Lyndsay Corbett
What do you teach at the Prep Center?
Dance and theater.
Why did you begin studying dance?
I began studying dance because my mom was dancing when she was pregnant with me, so it's always been a part of my life. It was destiny!
And theater?
I loved performing, and dance led me to musicals, which led me to straight theater, which has led me to love both worlds and learn to intertwine them when possible.
How old were you when you began classes?
As I mentioned, I had been dancing since before birth, but I started taking actual dance lessons when I was six years old and have been at it for over 26 years now! I started theater a couple of years later, when I was eight or nine years old. I was cast as Bielke in the musical Fiddler on the Roof that my dance studio was producing. I continued to learn through performing but took my first real theater classes in middle school around age 12.
Do you have a favorite dance memory from childhood?
My favorite memory was when I took a workshop with the legendary tap icon Savion Glover right before he made it really big in Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.
Any favorite theater memories?
In my first musical, my friend forgot to come on stage with us for our scene one performance. Luckily, I knew all of her lines because they were all of my cues, and so I just said both her lines and mine. As they say, the show must go on! Also, be prepared for anything!
How do you vary your approach when you teach children at different ages and levels?
I try to learn from the students themselves. I take cues from their interests and levels and combine that with the things that have worked in my years of various teaching experiences.
What are your most important goals for your students?
I want my students to learn to be ensemble team players, gain knowledge and technique, create confidence in them, and have fun!
What are the most important recommendations that you give to parents whose children study dance or theater?
For both fields, I recommend seeing as much as you can on the stage and on film. Help your kids practice at home as well, especially with theater students learning their lines. Practice makes permanent (nobody is perfect)!
Have you had any students with notable accomplishments (acceptance to a select middle school, high school, or college; competitions; special performances)?
Not technically a student of mine, but I taught my dear friend from high school a few dances that we performed together in school musicals and talent shows, and now he is a professional dancer and choreographer for The Met Opera! I got him started in the right direction.
What do you like best about teaching dance and theater?
I love sharing my joy of movement with my dance students, giving them tools to express themselves, seeing them grow into confident performers, and using our collaborative imaginations to create dances. For my theater students, I love seeing them grow into confident performers, creating with them and using our collaborative imaginations to play.
