In my role as a teacher, I take very seriously my responsibility to not only teach students about an art form, but also to give all students a safe, comfortable, and creative environment to learn about themselves as dancers and people. Dance as an art form is uniquely visceral and evocative in that physicality in its most basic form is something which all people share, and so my teaching approach views the body as a medium through which students can authentically express their humanity. I view my classes as both whole, cohesive groups and collections of individuals, in order to create a dance community of strong individuals.
I believe it is important that dance be, first and foremost, a potential for complex and revealing studies of movement, people, histories, cultures, and the body. I encourage students to consider connections between small details and large ideas, such as how single body parts come together to build alignment, which then cultivates the strength necessary for more expressive dancing. I reserve space for dialogue and interpretations, allowing students to analyze what they are learning, so that they are aware of how their own experiences can connect to those of the entire class and beyond. Questions are welcomed, and students and I work together to develop working answers. In my own dancing, I use movement as a lens through which I process thoughts, emotions, and stories. In my teaching, I encourage students to do the same, so that dance becomes a widely-applicable resource for understanding. As the body is a crucial aspect of the art we practice, I value the inclusivity of all identities, noting that our emotional experiences are inextricably tied with our physical ones. Therefore, the body as an area of study is not linked to idealism, but to individual progress and a deeper knowledge of the self.
Spaces for creativity are crucial to dance as an art form. It is often assumed that dance technique is a rigid, unforgiving structure that looks to perfection as a source of worth. My classes challenge this structure, as I teach dance as a form of self-discovery and self-expression. In all of my classes, exercises are based around the concept of exploration, with an understanding that end results are not the goal. Instead, it is important to me that my students find joy and release in their dancing, so that even when they are learning strict technique, it is with the understanding that these foundations are gateways that will allow them to embark on greater creative journeys and paths of emotional understanding going forward. As students inevitably bring their own experiences into class with them, my intention is to create an atmosphere where students feel supported and comfortable enough to express themselves how they need to each day. I often engage my students in conversation about and sometimes even co-creation of performance works, inviting them to learn about the stories they are telling through the process of creating. Each day, I aspire to help students to see that creativity is not the opposite of technical skill, but rather, that the two can, and should, combine powerfully.
I believe it is important that dance be, first and foremost, a potential for complex and revealing studies of movement, people, histories, cultures, and the body. I encourage students to consider connections between small details and large ideas, such as how single body parts come together to build alignment, which then cultivates the strength necessary for more expressive dancing. I reserve space for dialogue and interpretations, allowing students to analyze what they are learning, so that they are aware of how their own experiences can connect to those of the entire class and beyond. Questions are welcomed, and students and I work together to develop working answers. In my own dancing, I use movement as a lens through which I process thoughts, emotions, and stories. In my teaching, I encourage students to do the same, so that dance becomes a widely-applicable resource for understanding. As the body is a crucial aspect of the art we practice, I value the inclusivity of all identities, noting that our emotional experiences are inextricably tied with our physical ones. Therefore, the body as an area of study is not linked to idealism, but to individual progress and a deeper knowledge of the self.
Spaces for creativity are crucial to dance as an art form. It is often assumed that dance technique is a rigid, unforgiving structure that looks to perfection as a source of worth. My classes challenge this structure, as I teach dance as a form of self-discovery and self-expression. In all of my classes, exercises are based around the concept of exploration, with an understanding that end results are not the goal. Instead, it is important to me that my students find joy and release in their dancing, so that even when they are learning strict technique, it is with the understanding that these foundations are gateways that will allow them to embark on greater creative journeys and paths of emotional understanding going forward. As students inevitably bring their own experiences into class with them, my intention is to create an atmosphere where students feel supported and comfortable enough to express themselves how they need to each day. I often engage my students in conversation about and sometimes even co-creation of performance works, inviting them to learn about the stories they are telling through the process of creating. Each day, I aspire to help students to see that creativity is not the opposite of technical skill, but rather, that the two can, and should, combine powerfully.
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