Responses Requested: Negative Dance Learning Experiences
I am currently doing research for an article on the use of comments directed toward one’s body and/or sexuality by dance instructors. I would like to hear your experiences - positive, negative or neutral - related to this topic. Has an instructor used inappropriate language or metaphors regarding your body and/or your sexuality? Have you heard dance instructors give comments - either overt or subtle - that you feel are outside the bounds of what is respectful when it comes to addressing how a person moves his or her body? If so, please email me with your experience. Names will be changed for the purpose of the article, and the goal is to educate dance instructors about how to use language that is positive and appropriate when it comes to something as personal and even intimate as partner dance.
Please email your comments to me at . You may also use the Contact page on this website to send me your thoughts and experiences. This article is expected to be published on the Joy in Motion website late this fall.
Thank you!
Fall Dance Workshops in Anchorage
After a wonderful summer break, fall is approaching. I am teaching two series in September and October…
Beginning Salsa
Fridays, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
September 25 - October 16
The Alaska Club West
$40/member, $60/nonmember
Latin Dance Basics (salsa, merengue, bachata)
Thursdays, 7:15 - 8:15 p.m.
September 24 - October 15
The Alaska Club Midtown
$40/member, $60/nonmember
For my Anchorage friends, I hope to see you there!
This I Believe: Experiences With Dance
The following are a few short essays written for NPR’s This I Believe series. This first one was written by a young lady under the age of 18, the second by a middle-aged woman, and the third one was written by a man between the ages of 50 and 65. It is interesting to see how people of both genders, all ages, and various backgrounds find commonalities through dance.
When I Dance (Elissa from Ohio)
This I Believe (Phyllis from Texas)
This I Believe (Charley from North Carolina)
Last year I also posted a link to author Robert Fulghum’s essay for the This I Believe series, as well as one by Martha Graham that was broadcast back in the 1950s. Dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison also wrote an essay in 2007. Here they are again in case you missed them:
Dancing All the Dances As Long As I Can (Robert Fulghum)
An Athlete of God (Martha Graham)
To Thine Own Self Be True (Judith Jamison)
If you are interested in sharing your own essay about what dance means to you on the Joy in Motion website, you can email it via the Contact page or to . It will be posted in the What’s New section and credited by first name and city only (unless otherwise requested).
Enjoy!
