Ilana Robbins

I attribute my success to becoming stronger through finding my weaknesses and evolving them - going through difficult times and figuring out who I am, what works for me, and what doesn't. I've worked in different dance studios and around different people, which helped me discover what environment and culture I want to work in, what I support, and what I don't support. Most of all, I attribute my success to the support of my mother, who has always been my cheerleader and motivator, always there for me growing up. I also credit my mentors, especially my dance teacher from when I was growing up - if I need anything or advice, I call her and she's there. When I'm nervous or need confidence, I'll call her and she'll give me a pep talk and I'll do better. The hard things I went through - the hurt, the pain, the survival during the stock market crash when my parents lost their office and our home, watching my father attempt suicide when I was young and now seeing him slowly deteriorate with Parkinson's and hospice care - all of this has taught me how to remain very strong. I've learned how to get up and go in with a smile on my face, not just for me but for my students and the people around me. I've learned through all this how to maintain good energy and how much energy can really impact people, the feeling that you give people and the vibe you're giving off. Grieving has been very difficult, but I've learned how to work through it, and I think that message could help other people too. I also attribute my success to the preparation my parents gave me - my mother putting me in all these different things like performing arts, plays, dance, piano, and singing really helped me scholastically and in life.

Stay open-minded, listen to others, and maintain kindness in all professional relationships. Strong communication and respect are key to long-term success.

First, I'd say be very careful - you don't always know who you're dealing with. For those going into choreography, dance teaching, and working with kids, I'd say to be open-minded and to listen. Nurture your students and understand that it's not just about what you're teaching in the classroom - it's also your classroom environment that mainly affects the ability to learn or not learn. When you go into a job, it's natural to want everyone to be your friend and to want people to like you, but my advice would be to be very kind to everyone, no matter what. Professionally, people can say something, but how we react is the difference, even if we're right. Really understand that people can take what you say, and perspective is reality - my perspective is different than someone else's perspective. We have to learn how to agree to disagree at some point. When you're working with kids, the parents really need to know what's going on, and you have to have communication between the parent, the teacher, and the student, not just between some of them while others are left out. Stay informed, ask questions, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Understand that people are human and make mistakes - even if your boss seems like the smartest, most perfect person, check your hours and make sure things are done right. If you want to make sure something's done right, do it yourself. That's really important to remember.

The biggest challenge I see right now is addressing bullying and creating emotionally safe environments in performing arts education. I've seen firsthand what bullying does - not just to the children within the classroom, but to authority figures, with parents defending the behavior and making it very difficult to resolve. I find that most of this is due to a lack of communication within the infrastructure of the business and in parents' commentary, whether on the phone or through email. The part I don't agree with is subjecting students to bullying and a toxic environment that can impact them for the rest of their lives and have everlasting consequences on their future, their nervous system, and their relationships. People send their children to dance class or play practice with the intention of them learning, socializing, and becoming better people. The performing arts enhances their abilities to perform well in school, but if bullying is involved and keeps them from expressing themselves and growing to their full potential, that's a serious problem. However, this challenge also presents a powerful opportunity - I think it's time we start looking within and within our community to help each other and our children thrive in positive environments that will ensure success and peace for our future generations. This has become a mission of mine now, something I would like to work towards - to pave the way for future generations and abolish bullying as much as possible with natural cues in class that address the class as a whole, not in a personal manner.

The values most important to me are trust, loyalty, reliability, kindness, and teamwork. I think number one for me is kindness - just being a good person and treating people according to the golden rule, how you want to be treated. I believe in always showing up on time, actually being a little early so when the kids walk in I can greet them in a personable way, saying 'hi, how are you' and really putting the love and care into what I'm doing, not just doing the job to do the job. Being dependable and trustworthy is essential - being straightforward with people as much as you can be. Communication is so important because so many things can be misconstrued if we're not careful. Teamwork is critical - if you don't have that in a classroom, it's very hard to get anything else done. Trust is about knowing that whoever you're speaking to or dealing with is being honest with you and has good intentions. I also value being ready - when my boss asked me to do something, I always said yes and I was always there. These values guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.