TWO APPROACHES. ONE POWERFUL PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE.

Thrive on Stage brings together two of Mariah-Jane Thies' signature approaches to help you prepare dancers for performance:

RECITAL READINESS SECRETS

Practical strategies for preparing dancers for the experience of performing — from the final rehearsals to the theatre, dressing room, backstage and those crucial moments before they walk on stage.

THE DIAMOND METHOD

Movement and brain-integration strategies designed to help dancers access more of what they already know when pressure, nerves or unfamiliar circumstances might otherwise get in the way.

Together, they address both sides of the equation:

How do we prepare dancers for performance?

And how do we help them access that preparation when the pressure is on?

That is the heart of Thrive on Stage.

FROM RECITAL READINESS...

You've probably experienced the difference between a dancer who is prepared for the choreography and a dancer who feels genuinely prepared for the experience of performing.

Recital Readiness Secrets explores the practical side:

• How do we prepare dancers for the theatre environment?
• What should happen in the final rehearsals?
• What can dancers do in the dressing room?
• How can we use backstage time intentionally?
• What language supports rather than adds pressure?
• How do we prepare dancers for the unexpected?

These are the practical performance-readiness strategies.

...TO THE DIAMOND METHOD

But preparation is only part of the picture.

A dancer can know the choreography.

They can understand the corrections.

They can have rehearsed it dozens of times.

And still find that something changes when the lights come on.

The Diamond Method asks a different question:

What happens to access when pressure increases?

Through movement and brain-integration strategies, we explore ways of helping dancers become more available to what they already know — rather than simply asking them to try harder.

This is where Shine Under Pressure becomes relevant.

Not because we can eliminate nerves or guarantee a perfect performance.

But because we can help dancers develop more resources for meeting the experience of performance.

THE MAGIC IS IN THE COMBINATION

Neither approach needs to stand alone.

Recital Readiness Secrets helps you prepare the dancer and the environment.

The Diamond Method gives you additional tools for supporting access, readiness and performance under pressure.

Together, they create a much more complete picture.

PREPARE

Prepare the dancer for the environment and experience.

↓

INTEGRATE

Support the brain and body so the dancer has greater access to what they've learned.

↓

PERFORM

Help the dancer bring more of their technique, musicality, artistry and preparation onto the stage.

That's the journey we'll explore together over three live days.

3 DAYS

 2 APPROACHES

 1 GOAL

DAY 1 — THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE
Understand what happens when the pressure is on — and what you can do about it. 

DAY 2 — RECITAL READINESS
Prepare dancers for the physical, mental and emotional experience of performance.

DAY 3 — BACKSTAGE STRATEGIES
Support dancers in the moments between preparation and stepping onto the stage.

YOUR 3 DAY JOURNEY

DAY 1 — THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE

Understand what happens when the pressure is on — and what you can do about it.

Why can a dancer who knows the choreography, technique and musicality struggle to access it when it matters most?

Explore the Diamond Method and the relationship between pressure, readiness and access. Through movement experiences and practical strategies, discover ways to support dancers when nerves, excitement, distractions or unfamiliar circumstances affect their ability to access what they already know.

The goal: not simply to help dancers know more, but to help them access more of what they already know.

DAY 2 — RECITAL READINESS 

Prepare dancers for the experience of performance.

Take the principles from Day 1 into practical recital preparation.

Explore strategies from Recital Readiness Secrets, from final rehearsals through theatre preparation and the transition from studio to performance environment.

You'll look at what dancers need physically, mentally and emotionally as performance approaches — including what to rehearse, what to practise beyond the choreography, and how to prepare dancers for the realities of performing.

The goal: create preparation that supports confidence, readiness and the ability to perform rather than simply adding more rehearsal.

DAY 3 — BACKSTAGE STRATEGIES 

Support dancers in the moments between preparation and performance.

Now bring everything together where it matters: backstage, in the wings and in those crucial moments before a dancer steps onto the stage.

Explore practical backstage strategies alongside selected Diamond Method movement experiences to support readiness, focus, connection and access.

You'll explore what dancers can do before they perform, how teachers can use backstage time intentionally, and how the words and actions of the adults around them can either support or add to performance pressure.

The goal: help dancers make the transition from “I've prepared” to “I'm ready to perform.”

