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3 Pros on How Teaching at Conventions Has Shaped Their Careers

Teaching on the convention circuit can mean lots of travel, busy weekends, and a steady stream of new students. For some faculty, it’s also become a place to build a professional network, expand artistically, and find stability in a freelance world. Three teachers, ranging from new teacher to seasoned pro, share how they got started—and what the work has offered in return.

Tiffany Maher, Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions

How she got her start: “I grew up at Tremaine. I was Teen Dancer of the Year at age 12, and I traveled with the Tremaine Performance Company. When I graduated from high school, I did a few movies, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 9, and danced on a few other television shows and for a few artists. The experience I had at that point in the industry definitely helped me get hired [in 2013]. Joe Tremaine has known me almost my whole life. He knew my work ethic and morals from watching me grow up.”

Career opportunities: “[Teaching at conventions] has given me opportunities to teach internationally. I’ll be teaching with Disney parks. I just worked with the NFL Miami Dolphins cheerleaders at their auditions.”

Dream job: “I’ve gotten to dance for artists like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Ariana Grande, and those have been once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. But I will say there’s nothing like the feeling of getting to work on a dance convention stage. It’s an unparalleled sense of fulfillment.”

Financial stability: “Teaching for a convention has definitely brought stability, because you have a schedule. You know what’s coming, whether it’s five cities, or 10 cities, or 20-plus cities.”

Christian Smith, NUVO Dance Convention

How he got his start: “I was offered a faculty position with NUVO this season. I used to be a competitor. I had then done three years of consistent assisting [for various conventions]. A lot of the time assistants teach the really young kids, so that was my first demonstration of my ability to hold the room.”

Career opportunities: “This role has opened the door for teaching. A lot of opportunities in L.A. have come up at bigger studios, like Millennium, Movement Lifestyle, and Playground. It’s been nice to be close to other choreographers and teachers on faculty. I was signed by an agent while working at NUVO.”

Christian Smith. Courtesy NUVO.

Proving himself: “One of the biggest challenges was breaching that wall from assistant to faculty. It was hard to be taken seriously, especially at the age of 23. The toughest part for me was going against people with crazy stacked resumés. I had to really, really dig and take every opportunity to showcase what I could do.”

What he’s learned: “At first I was looking for something profound to say all the time, but I’d notice that simplicity was key. Sometimes reminding students of the basics takes them way further than trying to say something really complex and profound. That pressure definitely exists, though, for sure, especially when you’re holding a microphone onstage in front of hundreds of kids.”

Lindsay Giedl, Ignite Dance Competition

How she got her start: “I found the posting on Indeed. It’s really interesting to get a dance job from Indeed! Ignite was a brand-new business—they started in 2018, so I’ve been with them from the start.”

Career opportunities: “It’s led me to booking choreography and teaching gigs. People bring me in for their summer intensives, private lessons, and choreography. I’m meeting so many different people from around the United States—studio owners and students—and they fall in love with your vibe and your choreography.”

Why she does it: “It’s not phenomenal money. It’s not glamorous. But I’m doing it because I love Ignite and what they stand for, and I also love teaching. I do it for the experience and for the artistry.”

What she’s learned: “I’ve learned that you need to offer an experience that is not only inviting and welcoming, but also beneficial for every level. [Teaching at conventions] has helped me learn how to teach at an open level, which goes into teaching in my everyday life, as well.”

Lindsay Giedl. Courtesy Ignite.

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Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.