Dance With Teachers

in this episode we take you back to NYC where we sat down with Dominique Robinson before stay at home orders were in effect. Dominique talks about her company Pizarts. Part of her company’s focus helps students who want to experience a dance gap year.Dominique explains all the offerings her company has for students and teachers alike. I caught up with Dominique recently to find out how her company has adjusted since the start of the pandemic and Pizarts will be hosting the first virtual dance gap year in July. Teachers of this program are from all over the world and when this is all over they will have a week long retreat with all of their virtual participants.@dancewithteachers@dancegapyearwww.dancewithteachers.comwww.dancegapyear.com

In this episode we take you to Miami where we sat down with Sara Lavan at the last National Dance Education Organization’s conference in October 2019.Sara Lavan is the founder of Local Motion Project where she serves as Executive and Co-Artistic Director. She co-creates, curates, and co-facilitates programming including: movement classes, continuing education, youth dance school, creative community workshops, and school residencies.Sara has been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, and Dance Studio Life. She has presented at The National Dance Education Organization’s annual conferences, is a faculty member with the Dance West Virginia Fall Festival, facilitator of professional development for Arena Stage, has served as commissioner with the Alexandria Arts Commission and is a presenter with the Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts program.@dancewithteacherswww.dancewithteachers.com@localmotionprojectvawww.localmotionproject.org

In this episode we speak with Lite Feet dancer Ki-Nen in New York City. You might be very familiar with Lite Feet, or you may just know it as the dance you see on the subway, but there is so much more than that.In this episode Ki-Nen shares a wealth of knowledge about the history of Lite Feet, the names of the movements and vocabulary, the importance of the music, and fashion as well as the shoes Lite Feet dancers wear.I’m so stoked I was able to sit down with him and pick his brain about the Lite Feet community and culture. Get ready to dive into the world of Lite Feet and soak up the knowledge with our next guest, Ki-Nen.  @dancewithteachers@kidashnenwww.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from Anna Mansbridge. Anna  is a choreographer, dancer and educator, originally from Australia and the U.K and now resides in Seattle, WA. She has been on the faculty at the Creative Dance Center, Seattle, since the Fall of 1999 teaching all ages. Before we start this week’s episode I want to speak on the global pandemic we are currently experiencing. I encourage you to visit our website for resources that may support you and your students during this transition to digital learning. www.dancewithteachers.comI have been creating and uploading videos on our site, but encourage you to reach out to us directly if you want the full video library. My email is victoria@dancewithteachers.com Within our videos you will see two different variations of the brain dance, which Anna describes in this episode. These are my personal variations of the Brain Dance warm up which was created by Anne Green Gilbert. This episode was recorded in Miami at the National Dance Education Organization’s Annual Con

In this episode we hear from Bruce McCormick. He was a presenter at the National Dance Education Organization's Conference in Miami 2019. Bruce McCormick is an educator, choreographer, performer and scholar. He earned his BFA from the Juilliard School and his MFA from the University of Washington, where he has worked as Assistant Professor of Dance from 2015-2018. He currently is on faculty at the University of Southern California as an Assistant Professor of Practice in Ballet Technique.Bruce shares the process he went through as a male choreographer working with three females at the start of the #MeToo movement. Through his process he empowered the women he worked with by giving them a voice. Disclaimer: This interview was recorded while at the NDEO conference in Miami 2019, excuse the background noise. @dancewithteacherswww.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from Allison DeBono and Rex Tilton from Ballet West.Allison and Rex met and fell in love while dancing in Salt Lake at the professional ballet company. They were featured on the television series Breaking Pointe, which followed the lives of the ballet dancers from the company. Since then they have grown as a couple and as dancers becoming a first soloist and a principal dancer. Together they started a family and their company artÉmotion. In this episode we talk about their personal and professional lives specifically about their company artÉmotion as well as how they have managed being new parents while remaining professional working dancers. As a Utah native I am thrilled to bring you two professional dancers and teachers from Salt Lake so here they are, Allison DeBono and Rex Tilton.Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachersAllison DeBona @allidebonaRex Tilton @rexlajosartÉmotion @artemotionusaBallet West @balletwest1artemotion-summerintensive.comwww.dancewithteachers.com 

In this episode, we hear from Melanie George. Melanie George is a dance educator, choreographer, dramaturg, and scholar. In this episode Melanie tells us all about her own dance journey and how she found her love and focus for Jazz dance. I ask her about her work in Jazz under her project Jazz Is... She shares information about her website she created as a recourse for Jazz dance teachers. We talk about the importance of Jazz music, improvisation and the roots of Jazz. Please enjoy this episode on Jazz dance with Melanie George. @dancewithteachers@jazzydramaturgwww.dancewithteachers.com https://jazzdancedirect.com/https://melaniegeorge.org/

In this episode you hear from our host, Victoria. She shares a group quiz she gave to her middle school students. She talks about how she uses the Depth Of Knowledge wheel and question stems to generate assessment and discussion questions. Also, how her students became more engaged in their assessment when they were able to discuss it in a small group. www.dancewithteachers.com@dancewithteachers

In this episode, we hear from Kim DelGrosso. Kim is the co-owner and artistic director of Center Stage Performing Arts Studios in Orem, Utah. The studio recently won the highly competitive award for "Studio of the Year" in 2019, at The Dance Awards in Las Vegas.Some notable alumni from this studio include contestants from "World Of Dance" and "Dancing With The Stars", such as Julianne and Derek Hough and Jenna Johnson.In this episode, Kim talks about the three dancers associated with her studio who made the Top 10 on "So You Think You Can Dance" last season. She wasn't able to say their names at the time of the recording, but we know now that they are Stephanie and Ezra Sosa and Eddie Hoyt. Dancers from her studio are also dancing in the "High School Musical" productions.It was fascinating to sit down with Kim and hear about how the studio has grown to become a top studio for producing working dancers. To start our second season of "Dance With Teachers," I bring you to the wonderful Center Stage Performing Ar