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE

Your registration gives you access to the complete Thrive on Stage experience, including:

3 DAYS OF LIVE TRAINING

Interactive teaching, movement experiences, discussion, questions and practical application.

RECITAL READINESS SECRETS

The companion course, included with your registration, so you can revisit and deepen the practical performance-preparation material.

THE DIAMOND METHOD / BACKSTAGE STRATEGIES

Companion training that allows you to continue exploring the Diamond Method strategies beyond the live intensive.

ALL LIVE SESSION RECORDINGS

Return to the material whenever you need it.

CPD CERTIFICATE

Receive a CPD certificate for your live professional development participation.

Certificate will be for 14 Hours.  12 hours of the live training and 2 additional hours for going thru the foundational courses.

WHY THIS ISN'T JUST ANOTHER RECITAL WORKSHOP

There are plenty of ways to prepare choreography for a performance.

And there are plenty of courses about confidence.

This intensive sits in the space between them.

It asks:

What if performance preparation isn't just about preparing the dance?

What if we also need to prepare the dancer?

And then:

What if preparing the dancer includes helping their brain and body access what they already know?

That's the intersection of Recital Readiness Secrets + The Diamond Method.

And that's what makes Thrive on Stage different.

FROM STRIVING TO THRIVING

The goal isn't to make dancers work harder in the final weeks.

It isn't to pile on more corrections.

It isn't to rehearse endlessly until everyone is exhausted.

And it certainly isn't to create more pressure around an already high-pressure experience.

Instead, we'll explore how to help dancers remain connected to what they've already learned — so that more of their technique, musicality, artistry and preparation can actually show up when they perform.

Less striving.

More accessing.

More freedom.

More presence.

More ability to thrive under pressure.

WHEN WE'LL MEET LIVE

3 Days • 12 Hours • Live & Interactive

Tuesday, October 13 – Thursday, October 15, 2026

The intensive is designed around an 8:00 AM Perth start, making it possible for teachers across Australia and New Zealand to participate live without requiring an extremely early morning start.

YOUR INVESTMENT GOES WELL BEYOND THESE 3 DAYS

When you register for Thrive on Stage, you're not simply purchasing 12 hours of live online training.

Your investment includes:

12 HOURS OF LIVE INTENSIVE TRAINING

Three live sessions focused on the moments that matter most — from the final rehearsals through backstage, the wings and onto the stage.

LIVE QUESTIONS & PROBLEM SOLVING

Bring your real situations, questions and challenges. We'll use our time together to explore what is happening and what you might do differently.

INTERACTIVE PRACTICE

We'll practice strategies and explore the language of performance — including what to say and what not to say in those crucial moments before a dancer performs.

BREAKOUT ROOMS

If numbers allow, you'll have opportunities to work in smaller groups with other Australian and New Zealand dance teachers.

ALL SESSION RECORDINGS

You'll have lifetime access to the recordings, so you can return to the material whenever you need it.

TWO COMPANION COURSES

You'll also receive lifetime access to Recital Readiness Secrets and Backstage Secrets of the Diamond Method, allowing you to explore and revisit the material at your own pace.

AND YOU CAN USE IT AGAIN — AND AGAIN.

This isn't information that expires when this year's concert is over.

Use it now as you prepare your dancers for your end-of-season performances.

Return to it next year.

Apply it with your competition dancers.

Use it with students preparing for RAD exams or other assessments.

Bring it into solo preparation, showcases, auditions and performances throughout the year.

The goal is not simply to prepare your dancers for one performance.

It's to give you strategies you can keep using whenever your dancers need to perform under pressure.

Learn it now. Use it this season. Return to it whenever your dancers need it.

WHY THIS INTENSIVE IS LIVE

Because your dancers aren't hypothetical.

There are things I can teach you beautifully through a recorded course.

But there are other things that become much more powerful when you can say:

“Here's what I'm seeing with my dancers. What do I do?”

That's why this intensive is live.

We'll use our time together for:

REAL QUESTIONS

Bring the situations you're actually encountering in your studio.

DEMONSTRATION

See strategies explored and applied.

DISCUSSION

Understand the “why” behind what you're seeing.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Work through real performance-preparation challenges.

PRACTICE

Experiment with language and strategies rather than simply hearing about them.

BREAKOUTS

If numbers allow, work in smaller groups with other Australian and New Zealand dance teachers.

