My mission as an artist and dance teacher is to foster creativity and passion in students. It is important that we continually educate ourselves and develop our dreams and goals to be the best people we can be every day. I believe teaching dance goes far beyond teaching steps. It is imperative as a teacher to help students grow into well rounded and complete individuals who use their movement skills to impact the world around them in a positive way.

 

I work enthusiastically in class to instill the deep curiosity and passion I have for dance in the students. I encourage questions, experimentation, and conversation in and out of class to stimulate students mentally. Even if students do not pursue dance throughout their lives, they will be more open minded and creative adults if they are exposed to art at a young age and have positive experiences in environments that foster creativity. I expect that students come into class every day prepared to give their best effort and develop skills beyond that of a beautiful plié.

 

I teach from a Vaganova base with influences from the Cecchetti, Balanchine, and American Ballet Theatre syllabi. Musicality, coordination, alignment, and an injury free work ethic are my main concerns, especially when working with beginning dancers. If beginning students have a strong base in these concepts, they will be better prepared to fully develop technique and artistry as they progress in training. I develop a strong sense of musicality in students by using a variety of time signatures and doing rhythm exercises in class. Breaking down steps and clearly explaining the pathway and quality of movement for all body parts builds coordination. Students work on leg and arm movements separately before involving the body as a whole, and students accomplish movement sequences at the barre before moving to center work. This process builds strong, versatile dancers.

 

Proper alignment is instilled as soon as possible in training to prevent injuries. As students age and progress in their training, anatomy and kinesiology concepts are introduced to fully understand the mechanics of proper alignment. Everybody is different, and I work with each individual to help reach their movement potential, knowing that every dancer is unique. An injury free work ethic includes the use of injury prevention, care tools, and regular conditioning. These concepts work collectively to produce a dancer who works smartly and has a strong technical foundation.

 

Like my teachers taught me, I also work to instill an appreciation for the history of ballet. Introducing students to major works, famous music, and the most influential figures of different dance styles helps them understand the background of the repertoire they learn and the characters they embody. This role as a teacher aims to increase movement vocabulary and provide an additional context for the structure of class and progression of learning steps.

 

I work in a creatively rich environment to develop artists who have strong technical bases, dance history knowledge, and a drive to learn about and explore our world. I instill curiosity and positivity into students, so they not only move beautifully, but they are able to use their skills to positively impact the world around them as well-rounded human beings.