Technique is a practice.

Consistency is a practice.

My somatic approach to technique focuses on the functionality and efficiency of movement and identifies how the elements of one technique can translate to other forms of dance. It is also equally important to encourage somatic authority as a form of injury prevention: I remind students of how powerful their bodies are, and how resilient their bodies can be.

It is my goal for students to embrace embodied learning, to take risks, and to not fear making mistakes. I enable dancers of any level, novice to advanced, to discover how the class material can fit into their body and best serve their individual artistic needs.

I invite students to simultaneously experience their own presence throughout class, based on practices informed by Bartenieff Fundamentals, the Feldenkrais Method, and Pilates. In dance class, students experience their breath, their weight, their joints, their skin, and their whole bodies in motion, both individually and collectively. Together, we discover old habits and strategies that no longer serve us, to instead, develop new, more sustainable movement patterns that are efficient, safe, and keep us moving for life.

Working from the inside-out prompts individual agency: I encourage students to connect with their bodies through movement as research, while they simultaneously work to discover their own sense of artistry and authority. I believe that engaging in conversation around feedback and critical thinking are essential for dance students to take ownership of their learning and to further develop their understanding of how they exist in this world individually and interdependently. It is my goal to guide students to discover something about dance that makes them feel thoroughly and unapologetically themselves.

Crafting a safe, brave space for students that is inclusive of all identities, cultural backgrounds, and beliefs is imperative. Fostering a community of care that supports creativity, bodily autonomy, and the freedom to express oneself authentically are crucial steppingstones to seeing student success. This approach lays the groundwork for teaching students how to engage with and participate in a functioning democratic society; my teaching philosophy maintains a student-centered, feminist, culturally-responsive, and holistic approach for the benefit of the student’s body, mind, and spirit.