Your questions and experiences will help shape our time together.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEARN EVERYTHING LIVE.

The live intensive is deliberately focused on what benefits most from being together.

Some concepts are better explored through self-paced learning, so you'll also have access to companion training that allows you to go deeper in your own time.

RECITAL READINESS SECRETS

A deeper exploration of preparing dancers for performance.

BACKSTAGE SECRETS OF THE DIAMOND METHOD

Go deeper into strategies that support dancers in accessing their movement and performance potential under pressure.

Your live time won't be spent simply delivering information you could have watched on your own.

Instead, we'll focus on:

Interaction • Application • Questions • Practice • Discussion • Problem Solving

WHAT YOU'LL TAKE INTO YOUR STUDIO

You'll leave with more than notes.

You'll have:

• A clearer understanding of the gap between knowing choreography and being able to access it under performance pressure
• Practical strategies for those crucial final rehearsals
• A new way of thinking about the transition from studio to stage
• Greater awareness of the language you use in the final moments before performance
• Strategies for supporting dancers backstage and in the wings
• Ideas for helping dancers respond when things don't go according to plan
• A framework for thinking about performance preparation through a different lens
• The opportunity to have your own questions and situations addressed
• Recordings of the live sessions so you can revisit the material
• Companion training to support you beyond the live intensive

Most importantly...

You'll have a new way of seeing what is possible when your dancers step onto the stage.

IS THIS FOR YOU?

This intensive is for you if you are a:

Dance Teacher
Preparing students for an end-of-season concert, recital or showcase.

Studio Owner
Wanting to give your teaching team practical strategies for performance preparation.

Choreographer
Wanting your artistic vision to translate more fully from studio to stage.

Mentor or Educator
Supporting other dance teachers in their professional development.

Whether you work with young children, teens or more advanced dancers, the principles can be adapted to the developmental level and needs of your students.

YOU'VE ALREADY DONE THE HARD WORK.

You've taught them.

You've prepared them.

You've invested in them.

You've watched them grow.

You've done the rehearsals.

You've done the corrections.

You've given them your time, your energy and your belief in them.

Now let's explore how to help more of what you've built actually show up when they perform.

Not by asking them to strive harder.

But by helping them thrive.

ABOUT MARIAH-JANE THIES

Nearly 40 years of helping dancers learn, perform and thrive.

Mariah-Jane Thies is a Registered RAD teacher, mentor and supervisor, former studio owner, educator and creator of the Diamond Method.

Her work brings together decades of dance education with an understanding of movement, brain integration, performance pressure and the embodied experience of the dancer.

Her philosophy is simple:

Always Ask Why.

Rather than simply accepting that dancers “just get nervous,” that young dancers “just can't do it yet,” or that a student performance will inevitably fall short of the teacher's artistic vision, Mariah-Jane invites teachers to become curious about what is actually happening — and what might be possible instead.

JOIN ME LIVE

THRIVE ON STAGE

Helping What You've Taught Show Up When It Matters Most

A 3-Day Live End-of-Season Performance Intensive for Dance Teachers

Australia & New Zealand

12 Hours Live • Interactive • Recordings Included • Companion Courses Included

FOUNDING PARTICIPANT RATE

$397 USD

Register by October 1, 2026

Regular investment: $450 USD

Come with your questions.

Come with the dancer who keeps puzzling you.

Come with the moment in rehearsal when you think:

“I know they're capable of more.”

Come ready to explore what might happen when what you've taught them doesn't stay in the studio...

but makes it all the way to the stage.

FROM STRIVING TO THRIVING.

FROM REHEARSAL TO PERFORMANCE.

FROM WHAT YOU'VE TAUGHT TO WHAT THEY CAN ACCESS.

You Might Be Wondering…

THIS ISN'T JUST FOR THIS YEAR'S RECITAL

Your access doesn't end when the workshop does.

You'll have lifetime access to the recordings and companion courses, so you can return to the material whenever you need it.

Use what you learn this season...

Then come back to it next year.

And the next.

Because these strategies aren't only useful for end-of-season concerts and recitals.

You can apply them when preparing:

• Competition dancers
• Exam candidates
• Soloists and small groups
• Students preparing for performances throughout the year
• Dancers who struggle to access what they know when the pressure is on

Learn it now. Use it this season. Return to it whenever your dancers need it.