One Year Post-MFA Professional Update
Curious what I’ve been up to since I finished my MFA in Dance program last spring? At first I was concerned that since I so loved being a student again that I would miss it horribly. Though I did have a wonderful experience in graduate school, turns out I’ve also been having a fantastic time developing professionally and personally as well as traveling this past year!
I’ve been lucky to be dancing and teaching a lot, including serving as an adjunct professor at Hawaii Tokai International College, teaching at The Movement Center, Page Academy of Dance, and Island Tumblers Gymnastics, and substitute teaching at Mid-Pacific School of the Arts. In the Fall, I was honored to perform in “Midnight Moon” with the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble for their 40th Anniversary celebration, Ten Ten, at the Hawai‘i Theater.
At Hawaii Tokai International College I designed and led a college class, HPER150: Introduction to Dance, for mostly ELA students from Japan, covering dance techniques, history, contexts, and careers. The studio course focused on the acquisition of physical alignment and technique for ballet, jazz, and contemporary forms, along with dance literacy, appreciation, and analysis activities such as video study, progress assessment and reflection, and supportive professor and peer feedback.
At The Movement Center, I’m especially proud to have worked on Night at the Ballet with Advanced Ballet classes in “Fire Ceremony” from La Bayadere, “Entrance of the Fairies” from Sleeping Beauty, with a senior soloist as the Lilac Fairy, and “Splendor Falls” an original contemporary ballet choreography created in collaboration with the dancers. I also have enjoyed teaching Pre-Tumbling, Pre-Tap, and Pre-Pallet for children, Adult Ballet (Beginning and Intermediate), Adult Beginning Jazz, Advanced Jazz, Musical Theatre and Performing Arts for all ages, abilities, and special needs.
I’ve been delighted to continue to teach ballet for the optionals team at Island Tumblers Gymnastics, watching the competitive gymnastics team grow, developing movement vocabulary expectations, goal-setting, mini teams to support development of new and experienced teammates, and student choreography studies to apply the technique they have learned to a composition and performance context. The team has made great progress in ballet and performed well in competition.
During the daytime, I’ve served Assets High School, Le Jardin Academy, Maryknoll, Mid-Pacific, and Damien as a substitute teacher for all subjects. I began guest teaching in dance and in the process got to know a couple schools, then decided to expand my scope, which gave me the opportunity to observe operations at many different schools, learning about the classrooms and teaching plans of many teachers, and curricula and instructional approaches for a variety subjects. I found that I am able to maintain a productive and exciting learning environment in a variety of settings and look forward to continuing to grow my teaching practice.
I am a curious academic at heart and have continued my practice of yoga and Pilates, physical therapy to prevent injury, as well as my study of music, poetry, pedagogy, ballet, jazz dance, and contemporary dance. I devised a semi-codified contemporary/ballet/jazz warm-up useful for a variety of techniques that I teach. I have also researched conceptual teaching approaches, creative dance, and learning disabilities (see my blog on recent articles read for more thoughts on great resources for dance teaching artists).
In the last year I’ve been fortunate to return to France and make my first trip to Spain, as well as visit the Pacific Northwest, California, Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. This summer I’ll complete the course to substitute teach for Hawaii DOE, then embark on an epic road trip in the South/Southeast before returning to teaching in late July.
My 5-year plan includes continual development, travel, and other personal projects that I look forward to sharing as they progress. I believe that part of being successful is appreciating strides taken in our projects and passions and being sure to celebrate our efforts. Thanks for your interest in my process and vision for my life and what’s possible.
I’ve been lucky to be dancing and teaching a lot, including serving as an adjunct professor at Hawaii Tokai International College, teaching at The Movement Center, Page Academy of Dance, and Island Tumblers Gymnastics, and substitute teaching at Mid-Pacific School of the Arts. In the Fall, I was honored to perform in “Midnight Moon” with the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble for their 40th Anniversary celebration, Ten Ten, at the Hawai‘i Theater.
At Hawaii Tokai International College I designed and led a college class, HPER150: Introduction to Dance, for mostly ELA students from Japan, covering dance techniques, history, contexts, and careers. The studio course focused on the acquisition of physical alignment and technique for ballet, jazz, and contemporary forms, along with dance literacy, appreciation, and analysis activities such as video study, progress assessment and reflection, and supportive professor and peer feedback.
At The Movement Center, I’m especially proud to have worked on Night at the Ballet with Advanced Ballet classes in “Fire Ceremony” from La Bayadere, “Entrance of the Fairies” from Sleeping Beauty, with a senior soloist as the Lilac Fairy, and “Splendor Falls” an original contemporary ballet choreography created in collaboration with the dancers. I also have enjoyed teaching Pre-Tumbling, Pre-Tap, and Pre-Pallet for children, Adult Ballet (Beginning and Intermediate), Adult Beginning Jazz, Advanced Jazz, Musical Theatre and Performing Arts for all ages, abilities, and special needs.
I’ve been delighted to continue to teach ballet for the optionals team at Island Tumblers Gymnastics, watching the competitive gymnastics team grow, developing movement vocabulary expectations, goal-setting, mini teams to support development of new and experienced teammates, and student choreography studies to apply the technique they have learned to a composition and performance context. The team has made great progress in ballet and performed well in competition.
During the daytime, I’ve served Assets High School, Le Jardin Academy, Maryknoll, Mid-Pacific, and Damien as a substitute teacher for all subjects. I began guest teaching in dance and in the process got to know a couple schools, then decided to expand my scope, which gave me the opportunity to observe operations at many different schools, learning about the classrooms and teaching plans of many teachers, and curricula and instructional approaches for a variety subjects. I found that I am able to maintain a productive and exciting learning environment in a variety of settings and look forward to continuing to grow my teaching practice.
I am a curious academic at heart and have continued my practice of yoga and Pilates, physical therapy to prevent injury, as well as my study of music, poetry, pedagogy, ballet, jazz dance, and contemporary dance. I devised a semi-codified contemporary/ballet/jazz warm-up useful for a variety of techniques that I teach. I have also researched conceptual teaching approaches, creative dance, and learning disabilities (see my blog on recent articles read for more thoughts on great resources for dance teaching artists).
In the last year I’ve been fortunate to return to France and make my first trip to Spain, as well as visit the Pacific Northwest, California, Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. This summer I’ll complete the course to substitute teach for Hawaii DOE, then embark on an epic road trip in the South/Southeast before returning to teaching in late July.
My 5-year plan includes continual development, travel, and other personal projects that I look forward to sharing as they progress. I believe that part of being successful is appreciating strides taken in our projects and passions and being sure to celebrate our efforts. Thanks for your interest in my process and vision for my life and what’s possible.
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