Photo of Mount Sopris in the Roaring Fork river valley courtesy of Scot Grades
Teaching Artist Bio:
Growing up in the Roaring Fork and Colorado river valleys, I set an aspiration to be a master teacher of dance. This year marks my 20th year of teaching dance, and what a journey it has been. I can’t say that I’ve reached the level of mastery at this point, but I have learned a great deal and grown a lot over the years. I am happy to say that I am still seeking my initial goal of achieving mastery.
In 2005 I moved out of the beautiful river valleys I call home to study yoga in Boulder, Colorado, which led to a deep passion for learning and practicing the inner art of meditation. Through dance, I found yoga, and it was through yoga that I found meditation. As a dancer, I wanted to investigate the interface of meditation and dance, which I began at Naropa University. While studying at Naropa, I earned a BFA in Performing Arts and Traditional Eastern Arts and an MA in Contemplative Education.
In 2014 I moved to New York City, the birthplace of hip-hop, where I immersed myself in the hip-hop, street, and club dance cultures for over six years. Not only did I get to dance with some of the legendary founders of these dance styles, but I also lived in and participated in the culture as an artist, student, and teacher.
Now I live in Raleigh, North Carolina as a PE and Wellness teacher at a private school where I am invited to develop my own movement arts, sports, and wellness curriculums. At this point, I am setting a new aspiration to start a dance company of my own. The vision is to have a company that offers performances, dance events, provides education, and seeks to enrich communities through the art of dance. This workshop is one of my first endeavors to bring this vision back home to where it all began.
Class discriminations:
Kids Class for 7 - 12-year-olds
Breakin' (aka breakdancing). This class will teach the foundation of breakin' and the historical context of how breakin' fits into the larger hip-hop dance culture. Students will learn Top Rock, Foot Work, Freezes, and Power Moves. An emphasis will be placed on each individual student finding their personal style or expression through freestyle.
Teen Adult Class for 13+
History of Hip-Hop, Street, and Club dancing. This class will go through the history of urban dance as it unfolded in NYC from the early 70s to 2000. Students will learn Rocking, Breaking, Hip Hop social/party dances, and House dance. The focus of this workshop is to present the foundational vocabulary of these different dance styles and to discuss the cultural context from which they emerged. We will uncover the connecting points of these social dances and ask where and how social and urban dance cultures are flourishing and changing in our current time.
Open session for all ages
This is will be an open studio cypher and session. All styles are welcome to join. There will be no formal instructions just an a space to dance and connect with the community of dancers.
Growing up in the Roaring Fork and Colorado river valleys, I set an aspiration to be a master teacher of dance. This year marks my 20th year of teaching dance, and what a journey it has been. I can’t say that I’ve reached the level of mastery at this point, but I have learned a great deal and grown a lot over the years. I am happy to say that I am still seeking my initial goal of achieving mastery.
In 2005 I moved out of the beautiful river valleys I call home to study yoga in Boulder, Colorado, which led to a deep passion for learning and practicing the inner art of meditation. Through dance, I found yoga, and it was through yoga that I found meditation. As a dancer, I wanted to investigate the interface of meditation and dance, which I began at Naropa University. While studying at Naropa, I earned a BFA in Performing Arts and Traditional Eastern Arts and an MA in Contemplative Education.
In 2014 I moved to New York City, the birthplace of hip-hop, where I immersed myself in the hip-hop, street, and club dance cultures for over six years. Not only did I get to dance with some of the legendary founders of these dance styles, but I also lived in and participated in the culture as an artist, student, and teacher.
Now I live in Raleigh, North Carolina as a PE and Wellness teacher at a private school where I am invited to develop my own movement arts, sports, and wellness curriculums. At this point, I am setting a new aspiration to start a dance company of my own. The vision is to have a company that offers performances, dance events, provides education, and seeks to enrich communities through the art of dance. This workshop is one of my first endeavors to bring this vision back home to where it all began.
Class discriminations:
Kids Class for 7 - 12-year-olds
Breakin' (aka breakdancing). This class will teach the foundation of breakin' and the historical context of how breakin' fits into the larger hip-hop dance culture. Students will learn Top Rock, Foot Work, Freezes, and Power Moves. An emphasis will be placed on each individual student finding their personal style or expression through freestyle.
Teen Adult Class for 13+
History of Hip-Hop, Street, and Club dancing. This class will go through the history of urban dance as it unfolded in NYC from the early 70s to 2000. Students will learn Rocking, Breaking, Hip Hop social/party dances, and House dance. The focus of this workshop is to present the foundational vocabulary of these different dance styles and to discuss the cultural context from which they emerged. We will uncover the connecting points of these social dances and ask where and how social and urban dance cultures are flourishing and changing in our current time.
Open session for all ages
This is will be an open studio cypher and session. All styles are welcome to join. There will be no formal instructions just an a space to dance and connect with the community of dancers.