鶹Ƶֱ


Please Wait a Moment
X

Dance Education Blog

NDEO's "Dance Education" Blog features articles written by NDEO members about dance and dance education topics as well as periodic updates on NDEO programs and services. This is a FREE resource available to ALL.

Archive by category: K-12 Dance EducationReturn
By Helen Buck-Pavlick, Doctoral Student, The Ohio State University ~~ This blog will outline how, as K-12 dance educators, you may be able to tap into your school’s ESSA funding to support your conference attendance by answering three questions: What is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? How can I use ESSA to support conference attendance? How do I talk to my administrator about leveraging ESSA to support conference attendance?...
Read More
by Tamara Irving, Higher Ed Educator; Consultant, TMI Design & Consulting ~~ As a passionate performer without a formal dance education degree, my journey into teaching was unorthodox. Still, I was eager to share my love for dance with students and inspire their passion for this art form. However, without a structured framework, it was challenging to offer comprehensive dance education. That's when I discovered the International Baccalaureate (IB) Dance Program, a game-changer for both my st...
Read More
by Gina D'Antonio-Spears, Dance Educator, Portage Park Elementary, Chicago Public Schools ~~ When I first began teaching in Chicago Public Schools, dance positions were few and far between. One day, I was at a conference and I met this amazing elementary dance teacher. I latched onto her like a lost puppy, asked if we could have lunch together, and *boom* I had a mentor. Suddenly I was not alone in my work, no longer teaching dance in a bubble. Over the years she advised me and inspired me, ...
Read More
by Betsy Maloney Leaf, PhD, MFA, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota ~~ The following blog was written by NDEO member Betsy Maloney-Leaf. She is proposing a new Special Interest Group for Teacher Trainers in Dance Education, the educators who prepare the next generation of dance teachers. We at NDEO recognize and support the need to bring this group of dance educators together to cultivate support and leadership within our community. This blog sets forth why our community needs this spe...
Read More
By Krista Brown, Freelance Teaching Artist ~~ Many veteran teachers know the voice that springs up when there is a lull in learning choreography. As I am scrolling through notes, if ever there is a quiet moment I often hear “we could…” or “what about this…” In my early years of teaching, I’d shoo it away and say, “that’s a nice idea” and proceed with my choreography notes. Whether this is how I feel the classroom is best managed, I think rests on something beyond just expectation setti...
Read More
by Krista Brown, Freelance Teaching Artist ~~ Traditional classrooms have this ability with their constructed spaces dedicated to learning and transition between multiple subjects during the entire day. Dance teachers don’t possess this in most cases. As a freelance teacher, I shift from space to space with totally different students. There is a solution that has brought me this relationship I crave as well as a focused attention from my students: my fuzzy little friend, talking tomato. This...
Read More
By Ella Rosewood, Crelata® Founder & CEO ~~ Most K-12 students don’t have access to dance education. If students are lucky enough to have a dance teacher at their school, the classes that are available are often restricted to the teacher’s personal knowledge. This means that the small subsection of students in public schools with access to dance education may only get lessons in a few dance styles...
Read More
By Christine Mazeppa, Adjunct Professor of Dance at University of Miami ~~ As an avid reader and writer who has spent the last eighteen years teaching dance and language arts to high school students, I have long been fascinated by the effects of language and literature on movement. The connection between the two subjects is so present for me that it is often difficult to teach one subject without drawing from the other. My approach to teaching dance is much the same way I would teach my language...
Read More
By Gina D'Antonio-Spears, Dance Educator, Portage Park Elementary, Chicago Public Schools ~~ When I was growing up in Raleigh NC back in the 1980’s, I did not discover that dance was taught in K-12 schools until I started high school. When I began high school, I learned that our prestigious magnet school offered dance, and I knew I had to go there. I was surrounded by high achieving students who wanted to become doctors and lawyers, but the reason I was there was because I wanted to dance. ...
Read More
By Melissa Greenblatt, NDEO Managing Director ~~ There are nearly 100,000 public PreK-12 schools in the United States employing just over 3 million teachers who are educating more than 50 million students according to the National Center for Education Statistics. We know anecdotally that many of these schools offer classes in the arts, including dance, theater, music, visual art and media arts. However, previous attempts to collect data about these programs and the students served faced unique c...
Read More
By Shannon Dooling-Cain, NDEO Special Projects - Content Writer ~~ Thank A Dance Teacher Day is a global movement to shine the spotlight on dance education and the teachers who make it possible. It was started in 2014 by the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) to raise awareness of the benefits of dance education through social media. Held annually on the first Thursday in May, Thank A Dance Teacher Day is a perfect time to show your gratitude to the dance teachers who made all the diff...
Read More
By Shannon Dooling-Cain, NDEO Special Projects Coordinator ~~ Dance can sometimes get a bad wrap in society. It can be considered frivolous and inconsequential, a nice hobby to have but nothing more. As dancers, though, we know that dance can be powerful! Dance offers physical, mental, and emotional benefits to individuals and can help build strong and supportive communities. Throughout history, dance has been used to bring people together, raise awareness of societal issues, and help support im...
Read More
by Shannon Dooling-Cain, NDEO Special Projects Coordinator, “What is Jazz Dance?” It’s a simple question, but the answers are not as straightforward as they might appear. We can find the answer by not just peeking at current jazz classes in dance studios today, but by also taking a look back through time at the powerful roots and winding branches that have built this unique genre and helped shape American history...
Read More
By Demi Agaiby, M.S., Dance Psychology Consultant and Director of Beyond Horizons Performance ~~ As dance educators, it seems as though there is constant pressure to create. Whether it's choreographing the group piece for the spring showcase or putting the final touches on a competition solo - we've all been in a situation where we are rushing to beat the clock. Although we might have a plan in place to get those things done, life happens. Perhaps a snowstorm cancels a much-needed rehear...
Read More
by Pascal Rekoert, Assistant Professor and Dance Education Program Director at Central Connecticut State University ~~ After two adventurous years that feel like a century due to COVID-19 pitfalls and pratfalls, I am learning to prioritize self-care. As a perfectionist and chronic overachiever who has had difficulty separating work from family life while working remotely, the importance of to-do's, have-to-do's, and overdue-do's ...
Read More
Page 2 of 3 [2]

Learn more about submitting a Guest Blog post.

Search our Blog