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. 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 contemporary and 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, for the barre should always be a tool, not a restraint. In all partnering work, I teach sensitive, informative touch, and deep listening to each other’s bodies. This is the foundation of partnering from which dynamism and delicacy may emerge.

In all movement courses—including the somatics practices I teach—I prioritize sensation alongside form because moving from an internal place of feeling is essential to cultivating 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 privilege a calm and unhurried environment, built upon mutual trust and comradery. 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. I look for the unique contributions of the people in the room, so that we may accomplish great work through a balance of rigor and ease.