Culture & the Dance Educator: Online Course on Anti-racist Dance Teaching

By Camryn Eaglin

Online learning opportunities in the dance community are far from scarce this summer, and although they often call for young dance students, there is one focused on developing dance teachers. A new online course, "Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance" with Dr. Nya McCarthy-Brown, is teaching dance educators about Culturally Responsive teaching. It is a method that she says, "Positions students as the experts of their own culture, their dance histories, and their embodied knowledge." It requires teachers to acknowledge culture to actively make connections to the dance curriculum being taught. In addition, this online option is an incredible opportunity to study with one of the leading scholars on anti-racist dance teaching and pedagogy.

This six module, asynchronous experience takes dance educators on a path of cultural reflection. “Everybody here [in America] in some way or some level was forced to give up their culture. They were asked to disconnect from it in schooling and learning spaces to conform to structures of oppression and whiteness,” says Dr. McCarthy-Brown. Culturally Responsive teaching attempts to take this power back and calls on teachers to better center students’ unique cultures.

Dr. McCarthy-Brown’s pedagogy practice upholds dismantling structures of oppression in dance education. As a workshop facilitator and dance educator at Ohio State University, she works towards diversifying dance curriculum and advocates for culturally informed teaching methods. She is recognized nationally for her contributions to dance education and was a 2021 Dance Teacher Award Honoree. Dr. McCarthy-Brown pulls some of the course material from her 2017 book, “ Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching in Research, Theory, and Practice.” She says the online course can work in partnership with the book to reinforce information, but the course can also stand alone. 

The course materials include lecture style videos by Dr. McCarthy-Brown, text files, and video links; but it also includes reflection activities and encourages the act of vulnerability and accountability. She wants educators to be reflective of themselves and their own personal cultures, no matter how big or seemingly small. These details make up who we are. “The course embeds moments where you think back on your teaching, in terms of race, class, gender, culture, identity, who you are in the classroom, who your students are, and how those things are operating together,” She says. This course is a safe space for teachers to unpack, explore and reflect on one's own cultural and teaching practices. “When you really think about how culture works and operates, I think it positions you to be a better educator,” says Dr. McCarthy-Brown.

For $120, Dance educators can engage in the six modules. The information is concise and leaves room for research, exploration, and independence. Those enrolled can access the course for up to four months. She believes this allows people to digest the material, go at their own pace  and look back on lessons to maintain the teaching techniques and tools discussed. “I hope they’re more thoughtful about how their own identity impacts the class experience. And more thoughtful about how they can center the knowledge of students and use it in the class as a valuable resource.” Dr. McCarthy-Brown hopes this is what teachers will ultimately take away from the online course. 

Register for Dr. McCarthy-Brown’s course here: https://www.movingforequity.com/resources-and-tips 

Camryn Eaglin is a professional dancer, freelance writer, dance teacher, and creative. Eaglin recently graduated summa cum laude from Wayne State University in Detroit, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Dance with a minor in Broadcast Journalism.

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