NDEO’s Guest Blog Series features posts written by our members about their experiences in the fields of dance and dance education. We continue this series with a post by Alexandra Beller, CMA, MFA, Artistic Director, Alexandra Beller/Dances, Faculty, The Laban/Bartenieff Institute.Ěý Guest posts reflect the experiences, opinions, and viewpoints of the author and are printed here with their permission. NDEO does not endorse any business, product, or service mentioned in guest blog posts. If you are interested in learning more about the guest blogger program or submitting an article for consideration, please click here.ĚýĚýĚýĚý
Feeling First: Embodied Feedback as Anti-Oppressive Artistic Practice
How do we give feedback that strengthens without silencing, clarifies without imposing, honors difference without assuming sameness?Ěý
As dance educators, we regularly offer feedback. It’s in our syllabi, built into our assessments, and embedded in our studio culture. But most of us were never taught how to give feedback—only how to survive it. Many of us carry wounds from well-meaning, poorly delivered, careless, or even cruel critiques. These wounds can last decades. They can also shape how we pass on the practice.Ěý
Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process (CRP) offers one of the most humane and structured responses to this legacy. It invites collaboration, centers the artist’s intention, and slows the rush to judgment. I deeply value this model and consider it foundational. At the same time, we can expand our thinking about feedback, especially by including somatic intelligence and embodied awareness as core tools.Ěý
Feedback is not just about what we think. It’s about what we feel. Not to collapse critique into subjectivity, but to understand that our body is often the first responder. That first flutter, that holding of breath, that warm surge of attention are our first data points. But too often, we treat them as conclusions, rather than openings. The trick is learning to distinguish between what our body feels and what we assume about that feeling.
Let’s say I feel frustrated watching a section of choreography. Rather than saying, “That part didn’t work for me,” I might pause and ask: What did I feel in my body? Where did the tension build? When did I lose attention? That felt experience may lead me to a question rather than a judgment. “What were you hoping the repetition would generate in that section?” suddenly becomes a doorway into conversation, rather than a verdict.Ěý
When I started practicing feedback in this embodied way, I noticed something shift. I was less interested in being right and more interested in being in a relationship. I started asking: What’s this artist trying to say? What’s alive for them right now? What’s emerging that might not yet be fully formed?Ěý
I also noticed how often we speak from opinion without realizing it. Even questions can be weaponized. “Did you mean for that to feel so aggressive?” may sound like curiosity, but it’s often a veiled critique. If we want to shift from performing authority to practicing support, we need to get honest about our language—and, more importantly, our intentions.Ěý
Embodied feedback slows us down. It invites us to pause before we speak. It allows us to feel what’s happening in us, metabolize it, and then offer something useful to the artist. This doesn’t mean we become vague or withholding. In fact, it asks more of us: to be precise, responsible, and generous. To speak from truth without domination.Ěý
In the classroom, I often begin with “statements of meaning,” as in CRP. But instead of “I liked the part where…,” I might say, “I noticed I leaned forward when the duet began.” Or, “I felt a sense of anticipation during the stillness.” These are observations rooted in my body, not in aesthetic judgment. They let the artist know what registered in the room, not what was “good” or “bad.”Ěý
When it’s time to ask questions, I try to frame them as genuinely open. Not rhetorical. Not suggestive. Just curious. “What made you choose silence there?” “How do you want us to feel in that moment?” “What are you still unsure about?” These kinds of questions invite the artist into deeper authorship. They say: I see you. I trust you. Let’s think together.Ěý
This approach also requires acknowledging power. If I’m the teacher or facilitator, my words carry weight. So I try to ask: Have I created a space where the artist can say “no” to my feedback? Have I made room for them to disagree, reframe, or even ignore what I’m saying? Feedback isn’t a gift if it’s coerced. True generosity includes letting go.Ěý
The heart of this work is about separating opinion from inquiry. My opinion may be valid, but that doesn’t mean it’s useful. If I’m genuinely serving the artist, I want to offer reflection, not correction. Inquiry, not imposition.Ěý
I often tell my students, "Your job is not to please me. It’s to find out what you care about and make decisions based on that. My job is to help you ask better questions, not to give you answers."Ěý
Embodied feedback is not a technique. It’s a practice that calls on us to be rigorous and kind, curious and careful, honest and humble. It asks us to remember that we are not separate from our bodies, our histories, or our biases—and neither are our students.Ěý
But if we’re willing to feel first, to slow down, and to ask real questions, we can offer feedback that not only builds better art, but builds braver artists.
Alexandra Beller (MFA, CMA), Artistic Director of Alexandra Beller/Dances (2002-present) was a Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company member from 1995-2001. Alexandra created 40 Dance Theatre works in Korea, Hong Kong, Oslo, Cyprus, and US. University work throughout the US includes Barnard, SUNY Purchase, Rutgers, Princeton, UCSB, U of MI (Ann Arbor), and The New School. Theater Credits: Off Broadway: Sense and Sensibility (Folger Shakespeare, A.R.T., Portland Center Stage), (Helen Hayes Award, Lortel Nomination), The Mad Ones, How to transcend a happy marriage (Lincoln Center Theatre), Regional: Two Gentlemen of Verona and As You Like It (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Folger Shakespeare), The Young Ladies of… (Taylor Mac), Antonio’s Song (Milwaukee Rep, Goodman), Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) (La MaMa, La Jolla), Directing: Macbeth (Theater Row), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (92Y). She taught at Princeton 2015-2022 and is faculty at Laban Institute for Movement Studies, HB Studios, Gibney Dance Center. She teaches residencies and master classes at Universities internationally. She has two books under contract: The Embodied Conductor: A Somatic Approach to Conducting with Laban and Bartenieff (Meredith Music, December 2025), and The Anatomy of Art: Unlocking the Creative Process for Theater and Dance (Bloomsbury, May 2026).
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Photo Credits: Featured photo by Scott Shaw, dance shot by Judith Stuart, headshot by THE GINGERB3EARDMEN