Community & School Based Lecture/Demonstrations

College & High School

For some, dance is more than a mere pastime, hobby, or aerobic workout. There are those who are blessed (or cursed) with the passion of creativity and the mental and physical challenges that coincide with it.

Dance can lead toward a variety of avenues, which focus on a variety of disciplines. Commercial avenues would lend themselves more toward hip-hop, jazz, and salsa training. Whereas, musical theater is a whole other arena, requiring some classical, jazz, acting, and possibly some tap background. The concert/company world generally focuses more on classical ballet and modern/contemporary movements. All have potential for career opportunity; however, none are easy and often are inconsistent with work and pay.

Some find more pleasure in the education process of furthering the growth of movement knowledge and appreciation. Teaching can often be more predictable and for some, more rewarding then the actual participation. The creative process of sequence, placement, staging, and emotion, is yet another realm in which one “choreographs” and thus writes a story with bodies.

The demonstration for this age/maturity group would allow for a brief overview of the previously mentioned dance forms and career avenues with video examples, to help specify. This process would show the vast opportunities dance could offer. However, even with all the various fields for dance and entertainment, a career in such is often difficult. Such careers take years and years of training in several disciplines, some mild accomplishments along with several rejections, and often a short “stage or performing” life, but the outcome can be immensely satisfying even through the struggle.

Elementary & Middle School

This lecture and demonstration focuses more on the creative side of movement and expression. Again, as with the older student demonstration, a montage of examples would be used via video to help students visualize the differences in dance and the future possibilities.

Dance can be very expressive as with musical theater or the drama from a classical ballet. Dance, too, can offer mental and physical challenges for youngsters to continue the growth in many areas of their health. Mentally, dance forces the brain to rhythmically connect music and movement, as well as, coordinate the different body parts to work either simultaneously or in opposition. Dancers are taught early on the discipline and respect that is demanded in a classroom for the instructor, choreographer, each other, and for the self. A dancer also puts many demands on the body physically exerting much endurance, flexibility, and strength.

Students would be encouraged to play a more active role in this demonstration, as they would be taught a variety of styles of movement and would then perform in front of each other in small groups. Since dance is not only an exercise for the mind and body, the art behind it is to be shared with an audience. The goal of this age lecture/demonstration is to not only introduce to many the field of dance, but also to excite young individuals about finding movement and the sharing its emotions.