Dear DT+ Community,
This month, we’re celebrating and honoring the impact that women in our dance education community are making, including women with disabilities and those who continue to advocate for equal opportunities in the field.
Get to know 100-year-old Hortensia Fonseca, a beloved dance teacher and founder of the Maryland Youth Ballet, who has been setting an example for generations. Through Fonseca’s heartwarming story, you’ll discover her secrets to success as a dance teacher and why she’s been an influential force in the lives of hundreds of her students, including prolific dancers like former American Ballet Theatre stars turned artistic directors Susan Jaffe and Julie Kent, Daniel Applebaum of New York City Ballet, and Paris Opéra Ballet’s Lillian DiPiazza. Later this month, you’ll also enjoy an inspiring story about the dance educators who are finding ways to provide inclusive training for all ages and abilities.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of teaching resources for you to delve into. Head over to our dance history column, where you’ll find insights into the extraordinary accomplishments of dance legends like Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham and Ann Miller. The videos, books and facts highlighted in these profiles will be enlightening for your students!
Our Technique & Artistry column contains expert tips from Barbara Duffy for teaching improv and advice on how to incorporate artistry to give your students a fuller, more well-rounded dance education. You can also watch a video tutorial led by Britt Juleen, a visiting assistant professor of dance at the University of Iowa, who demonstrates how William Forsythe’s nine-point theory can help your students move more expansively. Plus, our Health & Body stories give you an opportunity to reflect on how your corrections might be causing harm and how combining flexibility with mobility training can fully unlock your students’ movement potential.
And finally, timing is everything! That’s what you’ll discover from renowned choreographer and performer Caleb Teicher. Be sure to check out Teicher’s teaching playlist and get their tips on helping your dancers with musicality, which can be especially important in a percussive style like tap.
There are so many more new stories waiting in the wings, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear how you are enjoying the DT+ platform so far and what stories you liked reading most. Send me a note at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!
With gratitude,
Reanne Rodrigues
P.S. There are only 4 weeks left to nominate an extraordinary dance educator for a 2022 Dance Teacher Award. To submit your nomination, click here.
