My goal as a dance educator is to develop technical skills and

individualized artistic expression in each student. My mission is to expose

dance education to new generations to inspire students’ creativity and

imagination as well as advocate for the arts. I believe that dance is a

unique form of self-expression in which students engage in the development

of self-confidence, discipline and self-motivation. I expect my dance students

to become passionate individuals who will make a difference in the world

by appreciating the arts and showing leadership competence. Through

recognition of each student’s particular strengths, I cultivate a warm and

positive atmosphere where the passion for dance is embraced by my

students.

 

My personal teaching philosophy is based on the concept of motivation.

I display high energy and enthusiasm towards all students in my classes.

I believe that by showing students my passion and excitement for the arts,

they reciprocate with a willingness to learn and are motivated to improve

both technically and artistically. To me, students are more engaged in the

classes when they are physically and mentally challenged. Therefore, my

expectations increase alongside my students’ improvement. I have found

that by accessing constructive criticism with a sense of humor and building

relationships of reciprocated respect, students feel more comfortable in class.

Students will also be more motivated to work when their personal needs are taken into consideration; therefore, I tend to modify the intensity of the movement in order to lower risks of injuries and increase maximum level of improvement. In my opinion, dance is a learning experience in which students should enjoy the process.

 

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My ballet training and performance experiences are primarily based on the Vaganova technique, which highly influences my teaching method, but also includes Balanchine and Bournonville styles. By reason of my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and minor in Psychology degrees from Mercyhurst University, I have taken courses that set a foundation for dance and music, pedagogy, anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, choreography, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, creative movement, abnormal and health psychology, relationship psychology and developmental childhood psychology. Therefore, I am qualified to teach those various dance forms as well as interact with students from different backgrounds in an understanding and respectful manner. I believe that to be successful students need to understand their own limits from an anatomical perspective. I have knowledge and understanding on how to work with students’ anatomical differences and I am able to help them improve technically with proper alignment and placement resulting in an injury-free, safe career.

 

I teach to inspire, but also to be inspired, because the individual movement quality of each student is a beautiful example of human expressivity and uniqueness. I also teach to share my knowledge with various populations and dancers of different levels. To me, it is gratifying to see the development of a dancer and their journey is as important and delightful as the final result. Therefore, I work with each student on what they need the most help with. I mainly focus on port de bras, placement and self-expression. My combinations are usually short, but still challenging in terms of strength and coordination; therefore, I tend to ask students to repeat combinations. By repeating combinations students seem to understand and embody the correction given more easily. I give equal attention to all students and use tactile teaching to help students understand corrections. I expect students to learn the correct French terminology used in the Vaganova syllabus.   

 

My desire is for students to be passionate about dance and make a change in the world by advocating for the arts. Regardless of whether my students dance to become a professional dancer or for enjoyment as a recreational activity, I expect them to develop discipline and leadership skills that are important for success in any career. I am blessed to watch each dance student transfer their emotions into the movements in a different and fascinating way, and to watch their personal growth and accomplishments.