Wordless Blog #2: Contrast






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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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Day Three of Teacher Training Workshop

Day Three of the Teacher Training Workshop went well. Since we were working on levels 5 and 6--the most advanced, it was great having the younger teachers to help illustrate some of the more physically challenging elements (thanks Lianne and Alex!). Loved trading ideas and information with Genevieve (hope you have a safe trip home—oh, I am going to take your suggestion about the DVD’s). I got a kick out of seeing a self-professed non-jazz dancer totally rock the latin hips and Cuban walk (work it Irene). And, Melissa’s bubbly energy brought such humor, joy and insight to the classes (thank you). In the evening, Melissa and I did a photo shoot for Ridgefield Magazine . Donned in outfits from local stores (mine from Hutton's --I got to wear a hat!--and Melissa's from Parker East Dry Goods ), we had a good time goofing off and feeling awkward in front of the camera. It’s funny how as dancers we seem naturally more comfortable moving than we do posing. I ended the night on a...
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Dance Paradigms (Part 4: Popular Dance)

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From the group cohesive value systems in Traditional tribal, folk, and social dance, individuals emerge with a desire to express themselves, displaying their prowess, in contrast to others--meeting the needs and motivations of the Gravesian Egoistic system. Here, the individual discovers what Graves calls the “awareness of self as a possibly powerful being separate and distinct from others.” This is found in courting dances, recreational dance studios, Ethnic dance, and entertainment or commercial dance. Courting dances, from those found in the rituals of traditional cultures to the pea-cocking behavior of contemporary college students dancing at the local bar, exhibit traditional Egoistic motivations. On a more personal level, I started dance classes at thirteen and enjoyed the camaraderie of my classmates more than anything else. I felt I belonged within the group. Over time, I began to gain confidence in my ability and wanted to explore how I could express my individual pr...
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