Panther Press: What inspired you to become a school dance teacher?
Miss Popino: I wanted to share a dance with everyone. I wanted everyone that didn’t have the opportunity to take a dance class outside of school to have an opportunity to experience it and all the benefits that come with it.
Panther Press:When you were younger, was it many people that couldn’t do dance in school or something?
Miss Popino: So when I was growing up there was no dance in the schools where I was going. I didn’t really find out about dance in public schools until I was in college and it was an avenue for my major. Within the last 10 years or so it’s really started to grow in the arts and the public school system.
Panther Press: Why did you choose to start dancing?
Miss Popino: I was really young when I started. I was about 4 or 5 when I started dancing and my mom just said it was something I had interest in. Then, once I started I just kept going and it was something I’ve always had a passion for.
Panther press: Coming to dance company, When did you first start it?
Miss Popino: So, I started a dance company four years ago. In my first year teaching, I did a dance team, and it was a little bit more of a selective audition based and then the second year I decided to make it called dance company so it was more inclusive.
Panther Press: Is there a part of the dance company that really means a lot to you?
Miss Popino: I would say that show week means the most to me. Seeing everyone perform and have so much fun and be so excited to be there really means the world to me. I think sometimes the week to week rehearsals are a little bit stressful, like getting ready for the show. There is something so nice about the reward in the end when it all comes together.
Panther Press: What do you look for in students when selecting and training them for a dance company?
Miss Popino: I look for people that are dedicated. You don’t have to be the most coordinated person or be the best dancer. But I look for people that are interested passionately and really want to try their best. I look for effort.
Panther Press:Is there any favorite piece that you have choreographed.
Miss Popino:I’m not sure what my favorite choreographed piece is.This year my favorite piece I choreographed was “Walking in the Air” for the seventh graders.
Panther Press: Why do you like this piece so much?
Miss Popino:I think there was something really nice about the flow. There was a lot of partnering work within the dancers, and I enjoyed their dedication to learning the more challenging step and how they rose to it.
Panther Press:Do you pick any specific songs or just any in general?
Miss Popino:It depends on the show what theme I put for the show. So in the winter show it’s usually a little bit more holiday based than spring. We have a specific theme and this theme is going to be called Culture, Community, and Connection so all the things that are connecting us with the people around us.
Panther Press:How do you balance both discipline and fun when teaching dance?
Miss Popino: There’s a lot of bodies in the room so my first priority is safety but I want this to be a fun experience. So it’s definitely a balance of how I approach the choreography to make it fun while also knowing what my expectations are.
Panther Press:When you were talking about the choreography, where do you like to get inspiration and ideas?
Miss Popino:I have to listen to music a lot. I have to try a lot of different things. I will say the weekends are kind of when I will space out some of the choreography for the week ahead. I have a hard time choreographing when I’m here. I like to listen to music while going on walks and like to start to think about what I see and then sometimes you guys get in front of me and I’m like I have to change it. So it’s a lot of trial and error.
Panther Press:Can you give an example of a time when you saw a student really improve or gain confidence through dance?
Miss Popino:Sure I feel like I have so many examples of that. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific student. I feel like I have had students in the past that really struggle academically and in other areas and then they come to dance and it’s such a joy to watch them shine. You know going back to that “Walking in the Air” dance from last semester I remember how hard it was for them to get that floor walk section and everyday they showed up and practiced and got better and better and it was that level of commitment and by the time they watched it on the stage it felt flawless.
Panther Press:How many people do you usually prefer in a group?
Miss Popino:I would say 12 to 15 is a sweet number. It depends on the group and dance.
Panther Press:Do you add trends to your shows?
Miss Popino:Sometimes. I will say I remember one year when we did the Barbie dance when the movie came out. So there’s sometimes that pop culture influence will come in.
Panther Press: Why do you like doing it?
Miss Popino:Teaching?
Panther Press: Adding trends.
Miss Popino:Adding trends is just a fun way to get the interest of the students like pairing what you guys want to listen to, to what we would want to dance to.
Panther Press:Would you prefer students doing many different styles of dance or one?
Miss Popino:Many, right you need all those many different styles of dance to become a more well-rounded dancer.
Panther Press:Where do you get inspiration for the dance t-shirts?
Miss Popino:I kind of just look online, Pinterest.
Panther Press:What are some challenges you face during events organized by dance companies?
Miss Popino:Some challenges I have faced are how to manage everyone. I feel like I’ve got it down, but there’s so many views and there is only one of me so I feel like my biggest challenge is getting you guys to listen when were putting it together.You guys being focused and quiet as well it’s a lot of people’s first time being part of a show so it’s hard to remember when I have so much experience and I have a certain idea but you guys don’t know. So it’s trying to keep my patience teaching you guys and explaining versus being like, oh my god, like why don’t you do that but you guys don’t know yet. For instance, transitions and being quiet backstage, I want you guys to get that in your systems and this is how I should behave, but you don’t know yet.
Panther Press:How do you describe your career journey as a dance teacher?
Miss Popino:I would describe it as very rewarding.You know when I first started working here as my first job out of college. So this is the only place I’ve taught as a full-time teacher by myself and I feel like there’s been so much growth now in the sense of like we didn’t have a floor, the marley system, I didn’t have a lighting system, I didn’t have mirrors, I didn’t have a speaker, I didn’t have a desk really. So it’s seeing it all come together. It’s been very rewarding and building the program.
Panther press:How are some other ways you contribute to school events and other curricular activities?
Miss Popino:So I contribute to the DEI multicultural team, so we do performances at the multicultural event in May district wide. I’ll do the dance classes at lunch for Hispanic Heritage Month and in Indian Heritage Month my classes perform at the elementary schools so I like finding that connection.
Panther Press: What advice would you give to students who want to pursue dance in the future?
Miss Popino:I would say to give it your all. Find what you need in order to make it work. If you’re really interested and passionate about it, start to think of what your next steps are. There’s so many fields within dance, it doesn’t have to be performing or teaching. Maybe you want to write articles about dance shows. Maybe you want to be a part of the costuming because there’s so many different avenues, you know people have to be the business admins who prefer professional dance companies. So thinking about how you could blend those passions.
Panther Press:Thank you for having us today, and we hope you enjoyed this.
