From Ai Fujii Nelson, Education Director
There is still time to register for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Teacher Workshop (July 27-31, 2-15)! Our summertime workshop is an opportunity for inspiration where we as dance educators can rejuvenate, revitalize, and discover fresh new ideas. It is also a place for us to ponder, create, play, and investigate. Just as important, it is a place to make and renew wonderful connections.
Megan Brunsvold, who will be leading the daily Technique Class, is a dance and theater artist formerly based in New York City. It will be exciting to start each day of the workshop moving with her. For the second period we are bringing back the successful Improv/Comp format from last season, where we had a different teaching artist every day. This year we have Ririe-Woodbury’s Artistic Director Daniel Charon, Natalie Desch (back by popular demand), Megan Brunsvold, as well as Leah Nelson who will share her expertise in Contact Improvisation Technique. I also get to lead one of the sessions in order to share with you my own experience with students and what I have found to be successful over time. We all come from different backgrounds and I believe participants will benefit from learning about various pedagogical approaches and participating in some fun “games” – thereby acquiring some new and effective teaching tools.
For the afternoon sessions, I am personally thrilled to revisit Kinesiology with Megan who has expert knowledge on the subject. As an educator, I feel it is important for all of us to keep up to date with current practice and scientific discoveries surrounding our bodies. This class will help us assist our students in developing healthy and expressive bodies that are fit for contemporary technique and beyond. Speaking of bodies, we will also be exploring the physical and creative relationship we can have with technology: those computers/iPhones/iPads that have become a kind of prosthetic extension these days. Ellen Bromberg from University of Utah will help us with the media practice (creative process using the technology) and how to help direct our students who are already so savvy at utilizing those tools nowadays. In addition, Juan Carlos Claudio will expand our horizons with his class on Dance and Community. Please check out the below link and start getting excited: https://youtu.be/_e5wRTP4WF4 (or enter Grey Matters: Dance for Parkinson's Disease Utah on Youtube).
We hope to end our day with productive Teacher’s Forums. Please stay for this last hour to get connected, exchange ideas (music ideas for teaching and choreographing, lesson plans, disciplinary tools, anything you can think of). It will for sure broaden the range of our work as dance educators.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to dancing, learning, and connecting with you!
Ai Fujii Nelson, Education Director
Office (801) 990-0252 ; mobile (801) 557-5546
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To read more about some of the teachers, who have been featured on the blog, click on any name below:
To read about the dance scene in Salt Lake City:
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Life as a Modern Dancer 
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