I believe that education is a process, a concept that is built and rebuilt over time to serve the various stages of our lives. For this reason, I find that my teaching style is in a state of constant flux. I survey, evaluate, and revise my daily practice as much as my students do. My philosophy echoes bell hooks’ engaged pedagogy: dance should encourage artistic expression, exploration, and self-efficacy in both students and instructors. I work to allow for individuality and investigation to flourish in each of my lessons because this is when my students truly grow as artists and people in dance. I do not want them to discard their own movement tendencies to mimic certain shapes, rather I encourage them to define dance for themselves by filling in gaps in knowledge with their own unique style.

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I believe that students work best in a welcoming atmosphere. In order to achieve the level of self-exploration that I wish my students to engage in, there must be a consistent level of comfort that they can rely on each time they step into class. My classroom is inclusive, meaning that every student is welcomed and respected by myself and their peers. This environment is vital to my practice because it provides the space for personal discovery while simultaneously providing a sense of community through art.

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In a typical class, warm up consists of cardio, conditioning, and floor work focusing on the class goals. I aim to get the blood flowing, strengthen muscle groups that will be used later in class, and establish a theme. Deep work, what I define as the meaty middle of the class, runs the gamut from traditional set movement phrases, such as pliés and tendus, to exploratory movement in the form of improvisation and partner work. The dynamics within these phrases range as well to include soft release or energetic athleticism so that students are exposed to multiple qualities of movement. Further, each exercise connects to the theme of the class. In order to bridge the gap between movement and the class themes, discussion time is included in the class format. Discussion allows students to elaborate on what they have learned thus far and guide them to new insights later on. After the deep work, a culminating phrase highlights the main theme of the class. With this phrasework, I challenge students to apply class concepts to movement that travels their bodies through space and across varying dynamics.

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My inspiration for class structure as well as content has come from my background in contemporary modern dance at Grand Valley State University. While there, the teaching styles of Carrie Brueck Morris and Hannah Seidel opened my mind to the many components of modern dance technique and influenced my understanding of what an educator should be. It is their passion and commitment to their students and the art form that I aim to emulate each time I set foot in the studio. To put it simply, my teaching philosophy boils down to this: In my role as an educator, I strive to support my students’ investigation of dance and the role that it plays in their lives. I hope to offer my students the knowledge that I have gained in my studies along with the opportunity to discover their own universal dance truths. Most importantly, I hold open the classroom door so that my students may step forward and experience the same artistic fulfillment and utter joy that this art form grants me each day.

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