Dear DT+ Community,
You did it! The school year is over. Before you jump into intensives and other summer teaching gigs, take a moment to congratulate yourselves on another completed school year. And as you think about your accomplishments from the past year and your goals for the next, we’re thrilled to share with you the winners of the 2023 Dance Teacher Awards. Although these accomplished educators could easily rest on their laurels, they all share a commitment to continued growth, inspiring those around them. Please join us in congratulating Dance Teacher Awardee of Distinction Ana Marie Forsythe and Dance Teacher Award recipients Sheila Barker, Hilary Cartwright, Irene Dowd, and Caridad Martinez. Over the next two months you can look forward to reading in-depth profiles on these teachers in advance of the awards ceremony, held on August 10 at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City.
With the first day of summer coming our way on June 21, we’re easing into the warmer months with a feature by writer Sophie Bress on tips for teaching summer intensive students who are taking your class as an elective. As summer dance festivals start up around the country, our Office Hours column features American Dance Festival’s director of education, Nile H. Russell. And our Health & Body column by registered dietitian Rachel Fine gets into the do’s and don’ts of eating dairy—perfect for the start of prime ice cream season.
As the DT+ community continues to grow, we’re excited to now offer audio articles, enabling you to enjoy selections from our library of stories in the car or on the go. This month, we’re also bringing you a wide variety of voices from across the dance world: Contemporary choreographer and Broadway Dance Center teacher Hayden J. Frederick shares the music that keeps them going in Playlist, San Francisco Ballet principal Sasha De Sola is featured in Dancer Diary, and comp star Hailey Bills discusses the influence of her mom and teacher Stacy Bills in What My Teacher Taught Me.
From exercises to combat sickle feet to tips on coaching figure skaters as a side gig, there’s plenty more coming your way this month. We can’t wait to share more exclusive DT+ content with you all!
Best wishes,
Chava Pearl Lansky