In this episode you hear a few names of some of our featured guests we will be having on season 2 of Dance With Teachers. New this season we will be launching our brand new YouTube channel. You can watch the raw footage of some of our season 1 interviews. We will also have video episodes released with some of new guests this season. Be sure to follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, as well as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to check out our website for additional resources. www.dancewithteachers.com@dancewithteachers 

This episode features guest from The Gabriella Foundation. The Gabriella Foundation is based in Los Angeles and it includes The Gabriella Charter Schools and is also home to the program Everybody Dance. We bring you Liz Vacco, The Manager of Dance Education at Gabriella Charter Schools Also, Tina Banchero the Artistic Director at The Gabriella Foundation Lastly, we hear from the founder herself, Liza Bercovici. In this episode you get to hear from the women who run the dance departments of this foundation. After hearing from Liz and Tina and what their programs are doing now, I bring you Ms. Liza who shares the origin and history and how The Gabriella foundation came to become one of the most well known dance foundations in Los Angeles. Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers The Gabriella Foundation @everybodydancela www.dancewithteachers.com www.gabri.org/

In this episode we hear from Mai Lê. Hailing from France, Mai Lê is an arts educator, dancer, choreographer, and advocate. On this episode she shares what it's like dancing in Rennie Harris' company, Pure Movement. She also addresses the organization; It's Showtime NYC, which celebrates NYC street dance by providing education, performance opportunities, and advocating for Hip Hop culture. She talks about social justice issues in the Hip Hop community and the urgency for having this dialogue. Mai Lê @mailegrooves @rhpm.1992 @itsshowtimenyc @LayeRhythm @PassionFruitDanceCo Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers For full information including full episode transcript visit our website. www.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from Tamsin Carlson. Tamsin was a member of the Repertory Understudy Group otherwise known as RUG for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and was also a faculty member. Tamsin shares her dance lineage and how she came to find the Cunningham technique for herself. Currently, she is the chair of modern dance downtown Los Angeles at The Colburn School. She shares with us the curriculum she helped design at the school and how her experiences in modern around the world influence her teaching today. @DanceWithTeachers @colburn.dance @colburnschool www.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from James Alonzo. James is a teacher in New York City at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center and others. Even though James didn’t start dancing until later in life, he has taken the dance world by storm. In this episode James shares his unique story of his dancing career. He also discusses what he does personally and in his classes that captivates NYC’s top studios and their students. Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers James Alonzo @_jamesalonzo www.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from Katherine Call. Katherine is a full time dance teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been recognized and has presented the work she does with her students around meditation and mindfulness. In this episode she talks about how she deals with her own stress and anxiety. She gives some tips she uses with her students to improve their technique. Also, she shares some great places to start if bringing these practices into your class or studio is new. Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers www.dancewithteachers.com

James Fayette shares his dance story with us that led to him becoming a principal dancer at New York City Ballet. He also talks about his transition to arts administrative work that followed his retirement from the ballet and how it eventually led him and his family to The Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles. He addresses how The Colburn School is changing dance instruction with its carefully designed curriculum, which includes opportunities and experiences the dancers receive being apart of the school. Lastly, we get to hear who some of his finest dance teachers were and how they contributed to his phenomenal dance career. Dance With Teachers https://www.dancewithteachers.com @dancewithteachers The Colburn School https://www.colburnschool.edu/dance/ @colburn.dance

In this episode we hear from the Director of Dance Education at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education. Deborah shares her teaching philosophy, the importance of continuing to teach while being an administrator, how she honors her past teachers, details about the NYU Dance Education Program as well as her beliefs of what makes good teaching. Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers www.dancewithteachers.com

If you weren’t aware, California is currently in the process of getting the dance credential for public school teachers. In this episode I speak to Jessy Kronenberg, the Director of the Credentialing Taskforce in the state of California. She shares the history of this credential, where it stands now, and what we can expect in the future. Ms. Kronenberg is the Visual and Performing Arts Liaison at El Cerrito High School in the San Francisco Bay area. She currently serves on the greater board of the California Dance Education Association (CDEA). With CDEA, she has organized many professional development conferences in dance education and has worked on several arts education bills. In 2016, in this state-level leadership role, she helped to pass legislation to update our state Visual and Performing Arts standards and reinstate the single-subject credentials in Dance and Theatre. She is the recipient of the 2016 Executive Director’s Award from the National Dance Education Organization for Excellence in Advocacy

In this episode we hear from Adam Holms. Adam is a lead teaching artist for American Ballet Theatre’s Education Department and artistic director and co-founder of the Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet. Although Adam’s ballet studio is only in its fifth season, it has quickly found success from having its own outreach program, to producing full-length productions accompanied by professional orchestras. Adam shares with us his personal ballet story, experiences he’s had while working at ABT, and specific details that makes his private studio succeed. Adam Holms @mr_adams_world Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers For more information including full episode transcript visit our website. www.dancewithteachers.com

In this episode we hear from Kim Elliott. Kim is a Master Hip Hop and Street Dance Teacher. Kim shares with us her early memories of learning Hip-Hop culture as a kid in the streets of New York.  She stresses how important it is to know Hip Hop and street dance vocabulary, especially if you’re going to call yourself a Hip Hop teacher. She talks about the role music plays in class, shares advice she’s been given through the years and ends with her own advice for dancers and dance educators. Kim Elliott @Kimelliottdance Dance With Teachers @dancewithteachers For more information including full episode notes visit our website. www.dancewithteachers.com