We are thrilled to announce an exciting new offering at Sahara Dance: Technique Assessments! In case you missed it, we recently revamped our curriculum to better serve our students, foster creativity, and nurture talent. The new Technique Assessment goes hand in hand with our updated curriculum by giving students the opportunity to evaluate their current mastery of dance fundamentals and technique level.
Whether you’re new to Sahara Dance and unsure which class is best for you, feel like your dance is stagnating, or want feedback on how you could improve as an artist, the new Technique Assessment provides you with a framework to understand your current technique mastery and receive detailed feedback and technique recommendations from two teachers: Sahara Dance’s founder and director, Rachel Kay Brookmire, and a second Sahara Dance curriculum teacher of your choice (based on availability).
How Does It Work?
Upon registration, dancers will automatically receive videos of the curriculum choreography. Dancers may learn the choreography in classes, a curriculum choreography workshop, and/or by the included recordings.
Dancers submit their performance videos of the choreography for assessment of technique execution. Dancers may submit their performance video in costume if they would like additional feedback on artistic presentation, although this is not a requirement. Video submissions should be filmed twice, consecutively and without pause, for each choreography. For example, for the Beginner Level, you should submit one video of yourself performing Aziza twice and one video of yourself performing Zeina twice. You’ll then email your videos as unlisted YouTube links to techniqueassessment@saharadance.com.
Once we receive your videos, and depending on what option you selected when signing up, you will receive either one or both of the following evaluations:
Technique Assessment Forms
These are two separate one-page written forms, one by each evaluating teacher summarizing their recommendations for the dancer to most improve their technique and artistry.
Video Evaluations
These are a supplemental option, and include two 10 – 15 minute recorded videos by each teacher. Both teachers expound upon, and demonstrate, how to best improve the key areas they outlined in the dancer’s Technique Assessment Forms, as well as offer additional insights.
Dancers receive personalized video and / or written feedback on their performance of the choreography for their individual dance development by Rachel Kay Brookmire and a second Sahara Dance curriculum teacher of their choice (based on availability).
Spring video submissions are due March 8.
A Note About the Choreography
You may have the choreography playing on a screen while you film. The purpose is not to assess choreography memorization, but to see movement technique and transitions executed in time with music.
Additionally, the curriculum choreography workshop is not required for students to participate in a Technique Assessment, it is merely offered as a support. It will be a spoon-fed preparation for students wanting to quickly and easily refresh or get ready for an assessment. Also, for those attending live, we’ll offer lots of individual feedback.
How Does This Differ From My Weekly Classes?
The technique assessment is a kind of comprehensive, personalized feedback that isn’t as easily offered in a group class as there isn’t the structured time or place for teachers to offer detailed feedback. While your teachers are likely offering feedback in class over time, it is not as a comprehensive and individualized. This opportunity is all about you!
How Do I Know Which Technique Assessment to Take?
We are currently offering the Technique Assessment at the Beginner level, and hope to expand this opportunity to the Intermediate and Advanced levels over the coming year. That said, we highly recommend all dancers, especially Advanced dancers, start with a Beginner Technique Assessment. Advanced students are often more concerned about progressing and may feel plateaued. To most effectively evaluate their technique, it’s best to start at the foundation. Challenges and problems that show up in later years causing plateau are often based in fundamental technique or posture. so looking closely to make sure the foundation techniques are all well executed helps addresses layering and complexity concerns before looking at the higher levels.