Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA

Current city: Alameda, CA

Age: 40

Undergraduate degree and school: University of
California, Santa Barbara; BA in Dance, focus in costume design

How you pay the bills: Youth Program
Coordinator at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center; Ballet/Modern Teacher

All of the dance hats you wear: Teacher,
choreographer, administrator, costume designer and construction, program
coordinator, dancer

——————–

Dance life in my
20s:

 It was in my
20s that I felt able to commit to dancing.  I made a pact with myself early on to always make taking
class the priority.  There were
many distractions, and I had to stare that pact in the eyes and remember that
the decision was already made to go to class.  Looking back I am grateful that I made that choice for
myself;it helped me stay focused and build a needed foundation.

After finishing
college with a BA in Dance, I moved to NYC, with hopes of diving into the modern
dance community and experience all that I could.  I took class from as many different teachers as possible and
viewed dance and music that rocked my world.  But the super late nights waiting tables eventually wore me
down and I felt that I could live a more balanced life back in San Francisco.

Fortunately, I
was given the opportunity to teach a one month modern dance class at a public
high school in the Bay Area. I moved back to San Francisco and this short term
teaching job became the spring board for my teaching career.  During this time I was able to find
more work and establish roots.  I
took classes from teachers I connected with, created work with colleagues, auditioned
for performances, and exposed myself to as much as I could.  At this time I also started a Masters
in Education at San Francisco State University. Again, a teaching opportunity
came my way at a public high school. 
This was a full time position that lasted three years. The program had
over 100 students a day.  I was
challenged in ways I could never have imagined, learning to work with teens and
produce concerts, while maintaining my personal goal of consistently attending
technique classes. 

Photo courtesy of Paufve Dance (Oakland, CA); photo by Gabe Maxson

Dance life in my
30s:

 Jump to my
30s.  I married and had my first
child by 30.  I found it physically
necessary to dance through my pregnancy and returned as soon as I felt
ready.  I had been prepared to let
my dancing wane or to become a thing of my past, but it only become more
important and solid in my life, the teaching and training grew richer.  Maintaining three classes a week with
my own young children was more difficult but also became more necessary for
multiple reasons. It was during this time that I was able to hone in on what I
value artistically and no longer needed to participate or experiment with
projects that didn't speak to me. 
I have been lucky and grateful to work with Randee Paufve in Paufve
Dance on projects that take years to develop and never squeeze you out of being
you.  I don't think I could have
developed my personal sense of dancing without the previous decade of trial.

40s and on:

Turning 40 did
feel like a wake up call.  Suddenly
I became nervous that I shouldn't be performing anymore.  But I believe that maturity can offer a
needed value to the dance world.  I
look forward to continuous growth as an artist.  It is also apparent that maintaining physical shape is more
important, and I have to be piercingly honest with myself with how I move. 

Learning to
teach:

I blindly jumped into the fire by
teaching at a large public high school with huge classes, no administrative
guidance, and little experience teaching dance.  This is where I learned to push through the struggles of
teaching; it was a lesson in persistence. 
At the time a colleague said that it takes three years to become a
teacher, so I trusted that this was going to be a journey. Because there were
so many students of all types I learned that you must see and honor every
person in your classroom, even the difficult ones. By recognizing their
individual efforts and accomplishments a community of respect is formed that
unites the class.

At this time I
also took education classes in a Masters Program which were helpful in
jumpstarting a quest for theory of education and child development.  I observed master teachers in youth
dance classes, and took notes on their brilliant ways of managing a class and
teaching children through song and games. 
Slowly over 15 years I have developed what I feel is a confident sense
of teaching, but much of that is allowing myself to continue evolving.  I am learning how to teach by every
class I take. I take mental notes on what works in an adult class, how the
teacher talks to students, how the class progresses, how corrections are given,
and what doesn't work.  I read
books and articles on child development and most of all share experiences and
seek advice from colleagues.  I
find that good teachers are prepared, have checked their ego, and are committed
to the student. They seek new ways to think, learn, and teach .  This is who I like to learn from and
this is my goal in teaching.

Advice to those
interested in teaching:

Observing other
teachers is extremely valuable. 
Every time I watch another teacher I am enlightened on how to teach a
lesson, how to structure a class, or a new idea is sparked.  I also believe that you can not be
prepared enough and to create a deep pocket of ideas to fall back on if the
class needs to bounce a different direction.  Enjoy each and every student for their individual
strides.  Observe teachers, sub
classes, and establish relationships. 
Be patient, work through problems, and seek advice.

Lifelong
learning and commitment to class:

I find technique
classes to be endlessly stimulating. 
The nuances of both ballet and modern dance are a constant life lesson
in honesty and detail.   I am
fortunate to be in a position with my current job where I can take up to four
classes a week. This has been a blessing as I age.  Dance class has been a necessary support physically,
mentally, and socially for me as a person.  I know that we are a fortunate group of people to be able to
dedicate our time to our art, so I don't want to take class half
heartedly.  Lately I have been
mentally preparing by dedicating a class to someone who is less fortunate.  I recognize that the next hour and half
is a gift. 

Photo courtesy of Paufve Dance; photo by Gabe Maxson

Future goals:

Currently I am
enjoying my position as Youth Program Coordinator at Shawl-Anderson Dance
Center and teaching modern dance to teens.  I would like to keep growing and learning to become better
at what I am doing.  There are many
aspects to running programs and teaching that the list of my personal
improvements are endless.  For
performance and dancing I hope to continue to expand my knowledge and learn
through working on new thoughtful projects.  I expect that my interests will keep directing me toward
meaningful work.

Advice to young
dancers:

The most
important skill I see in young dancers that seems to set one person apart
from  another in terms of growth is
learning how to learn.  This
important concept can be interpreted in many ways and may apply differently to
each individual.  When I see a
student actively listening and applying ideas to oneself the growth is
visible.  I also suggest taking the
time to establish relationships in any community you are a part of.  Demonstrate your own integrity and
dependability through the example of how you work.