As I write this, it is Wednesday, November 9, 2018. The United States wrapped up a contentious and at times even ugly mid-term election cycle yesterday. The impact that these elections will have is yet to be seen, but it is clear today that the nation remains deeply divided in many ways. In the lead … More Dance Can Be The Answer
This particular blog series – “My Top 5 Skills Your Students Should Know” – was inspired by a question posed in a dance teachers’ group on Facebook a while back: What are the 5 skills that you think are most important for your students to learn? As I’ve written in the past, I initially struggled … More My Top 5 Social-Emotional Skills Your Students Should Develop
I have been juggling emotions and grappling with words since learning of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. It feels so far away, so foreign, so completely unbelievable. How, in 2017, is this happening? I realize that even this reaction reveals my privilege: I have lived a life largely untouched by racism. I … More “Hard Times Require Furious Dancing”: A Reflection on Right Now Inspired by Alice Walker
My last blog post focused on the “doom and gloom” of the impending dismantling of the National Endowment for the Arts. But I am not a doom and gloom person; I refuse to be. I believe in optimism, in faith, and in the power of community to overcome. So in this post, I offer some … More 8 Everyday Ways to Advocate for the Arts
Regardless of your political views, it is clear that we are living in uncertain times. Things are bound to change under this new administration, perhaps drastically, if the events of the past few weeks and months are any indication. The arts, which have a long history of holding up a mirror to society in our best … More Art In Uncertain Times
It’s been a while since my last post – 5 months and 4 days, to be exact. When In Defense of the Dance Major went viral back in April of 2014, I was shocked, humbled, and a little overwhelmed. My tiny wordpress.com site was visited by thousands of people internationally, many of whom left kind and … More Dance in the Digital Age (or, Why It Took Me So Long To Write This)
Throughout my career, I’ve had several opportunities to bring dance to a range of audiences and participants, many of whom would not necessarily seek out dance on their own. These experiences helped me to realize how powerful dance can be in the effort to build strong, cooperative, and joyful communities. I’ve been thinking a … More 5 Reasons Why Community Dance Matters Now More Than Ever
