Jamilah “Milah” Lucas shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Jamilah “Milah”, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Teaching music and dance in a public school district. If someone would have asked me 10 years ago, do you see yourself teaching in an independent school district? I would have said no. Not because I have anything against it, but more so because I didn’t know what that would look like and if I would be capable of teaching in that type of atmosphere.
As of right now, I can say there are similarities to teaching in a privately owned school setting versus a public county/city school. There’s alot more administrative work involved in a public school and you must meet district deadlines. You also have to follow a curriculum and give out grades upon mastery. You are the only music or dance teacher and must put together a performance for 300 – 600 students. Following a syllabus has its perks though because you only plan for what is needed or being asked for.
In a privately owned school, there is flexibility on technical teaching. There are still deadlines but when it comes to teaching, thats the dance teachers only job or focus. As for progress for students to move on to upper levels, there is an evaluation that is usually given towards the end of the year upon mastery. Performances mean that all teachers in the school collaborate and put together a show and there’s a job for everyone. No teacher handles a production by themselves, its a school effort.
To summarize, as a public school teacher, I wear many hats but as a teacher in a privately owned school, even as a Ballet Director, I have one job or focus.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jamilah “Milah” Lucas. I am the former owner of Milah’s School of Dance before Covid. I owned an award winning studio for 13 years. I am an award winning teacher and Choreographer who has had students recognized by many prestigious schools/companies such as Bolshoi Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Booker T. Washington Visual & Performing Arts High School, Greiner Middle School, and some others.
Currently, during the day Monday – Friday, I am a Fine Arts Teacher for DallasISD. I work in 2 schools where I alternate weeks and collaborate between the schools. In the evenings, I am the Ballet Director over at Apex Dance Complex in Rowlette, TX. I direct Apex Ballet Academy. We just finished preparing for our Nutcracker Ballet that took place on December 13th, and then next year we will be entering our competition season while preparing for a Ballet Production of Swan Lake in the spring. I’m super excited and blessed for this opportunity.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I would have to say my ballet teachers, the late Ms. Renee Gillenwater and Margaret Newcomb. They taught me the saying “hard work will surpass talent when talent stops working hard”. As a young dancer, they would always tell me how talented I was and that I should never take things lightly, and to continue to work hard. When I became a teenager, I thought I could miss a rehearsal or 2 because I was “talented” and had 5 parts in our Nutcracker Ballet. The day I returned after that 2nd missed rehearsal, I will never forget. (I went away for the weekend to see The Great Russian Nutcracker (one of my teachers former ballet companies). I thought she would be happy but boy was I wrong. They told me that since I decided to miss rehearsal I will no longer be dancing 2 major parts in the ballet. I was crushed and I didn’t understand. They then followed up to tell me that my understudy never missed the rehearsal and even though she didn’t dance as graceful and flawless as me, she was reliable and still practiced everyday. I learned that day that entitlement doesn’t reward you but can keep you from your overall goals. I was humbled that day. I never made the mistake again to prioritize pleasures over my responsibilities regardless of my talents. Everyone is replaceable.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
If something is given without working for it then you’ll never know how much it’s worth. So, in other words, if you reach success without struggle then, if lost, you’ll never understand the steps to gaining it back.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Cutting corners. From a dance judge perspective, I see many tricks on the stage and not enough technique. I feel dance is not what it was when I was a student. There is a lot of missing elements. When I teach master classes, sometimes I have students that don’t know basic technique but are learning advanced tricks and accumulating injuries due to this. I’m a big believer of refined and vigorous technique. Those types of dancers are the real winners. Those dancers get accepted into the prestigious schools or companies.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I want people to say that “Ms. Milah was a tough teacher but she didn’t let me fail. She believed in me when I wanted to give up.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/milahsdancelife
Image Credits
Apex Dance Complex
