Teaching Philosophy

I see a classroom as a transitory community, where all the members hold meaning, voice, and shared purpose. The teacher-student relationship is a symbiotic one. As a teacher, the students learn from me, I learn from them, and the class plan flexes according to the needs and desires of the group.

I hold different goals for different courses. In modern, I value a student’s capacity to find a grounded base with stacked bones, to lower their pelvis and cover great distances, to find nuance in gesture, to stretch artistic range, to move through non-vertical shapes, and to feel comfortable coming into and out of the floor. In ballet, I emphasize anatomically sound lateral rotation, multi-frontal facings, rhythmic variation, and awareness of the back body. I move through the traditional progression of a barre while remaining untethered to it: choreographed moments leave the barre mid-phrase or students switch barre placements halfway through. I believe that the utility of a barre should not morph into a restraint. In all movement courses—including the conditioning practices I teach—I center the sensation of form over the form itself because it is Sensation that hones physical intelligence. Physical intelligence is, after all, perhaps the most fundamental, distilled goal of dance education.

In composition or improvisation, I lean into courage and playfulness as pathways to vulnerability. I model risk-taking and loud choices so that students may find their own freedom in creative exploration. I also facilitate feedback amongst students rather than being the only authority in the room.

No matter the idiom or the space—be it studio or lecture hall—I cultivate a calm and unhurried learning environment. The work is deeply important, but I hold it with a light touch and sense of humor. I also understand that students learn more when they feel ownership in class. Therefore, in all classes, students create, give each other feedback, and work in teams.

One of my favorite parts of teaching is bringing my whole self into the room. By making visible my mistakes, my complexities, and my range as a human, I invite the students to do the same. Above all though, I teach with the present moment in mind. When material feels like it matters in the moment, it has staying power.