Ethos of Movement Education

I believe in opening and nurturing a progressive environment to encourage students to be fully engaged in their education. As a teacher I strive to create an ethos that sparks curiosity and promotes creativity so as to push boundaries and further develop educational practices. This kind of learning environment promotes critical thinking skills and invests in the potential of the individual student.

My pedagogic goals are met when I am empowering the student, when students act as collaborators in their own education. I find that each semester, each lesson, each moment is a negotiation between what is known and what the student makes with the material presented. In this way I am as much a leader as I am a follower, a teacher and a student, an expert and a novice. My most exciting teaching moments are rooted in listening to the needs and cultural perspectives of my students and learning how to bring the material to them while challenging them to trust in me, in my work and in the process. This means that meaningful learning and education can happen anywhere, not just in the classroom or dance studio.

I have traveled extensively, taught, performed and lived many places throughout the United States and in over twenty countries around the world. My worldview informs my work as an educator and as a global citizen. With nearly three decades of experience, the depth and breadth of my work is directly influenced by these different perspectives and histories. I believe that diverse, collaborative, reciprocal learning centered around students cultivates deep engagement. My students foster an inner connectivity between their creative voice and their education that serves them as culturally sensitive artists and citizens.