Teaching

Contemporary Dance

In my contemporary dance class I encourage students to explore their creativity, let go of expectations and simply enjoy moving their bodies in new ways.

My class typically begins with an improvisation which introduces the concept we’ll explore throughout the session. Having trained at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire I incorporate space, dynamic, action and relationships into these improvisations and challenge my students to analyze their movement patterns.

We then move to a calming warm-up influenced by my training as a yoga teacher. With an emphasis on spinal articulation, grounding, breath and stability, students have the opportunity to center themselves while maintaining a sense of ease and freedom.

I love to challenge my students with complex floor work, typically in an across-the-floor pattern. My motto to students  is “watch, practice and then just go for it”! We are all unique individuals, we all embody slightly different variations of a movement, and that's OK!

At the end of the session I introduce a short piece of choreography that incorporates the ideas explored throughout the class. I love to surprise my students with different music, selecting genres ranging from classical to hip hop to country or rock and roll. When teaching choreography, I ask my students to pay great attention to detail. While I want them to enjoy movement and explore their creativity, I believe it is equally important to be rigorous and disciplined when learning new material. Once the choreography is clearly developed we can reintroduce our own movement patterns, watching how the combination of technique and individuality creates a true artist.