TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As a dancer, choreographer and educator of urban dances, I teach in an environment where creativity, versatility and an understanding of mind-body connection are constantly present. My classes are based on mixing technique from various styles (hip hop, vogueing, waacking, afrobeats, dancehall, contemporary and house) and progressively give challenging material providing tools and guidance for success that encourage and motivate my students to experiment and take risks. To accomplish these objectives I provide a visual demonstration, historical contributions of our pioneers, sing rhythms and a range of various multi-sensory cues that makes the student engage directly with the work in a dynamic and action-oriented class. There are always moments for reflection and students are encouraged to exchange ideas and concerns. I focus my methodology in a lot of interpersonal and interactive exercises to create a community inside the studio, I also work so that each student arrives at her or his own destination based on their particular set of abilities. In my class, there is always the freedom to fail and make mistakes; I think this is necessary in order to succeed and learns this also instils positive thought and motivation for the group. My goal is to produce thinking dancers. I believe a teacher has also a big impact on society by evoking change through education. The reason my methodology involves tools of empowerment for my students is to cultivate a desire of creating a better world founded on mutual respect, inclusion, support and sharing principles.
