January 12 - April 5, 2026

Professor: Jennifer Seigle

Tuition: $550 member / $625 non-member

12 Weeks; 3 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs

**Optional add-on** College Credits through Oakland University: 3

To receive college credit for this course in addition to PDCs, you must register through Oakland University by scheduling an advising session and finalizing your registration through OU before the December 1 deadline.

Register Here

In this course, you will take an embodied historiographical approach to the classroom teaching of Musical Theatre dance forms with a focus on decolonization of the canon. Beginning with Shuffle Along and continuing 100 years to the present, we will investigate the dance forms correlated with twelve iconic musicals.

During the course, we will

1. Generate lesson plans for teaching the embodied dance history of musical theatre from 1921 - present

2. Develop knowledge of the cultural roots of the dance forms commonly identified with the performance of musical theatre

3. Identify the choreographers whose work has shaped 100 years of musical theatre as well as the often uncredited artists who influenced them

4. Examine the historical events surrounding the production of each of these 12 musicals and consider grade-appropriate techniques for incorporating these events into the teaching of musical theatre dance forms.

OPTIONAL Live Meetings:

• Saturday, January 17th - 9 AM Pacific /10 AM Mountain / 11 AM Central / 12 PM  Eastern
• Saturday, February 7th - 9 AM Pacific /10 AM Mountain / 11 AM Central / 12 PM  Eastern
• Saturday, February 28th - 9 AM Pacific /10 AM Mountain / 11 AM Central / 12 PM  Eastern
• Saturday, March 28th - 9 AM Pacific /10 AM Mountain / 11 AM Central / 12 PM  Eastern

Questions about this Course?  Email opdi@ndeo.org

"I used content directly from the lessons/assignments to inspire and create better choreography for the musical I was working on with elementary students. My students directly benefitted from my increased content knowledge and confidence in speaking about these topics."

"This class has helped broaden my definition of "Musical Theatre Dance". It has given me a different perspective on the form, and has helped me think about new ways to introduce this style of movement to students. The coursework has emphasized my commitment to placing performances in historical and social contexts, enhancing my ability to look at productions through the lens of politics, current events, social movements, and culture and connecting it to the dance in a synthesized way that I can pass on to my students."

"It gave me a better idea of how to teach Musical Theatre in the dance studio from a choregraphic and dancer's perspective."

"I'm new to teaching this subject and this course provided me with more knowledge about Broadway and which productions I can include in my own curriculm."

"I liked how it was specific to each style, incorporating different aspects of everyday life through different cultures. I also like how it balanced out the creative process and topics that concern us as dancers. It gives me permission to be creative about what I can teach and how I can utilize these tools to make it a more tangible experience."

"The assignments were purposeful, not only helping us think more critically about the content but also how to apply what we're learning to our own lesson preparation."

Jennifer Seigle is an artist-scholar with a passion for musical theatre who has traveled the country as director, choreographer, movement coach, and master teacher. Professional credits include Arizona Opera, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Gardner Stages (Los Angeles), Whitmore-Lindley Theatre (Los Angeles), and Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts. As an educator, Jennifer works with students to create interdisciplinary works of physical theatre. She has directed/choreographed for the University of Colorado, Columbia Gorge School of Theatre, and Long Beach City College, and has created more than 20 works of original concert dance for colleges across California and the Southwest. Jennifer served as faculty at UCSB, LA City College, and Santa Barbara City College. She is an Associate Member of SDC and Dance Program Director at Mesa Community College. Jennifer holds an MFA in Dance and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Shakespeare (University of Colorado); BA Theatre (California State University, Northridge); JD (Southwestern Law School).

How Courses Work