As founder, artistic director, and principal dancer of Mauro Ballet School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marena Pérez wears a lot of hats, from rehearsal scheduler to casting guru to costume and set designer. When she shifts gears to dancer mode, she loves taking on lead roles in classical ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, […]
My life in dance can be divided into three distinct phases, and each one is supported by my time working with Alicia Head. The first was my introduction to dance at 11 years old, at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California. I trained with their pre-professional company, South Bay Ballet (now called Ballet California), until […]
Which story did you enjoy reading most on Dance Teacher this year? Judging by our top-rated articles and most-liked social posts, dance teachers were excited about a wide range of the topics we tackled, including tattoos, teaching deeper, more dynamic pliés, and discovering the nitty-gritty of cleaning choreography. Here are the top 10 stories of […]
Read up on Edwin Denby’s contributions to dance criticism here, then test your students’ knowledge with this quiz! 1. Denby enrolled at ________ University at age ________. 2. Denby studied modern dance at the ________-________School in Vienna. 3. What was the first Balanchine ballet Denby saw 4. What was Denby’s cat’s name? 5. Editor ________ […]
Risa Steinberg has been teaching for many decades. But she still finds it terrifying: “It’s an enormous responsibility, and I take it really seriously,” she says. “I don’t mind being terrified.” To say that Steinberg takes teaching seriously almost feels like an understatement. For instance, prior to a recent class for the Limón Company, where […]
Ana Nery Fragoso’s guiding philosophy is collaboration. Whether she’s teaching elementary school children, leading professional-development workshops for educators, or mentoring future teachers as director of the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in New York City “building community and cooperation is a constant in my pedagogy,” she says. Fragoso’s passion for education was […]
I met Michelle Ottley-Fisher (“Mama O,” as we like to call her) as a soon-to-be middle-schooler auditioning for LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. The school was looking for students who were confident enough to get out there and move. I had never danced before, and according to Mama O, I was the […]
Following World War II, modern dance in Germany experienced a shift. Out of Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban’s Ausdruckstanz, or expressionist dance, a new genre grew: Tanztheater (dance theater). Poetic and pedestrian movement mixed with text, drama and sets to form highly theatrical works. German choreographer Pina Bausch is most associated with Tanztheater, and her […]
After eight years captivating audiences in the Netherlands at The Dutch National Ballet, Michaela DePrince is now bringing her magnetism to Boston Ballet as a second soloist. But she’s got even bigger plans than simply blessing American audiences with her soaring jumps, expansive lines and pristine technique. As a survivor of the 1991–2002 Sierra Leone […]
Dance teachers love to create an environment that is engaging, collaborative, and productive for student learning. A reliable invitation to begin class, especially in creative movement, can connect students to one another and root them in a sense of purpose and excitement for the movement opportunities that await. Thoughtful consideration for how to begin a […]