I am an enormous advocate for the life-changing potential of communal dance education. As young children, we first develop awareness of our body as it relates to others. This is a knowledge that influences how a person navigates their physical embodiment through life. I believe that dance strongly impacts how we understand our physical selves, the world around us, and the relationship between the two.

Therefore, when teaching class, I integrate exercises which demand spatial awareness, kinesthetic empathy, and heightened proprioception. That way, when students leave the studio, they leave with a stronger mind-body connection and heightened sense of how their physical existence relates to their surroundings.

What drives my passion for education is my interest in personal development through community. In the classroom, I implement activities that include partnering, eye-contact, weight sharing, and group composition, in order to facilitate community.

A significant part of my somatic background is in classical Pilates, also known as Contrology, which is the study of body control.  As a result, I make a point of educating dance students on their muscular anatomy, initiation, alignment, and control during technique classes.

When introducing kinesiology concepts, I instruct through an inclusive and body-positive lens which, to me, means emphasizing the importance of:

1.    listening and trusting the body’s cues on alignment and misalignment

2.    savoring the joy of movement, no matter how large or small

3.    moving for the love of dance and not for the love of perfection.