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Registration NOW OPEN!

May 18 - June 14, 2026

Professor: Patricia Cohen

Tuition: $215 member / $290 non-member

4 Weeks; 1 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs

**Optional add-on** College Credits through Oakland University: 1

This course explores the language we use to describe movement, and dance in particular. Through movement and discussion we will examine hw the body moves in space, in time, and with energy (dynamics). A working knowledge of this material allows us to identify and describe movement with specificity and clarity, which serves both teachers and students. Ultimately, the goal of movement is to communicate meaning. We will explore the tools with which the body communicates. We call these tools the elements of movement. Our bodies are the instruments of communication. We will examine what moves, where, how, and when it moves in space, and with certain qualities that enhance meaning.

To receive college credit for this course in addition to PDCs, you must register through Oakland University by  and finalizing your registration through OU before the April 15 deadline.

Book required: None

Questions about this Course?  Email opdi@ndeo.org

"It brought a new language to use. I was exposed to different ways to teach and communicate movement for my students."

"The platform and structure of the course worked well for my schedule. Being able to complete the course in a timely manner while working on my own time was one of the reasons I chose to take this course."

"I needed this class to help me to be clear in communication and since I do not have a background with a dance studio but work as a musical theatre choreographer, it gave me a firm base in which to draw from."

"I really liked the amount of work and the instructor keeping us accountable. It made me reflect on my own teaching practice and how I can use what I've learned here to help students along in their creative process. Will help with communicating more clearly to dancers while teaching choreography."

"It has vastly improved my vocabulary, and has changed the way that I think about movement. I am excited to experiment with this new knowledge and my choreography. I liked the way that we had to incorporate the vocabulary for each element of dance."

"It gave me a significant expansion of my vocabulary to write and talk about dance. Also- an insight into far more common aspects shared in various genres of dance."

"This course definitely helped me to improve my vocabulary as a dance teacher. I feel confident that I can use more descriptive language to describe choreography while teaching after this course."

"I loved the teacher! I am still getting use to Sakai because I am new to it but it's getting better the more I use it."

Patricia Cohen, MA is an adjunct faculty member in NYU/Steinhardt’s MA dance education program, where she mentors student leadership to promote enhanced understanding of diversity and equity. Cohen develops and teaches courses for NDEO’s Online Professional Development Institute, including the Professional Teaching Standards for Dance Arts; Dance History: Global, Cultural and Historical Considerations, and two mini courses. She presents regularly at NDEO and other national and international conferences. Cohen contributed chapters to Jazz Dance: A History of Roots and Branches (2014), Guarino and Oliver, editors, and to Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetic and Equity for the 21st Century (2022), Guarino, Jones and Oliver, editors.  She co-created NDEO’s 2016 and 2019 special topics Jazz Dance conferences, which were based conceptually on the 2014 book and on contemporary issues in jazz dance. She contributes to and serves on the editorial board of NDEO’s Dance Education in Practice journal. A founding member of NDEO, Cohen has served on the NDEO Board of Directors. She received NDEO’s 2011 Leadership Award and 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. Pat teaches OPDI-M29:   Dance History: Global, Cultural and Historical Considerations; OPDI-M2: Elements of Movement; and OPDI-M4: Developmental Domains.

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