TEACHING philosophy
"In life as in dance: Grace glides on blistered feet"-Alice Abrams. I cannot count the number of blisters that I have earned through rigorous dance education. The blisters are necessary for my development as a dance educator. The joy I receive from teaching dance is invaluable. Teachers are influencers of the past, present, and future. This is the ancestral path I have chosen to follow. Dance has always been a big part of my life and without it, I do not believe I would be where I am today. I learned to express myself and create through my dance training.
I educate to move people and motivate them to make changes in their homes, communities, and our society. I strive to teach students to connect to their audience through their artistry and the power of expression. Dance has the power to connect you to the deepest parts of human existence allowing you to see more to life than meets the eye. I am dedicated to continuing to learn and grow as an educator so that I can mentor those who will come after me. To further my knowledge I continue to stay active in research on the impacts of dance in the public school system and dance relation to science and psychology. Through progressive research, I have been able to create my own methodology combining acquired information for student's growth and health. I strive to inform my community about dance, its impact on the body and mind, and how it can change your daily life. Students in my class develop discipline and a growth mindset through rigorous dance education. My lessons use principles of dance as therapy for troubled children.
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Through dance therapy, students will be well informed in kinesiology and somatic practices. This is a way of healing the physical and mental parts of students while growing their anatomical knowledge to better support themselves. Dance therapy develops the knowledge and skills required to create, perform, and understand movement as a means of artistic communication. A comprehensive education includes improvisation, technique, choreography, performance, observation, and analysis. Exposure to dance history and cultures, kinesiology and anatomy, and movement theories further enrich the dance educational experience. Education in the art of dance engages the artistic processes of creating, performing, and critical analysis. My students become self-motivated, disciplined, and focused in their everyday lives. They are expressive in their communication of emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Their creativity skills and imagination thrive and allow them to create new innovative ideas to advance their communities and find new ways of approaching situations. I help students bring more internal attention to their dancing and academic work so that they can be more authentic, work efficiently, and express their feelings more effectively.
I strive to uphold an uplifting environment for students to be free and enjoy themselves while becoming stronger. Educating young children on dance allows for creativity and body awareness. It is a platform for the mind and soul. They learn discipline and develop skills of communication in regards to the body. Through these practices, students will be able to connect more to all academia.