Teaching Philosophy
I believe dance education is about more than developing technically proficient performers—it is about cultivating thoughtful, adaptable, and artistically empowered individuals. My role as an educator is to provide rigorous training while helping students discover their unique artistic voices and develop the confidence, adaptability, and creative agency necessary to thrive in an evolving professional landscape.
Throughout my career, I have taught ballet, contemporary and modern dance, choreography, dance on film, dance pedagogy, graduate seminars, and interdisciplinary creative research. Across these diverse courses, I facilitate learning environments that challenge students artistically while supporting their individual growth as dancers, creators, collaborators, and scholars.
My approach to technical training is grounded in four interconnected pillars: technique, musicality, quality, and artistry. These elements are not taught as isolated skills but as an integrated framework, each continually informing and strengthening the others. As students refine their technique, they deepen their musical responsiveness; as they develop greater awareness of movement quality, their artistic choices become more intentional and expressive. By approaching training holistically, students learn that technical excellence and artistic expression are mutually reinforcing rather than separate pursuits.
As both a choreographer and screendance filmmaker, I view creativity as an essential component of dance education. My teaching is informed by the intersection of concert dance and dance for the camera, encouraging students to think critically about movement, performance, storytelling, collaboration, and the evolving ways dance can engage contemporary audiences. Through choreography courses, creative research projects, performance opportunities, and interdisciplinary collaborations, students learn to generate ideas, take risks, refine their work, and communicate effectively through movement.
Innovation and adaptability are also central to my teaching practice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I created ShutterSpeed, an interdisciplinary screendance initiative that allowed students to continue creating and performing through digital media while exploring new modes of artistic expression. This work contributed to the development of Dance on Film coursework at the University at Buffalo and continues to inform how technology, creativity, and contemporary artistic practice inform the curriculum.
Mentorship is at the heart of my work as an educator, informing how I facilitate space for curiosity and creative growth for my students. Students are not expected to conform to a single model of success; rather, they take authorship of what success means to them individually. I meet students where they are, providing support, guidance, and sustainable goal-setting practices that help them forge a path aligned with their unique strengths. I believe meaningful learning occurs when students feel both challenged and supported.
Ultimately, my goal is to prepare students not only for careers in dance but also to become curious, creative, and engaged individuals. By prioritizing an environment where discipline, collaboration, safe community, and artistic inquiry intersect, students are challenged to discover not only what they can do, but who they can become.