as a teacher? What do you suggest to other teachers? (38:40)
Where do you pull some of your inspiration from that keeps fuelling the fire? What can you not get enough of? (42:35)
Kim began training as a dancer at three years old. From the very start, she loved every second of dance. By age eight, she was training in ballet 30 hours a week, and at 12 years old she received 3rd at the National Tap Event sponsored by tap industry legend Gregory Hines. Mr Hines was so impressed with Kim that he traveled to her studio in Dallas to give her a private lesson.
At 24 years old, Kim moved to L.A., where she quickly achieved success, booking jobs with Britney Spears, N’Sync and Michael Jackson, among many others. Despite her growing career, Kim felt drawn to teaching and decided to focus her career strictly on training dancers.
As a teacher, Kim first joined Adrenaline on the convention circuit before being picked up by the largest dance convention in the world, JUMP. For six years, Kim taught everything from ballet and jazz to hip-hop, interacting with thousands of students a week. After that experience, Kim joined NUVO as the Children’s Director. Focusing on technical development, she gained a reputation for inspiring young dancers to be more than excellent performers, but also excellent people.
The longer she taught, the more other instructors wanted to learn from Kim. In city after city, Kim’s teacher seminars drew huge crowds as she motivated countless instructors to be the best educator and role model they could be for their students. Additionally, many of her own students have gone on to achieve incredible success, working with some of the most talented artists in the dance and film industry.
These experiences led Kim to retire from the convention circuit to focus on the success of her unique Changing Lives program. Kim now travels across the country, working directly with studios to educate their faculty and implement her teaching philosophy, along with speaking engagements, parent seminars, and business consulting.
With Kim’s experience and reputation in the industry, she enjoys strong relationships with a wide range of teachers and choreographers. As well as teaching young students, her mission now includes training others to be leading mentors and trainers in the dance world.
