Professor: Nicole Perry
Tuition: $295 member / $370 non-member
6 Weeks; 1.5 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs
May 22 - July 2, 2023
Register Here
Dance teachers in every setting have long used touch as a teaching method. It is employed for correction or support, to provide a goal, impart kinesthetic feedback, or other reasons. With disclosures of sexual misconduct at top artistic institutions, the rise of the #MeToo movement, startling statistics regarding young people who have experienced trauma, and ongoing concerns around coronavirus, we now have an excellent opportunity to address the pedagogy of touch. Different approaches, such as imagistic language, prop work, or other types of touch may provide for safer learning environments, empower students, and/or provide new depth to the creativity and teaching practices already employed. This course combines knowledge of best practices of physical contact in dance and theatre performance with Laban/Bartenieff Touch-for-Repatterning practices. It examines consent and power dynamics in the studio, creating an ethics of touch for movement classes, and low-touch/no-touch teaching options. Those enrolled in the course will be encouraged to strategically offer opportunities for students to practice consent and exercise agency when touch is employed. The course encourages personal reflection and choice-making for effective teaching. The material is applicable to dance teachers in any environment.
Questions about this Course? Email opdi@ndeo.org