Wordless Blog #1: Simplicity/Fill the Frame

 













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NDEO Conference Day 1

Incredible first day at the conference--over 900 people in attendance. Saw my professor Kaye (from Akron U over 18 years ago) give a presentation with Brian (who I danced with in GroundWorks Dance Theater some 13 years ago). Took a master jazz class with a group of incredible, masterful teachers: Karen, Thom, Patricia and Darwin. They were truly inspiring...and, my friend Billy (also one of our great living master jazz dance teachers) was in class with me. Got to tap with Anita (I have used her book for years) in a workshop she presented on collaborating with a composer. Attended a presentation by Yo-el who I had danced with in one of the 5x5 Dance Festivals (can’t remember if it was a NYC or CT one). He teaches modern for Boston Ballet School and was there with a researcher who demonstrated (experientially) a way to use research in dance education--specifically in the classroom. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I met up with a whole group of jazz dance educators at the hot...
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Waiving The Flag With The Right Intention

When I consider the combination of the confrontational political atmosphere of today with the instant (no thought necessary) medium of tweets and status updates, I shouldn’t be so surprised by some of the mindless statements people make. Yet, I am surprised. And bothered. And I really can’t sit around being all “zen” about it. It’s not the politics itself; it is the confusion of opinion with reality and the intentions underlying the statements. Yes, we are all entitled to our own opinion. But that doesn’t mean all opinions are equal. If I believe the moon is made of moon rocks and you believe the moon is made of Swiss cheese, these beliefs are not equally valid. Enter Michelle Bachmann. "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?" -Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Oct. 2008 ( more quotes ) Politics aside, claiming that any of our representatives in Congress are anti-American is ...
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Teaching As An Egoless Practice

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“creating without possessing, acting without expecting, guiding without interfering.”  ~Tao te Ching (from the Stephen Mitchell translation) Creating, acting, guiding, and (I might add) teaching without possessing, expecting, and interfering. This has been a guiding principle of mine as a teacher. Why? Because I feel it is my role as a dance teacher to create independent (rather than co-dependent) and creative (rather than mechanistic) dance-artists. Just like with my son Jakobi (now 16) who is preparing for his adult life, I have to make way for the second-severing of the metaphorical umbilical cord toward greater independence, which means suppressing the urge to hold on tighter as Jakobi, and my students, pull away. Teachers and parents share this similar experience. In the 1990’s I directed the dance program at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. For their first concert, I prepared the students and gave them many responsibilities for producing the concert--props, sets, ...
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