Dance Education

As a teaching artist and scholar, my job is of course to help students:

(1) learn basic dance terminology, correct technique and to have fun at the same time; 

(2) learn basic rhythmic, improvisational and choreographic skills; and 

(3) cultivate an interest in dance and an understanding of how dances are made in hopes of building and expanding current and future audiences for dance. 

Beyond that, there is something much more about the way I teach dance that goes to the very core of the individual.  It’s not only about steps or counts or combos. It’s about  self-discovery, empowerment, and making the world a better place because of how dancers learn how to move authentically. How do I do this? Here is my job description for myself:

1. Hold the space for young dancers and performers to discover their own authentic movement. I’m not interested in teaching students from the intellectual know-it-all standpoint. While my training and education have given me some bragging rights, bragging rights don’t help build artists or a supportive community. What I learned was that my real job with students is to simply believe in them. For the vast majority that approach works. 

2. A huge part of putting in the work is taking the inner journey. Not all are willing to put in this work.  Human movement is so much more than technical virtuosity. Art needs artists willing to take the inner journey, rather than wait for others to tell them where to walk and how to stand. The willing are the teachable; the unwilling not so much. 

3. Dancers are leaders. They put themselves and their creative ideas out there front and center and become role models for the next generation. They learn to integrate ideas and "out of no where" develop super powers that help them solve real problems, resolve real conflicts, and access brain capacity at a completely different level than the rest of the population. One of my greatest joys is to be part of this transformation. 

4. Personal transformation happens in the dance studio making it a sacred place. Dance brings out the yearnings of the soul during the creative process: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is anyone listening? What is my Nature? Not every teacher can handle these events as they arise in the studio setting. Some days I struggle. Everyday I bring my best and go from there.

5. If dance can change a person, dance can impact the world. As the ancient Greeks discovered, audiences can experience catharsis from a powerful theatrical event. By its very nature, dance becomes socially relevant and impactful when shedding light on the problems of society and why they must be resolved.