 Building a lasting dance community.
One of the best parts of my job is staying connected with alumni. When I entered this profession, it never occurred to me that I would build connections beyond high school graduation. I have been to weddings, celebrated college graduations, learned about their fascinating careers, and even become colleagues and close friends with some of them. But when they volunteer their time to support the program, it’s magical. My heart is full, and I feel so much pride in the community we’ve created. Whether they pop their heads in while I’m teaching or reach out to guest-teach a class, their support and unique perspectives are invaluable. Over the years, these visits have become a special part of the program. As our next concert approaches, I reached out to alumni to mentor current students. The response was overwhelming, and seeing everyone so eager to give back meant a lot to me. It speaks volumes about the community we've built. When I told my students, the excitement in the room was palpable. They look up to those who came before them, and the alumni are just as excited to support the next generation. Through this partnership, students see what's possible when they work with someone who has been in their shoes. As alumni step into leadership roles, current students rise to the challenge. I'm so proud to have been part of their journeys, and seeing them return to guide new dancers is one of the most meaningful parts of my work. It’s a reminder that what we do in the studio continues beyond high school. Photo by Patrick Albert, a Lowell Dance alumnus.
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 Lovely teens- Two words that don’t always go together.
I was out recently for family medical reasons, and I worried. You leave plans. You assign helpers. You hope for the best. When I came back, the substitute left a note: “Lovely teens.” “Excellent instructors.” I smiled reading that. There’s a weight teachers carry when we’re out. Life happens. And we still care deeply about what happens in our rooms. To know my students showed up with respect, especially when I wasn’t there, made me proud. Not because they were being watched, but because that’s who they are becoming. Lovely teens, I’ll take it.  Each warm-up is a chance to use what we have and make what we need.
One of my favorite activities is turning a simple warm-up into a class dance. Each warm-up focuses on a specific movement idea. We practice together in unison, gradually adding choreographic elements and techniques until something new starts to form. This method helps students learn particular movement concepts, refine them, and then experiment with direction, phrasing, and other components of choreography. When leading the first dance in the class, I like to start with something high-energy that grabs students’ attention and creates excitement. The isolation warm-up is a favorite because the music is lively and current, and it emphasizes isolating different parts of the body in various ways. It offers endless opportunities to develop skills that transfer across styles and connect to future choreography. The warm-ups are designed to involve the right and left side of the body, supporting compositional practice and overall skill development. They’re perfect for exploring mirroring and canon, as these choreographic tools naturally develop from repeated movement patterns. Each lesson builds on a specific movement idea, reinforcing vocabulary and preparing students for deeper choreographic exploration. This year, I drew inspiration from Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” It’s full of intricate details and dynamic contrasts. We studied choreographer Parris Goebel’s style, discussed her creative process, and observed the contrasting shapes, energies, and pathways between dancers in red and white costumes. To connect this study to our classwork, we began with isolation exercises and choreography inspired by the video. I then introduced dance qualities such as sharp/soft, fast/slow, and rise/fall—elements that challenged students to vary dynamics and intention. We expanded this with an improvisation activity called the Class Spell, where students generated movements based on prompts and combined them into a shared phrase. Finally, students worked in pairs to choreograph eight counts inspired by either the “red” or “white” qualities observed in the video, turning observation into original creation. These components can be adapted and combined to fit any classroom. It’s up to each teacher to decide how and where they fit, adjusting the “recipe” to match their dancers, goals, and teaching pace. Warm-ups are more than physical prep—they’re invitations to create. When we use warm-ups to make, we show students that every part of class can lead to choreography. Nothing is left unfinished; our work begins the moment we step into the room. This is a practice I share more fully in my book, Choreographing the Curriculum, where I offer other practices to use make a dance with your warm-ups. Photo: Patrick Albert  I admit, I’m having a hard time getting motivated to start another school year.
After the most amazing, heartfelt concert celebrating 25 years, the last part of the year nearly broke my spirit. End-of-year wrap-ups, student conflicts, and changes to next year’s course selections left me feeling depleted. I lost myself in the chaos. It’s not the first time that happened, but this time it lingered.
I used the summer break to step back and reflect on why I was feeling so depleted, I found that I was doubting my practice, strategies, and teaching methods. After all of these years, I was questioning my purpose. The deep love for dance, and the excitement of sharing it had been clouded by the year's challenges. At that moment, I realized that to fulfill my passion for teaching, I had to rediscover my purpose and return to my roots: celebrate my practice, voice, and the artist I am. Today, I stepped back into the studio and took a moment to be in the space. It was the perfect moment to move for myself. I shifted weight from side to side then front and back. I turned on the music and stretched my arms up to the ceiling and then allowed them to drop with a bounce in my knees. It felt good. This simple moment to was the perfect spark I needed to begin creating the introductory warm-up; movement that feels good, that I’m excited to share, and that brings me joy. Lesson refinement is always part of my practice, but this year needs to start with sharing my voice and feel connected to my work. I’m leaning on my own method: Do what you know. Use what you have. Make what you need. Starting from what feels most authentic allows me to meet my students from a place of vision and joy. There will be times to step back and let them shine, but that doesn’t mean disappearing. This year, I’m making the conscious choice to center myself so I can better center them and holding space for both our voices. Joyful movement is my motivation for this year. Movement Offering: I use all my experiences and inspirations when I create. Here is a movement prompt that honors these ideas and focus for the year.
