Mentee Questionnaire

We are not here to judge you: The more realistic your answers are, the more able we will be in understanding how to best support your training. If you can know and appreciate what your challenges are, you have already overcome one of the most difficult challenges! Our self-perception is often one of our most challenging critics. Keeping that critic balanced is important for your healthy improvement.

Background and Experience: Can you tell us about your dance background and training so far? How many years have you trained? What styles of dance do you study? How often do you perform or compete?

Goals and Aspirations: What are your short-term and long-term goals in dance? Are you aiming for a professional career, or is it more of a personal passion? If you are looking to dance beyond high school, what programs and/or companies would you like to dance for in the most ideal situation? 

Challenges and Obstacles: What are the biggest challenges or obstacles you've faced in your dance journey? How have you tried to overcome them? Do you tend to get frustrated when you have challenges? When you feel challenged, do you tend to stop, work harder, or look for someone to assist you?

Inspirations and Influences: Who and what inspires you in dance? Are there any dancers, performances, or styles that particularly influence you? Can you feel how much of your motivation comes from internal and external influences? Do you prefer performing or dancing in the studio?

Strengths and Weaknesses: What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a dancer? Please include your strengths. It is important for you to be able to see your strengths as well as the challenges. Are there specific areas you'd like to focus on improving? Do you feel mostly healthy, or do you experience a lot of injury?

Training and Practice Habits: Can you describe your weekly routine? How do you balance dance training with other commitments like school or work? How many hours a week do you dance? Do you feel that you are usually working at your full potential? Do you do any cross-training, strengthening and stretching at home, etc.?

Artistic Expression: What does dance mean to you personally? Do you feel you are able to express yourself through your dancing? When you are playing a role, how challenging is it for you to get into and stay in-character? 

Feedback and Learning Style: How do you prefer to receive feedback and instruction? Ex: Encouraging and honesty? Blunt honesty?  What teaching methods have worked best for you in the past? Ex: Describe some qualities of the teachers who have helped you most so far! 

Expectations and Support: What are your hopes and expectations from this mentoring relationship - if any? How can we best support you in achieving your dance goals? Because this is a unique program, it is possible you aren’t sure what your expectations are, but we would like to know if you find that you do have some. 

These questions are designed to create a comprehensive understanding of your experience, aspirations, and needs. This will allow us to tailor your mentoring approach to be most effective for each individual dancer. Please keep in mind we are here to listen and support to the best of our abilities while helping your improvement trajectory.