In 2012 I joined the Somatic Foundations in Higher Education project at a moment when the website SimplySomatic.org was in its very early stages. Nearly every page of website in its skeletal form invited content from a non-existent audience, and so it was my job to assess, with Sherry, what the purpose of the website would be. We recognized that websites are powerfully informative in nature, and most audiences arrive at websites expecting to learn something. Out of this recognition came a strong intention to teach anyone about Somatics through many different sensory modalities including artistic and literary imagery, video, podcast, and text. We also included references to other resources to encourage further research in the field. It was through working on this website that I learned to write and communicate clearly and concisely in order to educate others about whatever I have to share. Sherry and I also had many lengthy discussions about the importance of how to use language to shape a lesson. From our discussions I learned that communicating an idea is not only about what you are saying, but the way you present information invites an audience to grasp your ideas on another more qualitative level. (See blog posts on SimplySomatic.org) An educational intention constantly underscored the creation of this website, and it was at that point I became more intrigued with the breadth of educational techniques in movement classes

Since then I have teacher-assisted for Movement, the Camera, and the Creative Process (DANCE 150), Body Moveable (DANCE 201) and Articulate Body (DANCE 212/213). In all classes I was responsible for clarifying directions and helping with administrative aspects of the classes; however, my assistance with these tasks drew purely from my experience taking the class, and not from an intention to teach the students. Other responsibilities included helping students to reengage when motivation ran stale during class, leading outside lab sessions, and teaching a class session in Body Moveable. In these experiences that were less directed by the professor of the class I was able to introduce students to new perspectives on class material that weren’t necessarily explicitly addressed in class. I learned that sometimes giving some students a little bit more to chew on, or reframing material using different language can help renew interest in the material, especially when it is reframed in a way that make the material personally relevant. I learned being able to intuit students’ personal interests in class material is a very important part of teaching effectively. Observing Anthony and Sherry’s teaching styles was also a big part of these experiences. I learned a lot about different approaches to the pacing of a class and leading group discussion. Sometimes Anthony would increase the pace of his class to keep students engaged, whereas Sherry might select some moments to play out longer to push students to dive into movement experiences.

During interim I interned with the Prairie School of Dance in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Through this internship I learned about teaching in an entirely new setting, the technique dance class. I continued to find that using clear language to explain movement concepts was extremely important, but with younger students, how I framed material through language had much more to do with the tone of voice and emotional engagement than more deeply conceptual language. In observing Sarah Steichen teaching it was clear the students paid attention to her because she was exciting. She spoke loudly and clearly, and paced the class relatively quickly. She also physically and vocally moved through the class very energetically. Her teaching mantra was “Give 200% to get 100%.” Assuming students will grasp at least half of what a teacher provides them technically or performativity means the teacher must give 200% of what she is capable of. When I had the opportunity to teach classes I found the two most difficult aspects of teaching were commanding a classroom with my voice and keeping up with the typical pace of PSOD classes. I don’t typically exercise a loud, authoritative voice, because I have hardly ever found myself in situations where that is appropriate. I prefer to view myself as equal to whomever I am speaking with, and acknowledge subjective experience of each student, but doing so takes time that a classroom structure may not always allow. In my reflection of the internship I wrote,

“A significant aspect of the Somatics value-set that I subscribe to is acknowledging each person’s subjective experience of life, and I believe in the sense of self-empowerment that acknowledgement can lead to in students. Unfortunately it takes time to address each students needs individually and in that time you may lose the focus of the rest of the class. I think finding a balance between acknowledging the integrity of each student and maintaining control of the class is one of the greatest challenges a teach of any discipline will face.”

While interning with Prairie School I realized experience with dance education is an apparent necessity for any professional dancer and was inspired to learn more about teaching dance and leading movement experiences. This internship served as a point of comparison as I led my own workshop this semester, but the focus of my workshop and my teaching experience was narrowed not by any particular dance technique, but instead by my knowledge about Somatics.