For more on the strategies and reflective practices that guide my planning, you can explore my book, Choreographing the Curriculum, where I share tools and questions designed to help dance educators create programs rooted in both their own artistry and their students’ voices. a.co/d/1OXhygN Photo Credit: Patrick Albert On this Mother's Day, I'm filled with gratitude as I reflect on the profound influence my mom has had on my work. Her guidance and support continue to shape my dance teaching practices, and today, I celebrate her impact on my journey. Here's to you, Mom. Thank you for everything. Miss you every day.  As I reminisce about my mom's impact on my teaching practices, I recently stumbled upon one of her old lessons titled Propel Your Lessons with Dance and Movement: The Ultimate in Active Learning. It was a unit designed to encourage the implementation of dance in the elementary curriculum. As I studied the unit, I noticed her approach to the lessons looked familiar; she used themes to drive her lessons. Instantly, I felt connected to her, tears welled up in my eyes and I and then began to laugh and realized I set up my lessons like she did. Themes drive most of my lessons. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I can hear her saying “I told you so” with her signature smirk. Themes were integrated into her entire unit in various ways, always to share how to incorporate dance into the core curriculum. My mom created lessons using the who, what, why, and how format. She used songs like Getting to Know You from The King and I and The Beach Boys’ Do You Want to Dance, created surveys on why we dance, and connected dance elements to subjects like math and science. I imagine her brainstorming themes and concepts in our living room, dancing, and singing aloud. I thought it was cheesy at the time, but I get it now. She met the teachers and students where they were and incorporated her content goals in an approachable manner. My teaching methods are deeply rooted in my mom's thematic approach, which I've incorporated with three key components: movement, choreography, and research. These elements are intricately woven into thematic lessons, creating a holistic and engaging learning experience for my students. I carry her legacy with me every day, she remains my greatest teacher and continues to inspire my approach to education.  Photo by Ron Parker
Concept and Map design by Gail Fernandez Jones Creating an environment where students are at the center of the creative process.  The amount of collaboration with my students has increased over the years. I always thought that it was my job to make up all of the movements and direct every bit of the dances for the class and concerts. I quickly learned that taking on choreography for five classes wasn’t sustainable. Furthermore, it was very teacher-centered and didn't focus on the students’ movement experience or creativity. I needed to balance satisfying my excitement for dance-making and giving the students a say in the creation. Initially, it felt like I was giving up too much control and losing my artistic self, which didn’t feel great. Still, it became an exciting place where the art of directing the collaboration became exciting—modeling, leading, and supporting their ideas.
Realizing that I wasn't the only one with ideas opened up an entirely new way of working. Additionally, the projects became much more interesting because of the originality of each piece, and I learned more about the students as individuals. Directing the collaboration is a skill in itself. Planning, patience, and a willingness to let things get a little chaotic before a result is achieved takes time. It is something I continue to practice and learn from. I direct the collaboration by starting with a theme or area of focus and designing lessons that support the dance-making process. There are different degrees of this type of collaboration. At the beginning of the year, I have stringent guidelines with an outline with little room for change. We essentially “plug in” the tasks and movement practices into specific parts of the chosen music. As the year progresses, the students have more choices, and the dance outlines have more room for student offerings and designs. For example, at the beginning of the year, I will direct the students on how we will begin the dance. Later in the semester, I may ask them, “How do you see this dance starting?” A vital component of this collaborative process is asking questions. I begin by assigning each student the same task and then find a way to share or combine with a peer or group. For example, each student may create a phrase based on their “super-power,” and then they would teach it to someone. The combined phrase could be manipulated in ways you wish to see in a dance. However, it is essential to have each student answer, create, and make it alone before joining forces, checking in individually, and ensuring everyone has their voice heard and understands the content. Asking for student input has become a big part of the curriculum; modeling the creative process helps me assess the room's temperature and determine how to proceed. Questions to consider when directing the collaboration: What kind of dance do you want to create? What do you want to dance about? Now that we have begun, what happens next? Is this concept resolved? What are we missing? What is the story arc? What do you want the audience to take away from this dance? You can ask the class or use these questions as warm-ups or exit prompts. I like to use small pieces of paper to get all of the students' input. I can then spread out the answers to create a plan for our rehearsal. Inspiration boards with the music map are beneficial as well. *Photo of mapping a piece of music with ideas posted in the section of interest from the students. As a dance educator, I aim to create a communal space without judgment or competition so students feel seen. Sometimes, I get too excited about the product, miss the mark, and need to step back. We took that step this week, and I realized we needed it more than I thought.  March is a busy month. It is busy for several reasons; performance season is gearing up, seniors are anxiously awaiting college acceptance letters, and spring is in the air.
