Teaching Philosophy Statement 

 

Dance is a practice of humanistic, abstract, and comprehensive tools to

develop a person’s mind with their surroundings. It helps to establish

intellectual techniques of processing, creating, and connecting with

oneself and others. The importance of dance education is to fully

understand the physical styles in dance movement, the history of dance,

and the evolution of it. My dance education philosophy is centered

around three things: teaching the physical embodiment of dance

techniques, the mental and psychological box of tools to be successful

in a person’s daily life, and the importance of self-expression and

acceptance.

 

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Movement connects the soul, physical self, and energy pathways

in the body. Dance creates stimulation in the body and allows

imagination and creativity to take life in the mind. Not only does

dance education create new ways of thinking in the dance studio,

but aids in all other aspects of a students life. The New Jersey

Professional Standards for Teachers “understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences”. In a K-12 setting, students are able to take lessons they learn in the dance studio into their academic classes, and into their personal lives. They learn how to process information, abstract it, communicate, and create relationships.

 

The importance of creating a safe and inviting environment in the classroom

is an essential part of being a dance educator. To have successful and

motivated students, comfort and acceptance are the most important elements

in a classroom. It is a dance educator’s responsibility to ensure students are

able to enter the classroom, no matter what may have happened in their past,

and continue grow and evolve. Creating an environment that invites all

students into the classroom regardless of culture, race, ability, or appearance

will not only create a safe environment, but one where they can fully express

themselves. It is my responsibility as a dance educator to be a role model and

mentor for them to feel they can be their authentic selves. Ensuring all

students feel accepted and seen by myself and their peers helps everyone

feel appreciated and accepted. If it were not for the teachers who took the

extra steps for me in high school, I would not be where I am today.

 

A full rounded dancer not only has the physicality and understanding of how to perform, but understands why and how the movement came to be. I see a dance classroom as a playground for possibility and experimentation. Movement can be manipulated to create new worlds, feelings, and ideas to explore. Technique and improvisation go hand in hand in exploring as well as training to become a dancer, so will be used in my classroom heavily. Rigorous training creates a dancer, while improvisation and research creates an artist.

All students are made to dance and it is our responsibility as dance educators to bring movement and imagination into their lives.