Hello, I am confused on how to access all of my classroom stuff? Where is the pre-junior and junior program?

Welcome to Acro Dance School — the home for Acro Dance educators worldwide. This is a community-first space created for teachers who care deeply about their craft, about teaching with integrity, and about growing together. Acro Dance School exists to support Acro Dance teachers — many of whom have worked without a shared professional community — in becoming confident, connected educators who teach with clarity, structure, and intention. This is not just a place to access programs. It's a place to belong — and to grow. 🌍 What you’ll find here: • A global community of Acro Dance teachers • Conversations around teaching, safety, structure, and student progress • A space to ask real questions and share real experiences • Resources, programs, and courses all in one place 🤍 How this community supports your growth: This community thrives on participation. Here, you don’t have to figure things out on your own. Ask questions. Share what’s working in your classes. Celebrate wins. Work through challenges together. Learn from educators who value foundations, safety, and long-term progress. You don’t need to have everything figured out to belong here - that’s what this space is for. 👋 Start here Introduce yourself in the comments below in this thread: • Where are you teaching from? • How long have you been teaching Acro Dance? We’re so glad you’re here. Melissa Klassen - President The ADTA

I've been smiling all week as the certification results continue to come in. Yes, we've had so many teachers earning incredible scores (including lots of 100%s!), but the scores aren't actually what make me the proudest. What makes me proud is knowing everything that went into earning them. Over the past year, I've watched you study, teach, ask thoughtful questions, support one another, reflect on your classes, and continue showing up with a genuine desire to become better educators. That kind of commitment doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly can't be rushed. It's been amazing reading your exam reflections because they show just how much you've grown—not just in your knowledge, but in your confidence as teachers. That's what this journey has always been about. To everyone who has completed an exam this week (or has one coming up), congratulations. Thank you for trusting the process, for embracing the learning, and for being such an incredible part of this community. I'm so proud of every one of you, and I can't wait to see the impact you'll continue to have on your students. ❤️ If you've already completed your exam, I'd love for you to share one of your biggest takeaways in the comments below. What was the most valuable thing you learned throughout this certification journey?

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!

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!