We are thrilled to annouce the results of our rescent election for the NDEO Board of Directors and Advisory Council. This year's election brought forth an exceptional roster of candidates, each committed to advancing our mission and strengthening the dance community. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the newly elected members and express our deepest gratitude to everyone who participated. With this dynamic team, we look forward to an inspiring term filled with impactful initiatives and continued growth for our organization.

All terms will begin January 1st, 2027.

View the Results Here

Join Us for a Free Webinar:

Disability Dance History: the Crip/Mad Archive Dances

Presented By:  Petra Kuppers

Disability Dance History seminar: the Crip/Mad Archive Dances

In this seminar, Petra Kuppers will introduce participants to methods for historical dance investigations she developed in her award-winning Crip/Mad Archive Dances project, which include a book of nonfiction assemblages coming out with Duke University Press in early 2028. How can we work with dance history in community settings – witnessing everyday dance energies, not just the stories of stars and famous dancers? How can we track many different intersections of dance and disability – witnessing movement at pivotal sites or dates, grounded in site-specific explorations? If you are curious about non-canonical ways of tracking dancerly histories, both in your personal practice and in community settings, join Petra for this seminar, where we will engage in movement exercises, some hands-on assemblage, and creating snippets of personal writing. 

November 5, 2026 @ 7:00pm ET - 8:00pm ET

Register Here!

Informational Sessions About College Credits

Interested in College Credits for OPDI Online Courses for Dance Teachers?

Learn all about how this opportunity from NDEO and Oakland University works at our upcoming information session!

Join us at a virtual information session with representatives from Oakland University and NDEO's OPDI program to learn more about earning college credit for OPDI courses. Listen, learn, and ask questions.

• Monday, November 2nd at 6 PM ET - Register Here

The meetings will be recorded and emailed to all registrants after the event. Please register for the event even if you are unable to attend. 

By Natasha McCandless ~~

Last fall (2025), I had the pleasure of developing a Dance Pedagogy course for third- and fourth-year students in SUNY Fredonia’s Department of Theatre and Dance. As a lecture/lab practicum, the 15-week course focused on fundamentals of teaching dance forms to ages K-12 in studio and school contexts. A conversation emerged at the end of the semester that I did not expect: remaining student-centered in choreographic endeavors...

Read Full Post Here

VOTING IS OPEN! USE YOUR VOICE!

As a current member of the NDEO Community, vote now for the Board of Directors and Advisory Council before October 17th.

VOTE NOW!

Learn More about the Candidates Here

CALL FOR WRITERS & DISCIPLINE LEADS

Application deadline: October 18, 2026

Starting Date: January, 2027

Every student deserves a complete, arts-rich education, and you can help ensure the national standards remain relevant, equitable, and responsive to today's learners.

This National Arts in Education Week, the National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) is inviting dance educators to help shape the future of our field. Volunteer applications are now open for the National Arts Standards review and revision process!

We are seeking up to 12 dance Writing Team members and 1 Discipline Lead to bring their unique voices and lived experiences to this vital project. Whether you teach early childhood or higher ed, in public, private, or community settings, your voice matters here.

Past participants call this process one of the most transformative professional development experiences of their lives, offering a chance to contribute to the advancement of dance education for all.

Writing Team Members serve as reviewers, revisors, writers, and initial editors for revisions to the standards in their art form, reporting to their respective Discipline Lead for National Arts Standards review and revision. This role requires exceptional organizational and writing skills, excellent communication and collaboration skills, and experience with PreK–12 arts education, curriculum design, and standards-based work.

Discipline Leads serve as the coordinators for their art form, leading a discipline-specific writing team of up to 12 individuals and reporting to the Project Manager. This leadership role requires expertise in arts education, standards development, collaborative leadership, and project management throughout a three-year review and revision process.

Learn More & Apply Here

Contact: contact@nationalartsstandards.org.

About NCAS: The National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) is an alliance of national arts and arts education organizations dedicated to supporting and promoting sequential, standards-based arts education as part of a well-rounded curriculum that ensures artistic literacy for all students. The coalition formed in 2011 for the purpose of creating and supporting national arts standards. To learn more, visit https://www.nationalartsstandards.org.

Congratulations to our 2026 Awardees! Our National Award Recipients were selected from a nomination process, and reviewed by our Awards Committee. 

To view our 2026 awardees please click here. 

Announcing Janine Campbell as NCAS Standards Review Project Manager

The National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) is excited to introduce Janine Campbell as its new Standards Review Project Manager.

As the central coordinator for the full National Arts Standards Review across arts disciplines (Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts), Janine will work with NCAS to helm the multi-year review and revision process.

Janine brings more than twenty years of experience in arts education, with an extensive background in standards and assessment development as well as demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives at the local, state, and national levels.

During National Arts in Education Week (September 13-19, 2026), NCAS looks forward to announcing an important next step in the National Arts Standards Review process, including opportunities for members of the field to get involved. Please stay tuned for details.

About Janine: 

Since graduating from the University of Michigan-Flint in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, Janine has focused on engaging students with innovative classroom practices. She has taught Visual Arts in middle school classrooms since 2004 and currently teaches 7th and 8th grade students at Byron Center West Middle School. She has also served as adjunct faculty for Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Ferris State University. Her students' work has been featured in notable publications such as SchoolArts Magazine and the MACUL Journal.

Janine has been a featured or keynote speaker for Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching Conference, the Association of Middle Level Educators National Conference, the Art Education Association of Indiana Conference, and the Ohio Art Education Association Conference. She regularly presents at the Michigan Art Education Association Conference, the Michigan Computer Users in Learning Conference, and the National Art Education Association Annual Convention. Her classroom has received local and national recognition, including the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and various grants. Notably, she was honored as the 2015 Michigan Art Education Association Middle Level Educator of the Year, the 2015 National Art Education Association Western Region Middle Level Educator of the Year, and the 2020 MACUL Innovative Teacher of the Year Award.

Before becoming the project manager for the National Coalition for Arts Standards, Janine was the Visual Arts team leader for the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment project and served as a Connected Arts Network Professional Learning Community Teacher Leader for NAEA. Learn more at about her here.

About NCAS: The National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) is an alliance of national arts and arts education organizations dedicated to supporting and promoting sequential, standards-based arts education as part of a well-rounded curriculum that ensures artistic literacy for all students. The coalition formed in 2011 for the purpose of creating and supporting national arts standards. To learn more, visit https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/.

Contact: contact@nationalartsstandards.org

Register Now to Enhance Your Dance Education Knowledge!

Starting Monday, September 7th: 

• OPDI-112: Implementing The National Core Arts Standards in Dance
• OPDI-117: Developing Strategic Leadership in Dance and Life
• OPDI-M38: Social and Emotional Learning in Dance Practice
• OPDI-M37: Choreography for the Screen

The full schedule for the 2026 NDEO Conference in Albuquerque, NM is now available! Take a look and start planning your conference now! Click here to view the schedule.

Not registered yet? There's still time to register before the September 1st Regular Registration Deadline! Click here to register and here to book your hotel.