As much as I want to go-go-go, it is an excellent time to check-in. There is so much value in stopping, checking in, and reflecting. I know it feels like we don’t have the time, but if we do, it will benefit all of us. I used the questions below to check in with the students, allowing space to reflect on the present material and share personal stories with their peers, nurturing the class' community spirit. To begin, the students are instructed to walk around the space, stop, and find the nearest person to talk to. Do this with every question. The walking can change to jogging, sideways/backward, curved, they can choose someone to follow (one of my favorites) etc.
End with constructive rest and a reminder that we all support each other by listening and sharing stories. The individuals in the class make the community; without each one, it wouldn’t be the same.  A fun and informative way to administer Semester 1’s final evaluation.
The end of the semester is the perfect time to reflect on the student’s experiences and learning outcomes. This dance in a day will celebrate the students’ unique movement history, review concepts from the semester, and brainstorm new ideas for the rest of the year. The first question the students answer in my dance class is, “What is your movement history?”. The question is to get the students to think about themselves as movers and that their experiences are meaningful; whether it be soccer, gymnastics, dancing at family parties, or playing on the playground, they all impact our movement history. New movement and choreography concepts are added throughout the semester to deepen their movement experiences. COLLECT: Gather Material Task 1: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Task 4: In groups of 3-4, use the word in bold to create a phrase. We are all movers, we all have a movement history. There is a dancer in everyone; leaning on a wall, crossing your arms, rushing to the bus, jumping over a puddle, we are always forming shapes or moving. Inspiration can be found everywhere! Dance It!
COMBINE: MAKE IT A DANCE! Music Suggestion: Doubt by Mary J. Blige INTRODUCTION: All dancers start downstage and face the front. Movement: look back counts 1-4, run upstage counts 5-8. Let the run back look like you are falling. (Try the run facing the back and forward). Verse 1: Each group has 8 counts. Assign students a number 1-4. They will perform the tasks in groups (1-4). Group 1 performs Task 1. Group 2 performs Task 1. Group 3 performs Task 1. Group 4 performs Task 1. Chorus: All perform the combination learned in class. (A perfect time to evaluate movement that was taught in class.) Verse 2: Each group has 8 counts. Everyone else snaps and changes shape every four counts Group 1 performs Task 2. Group 2 performs Task 2. Group 3 performs Task 2. Group 4 performs Task 2. Chorus: All perform the combination learned in class. Music Break: Repeat the Introduction for 16 counts. Bridge: Movement is everywhere- Group work. Lean, rush, jump, make a shape, travel step. Music Break: Repeat the introduction for 16 counts. Chorus/Bridge: In partners, share Task 4. Discuss and demonstrate the movements. Make it look like a conversation.  Dance In Day is a favorite lesson because it quickly creates a dance that celebrates a specific moment in time. Why not use the sugar coated energy in the room to steer the content forward while having some fun? The upside is that Halloween can ignite all sorts of inspiring material. From candy to toys, haunted stories and decorations, there are so many ways you can move your content forward. This year's Halloween Dance in a Day introduces a new concept, Laban's Effort with the focus of FLOW: bound or free. Additionally the students get to use warm-up dances but play with a new tempo. Music Choice: Disturbia by Rhianna Composition Ingredients: Use What You Have / Make What You Need
INTRODUCTION: 32 Counts
VERSE 1: 32 Counts Each bullet point represents one eight count.*
 Continue sculpting your Monster.
*This section will be performed as a duet. Partner 1 will perform the SLASH & FLOAT while their partner will walk slowly in a circle around them. The dancer who walks in a circle will be the Sculptor. Verse 2, we will switch roles. CHORUS PART 1: 32 counts
CHORUS PART 2: 32 counts
Music Interlude: 32 counts
VERSE 2: 32 Counts
CHORUS: 64 Counts
Music Interlude: 32 counts
BRIDGE:32 Counts
CHORUS: 32 Counts Repeat the chorus, and find a fun ending! Have the students help brainstorm the ending. ENJOY! Halloween lessons were inspired by the temporary tattoos and light projections I found while shopping for Halloween concepts. Inspiration is EVERYWHERE! Do What You Know, Use What You Have, and Make What You Need. #Danceeducation 
 I met Alicia at her Slay Your Dance Dragons workshop hosted by Shawl Anderson Dance Center and was immediately drawn to her work. Slay Your Day is a 21 Day Reflection Journal and Dance Inspiration Workbook. This downloadable journal helps transform your mindset to remove self-doubt and grow in confidence, increase performance excellence, and clarify your professional and personal purpose in dance. Note: “Day 1”, “Day 2”, etc refer to sections of the workbook. PART 1 Dancers fill out Day 1, For the Love of Dance
PART 2 Dancers fill out Day 2, Your Dance Roots and Day 2 Journal: What is a belief about dance that comes from your family, culture, or community? How does it shape the dancer you are today?
PART 3 Introduce Day 4: Dance Dragons
PART 4 Review the dance dragon phrases.
Personal Dance History Solo
Part 5 Create a dance using the all of the solos, dragon duets, and class warm ups. Check out a sample here. Photo by Patrick Albert _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Music Suggestions: Break My Soul, Beyonce New Light, Mega Chariot, Mega Rise, Dominique Fils Aime Brighter Days, Emeli Sande I Am, Beautiful Chorus  |
