Nancy Dobbs Owen
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Teaching Philosophy Statement
Dance is movement, movement is freedom, and freedom is life. My teaching philosophy is encapsulated in that simple list of words; Dance. Movement. Freedom. Life. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate in dance and fall in love with it. Our job as dance educators is to nurture a love of the entire art form. In order to build dance artists and creators, as well as humans who may not continue to dance themselves but will grow into supporters and patrons of dance, students must be empowered from the moment they first enter the studio and throughout their entire lives, as students, professionals, recreational dancers, and patrons. This requires that the studios where dance occurs, the classrooms where dance is discussed, analyzed, and deconstructed, and the stages where dance is performed are places of integrity, compassion, and curiosity. There needs to be freedom to explore and an open invitation to question, assess and configure the self, the world, and the art form. Everyone must be treated with respect. These goals can be met in concrete ways by employing specific methods and practices, infused with a tiny sprinkling of magic.
I am, at my core, a ballet dancer and teacher. I received the majority of my training on scholarship, starting at a small local studio, moving on to larger studios, and then major companies. My training was eclectic and I pull from most major schools of ballet, classical jazz, modern, and tap. Ballet mentors include but are not limited to Richard Gibson, Alonzo King, Trinette Singleton, Francesca Corkle, Summer Lee Rhatigan, and Ido Tadmor. Jazz influencers include Claude Thompson, Luigi, and Jack Cole. Modern training focused on Lester Horton, Bella Lewistsky, and Martha Graham. I have danced in both ballet and modern companies, in Broadway tours and regional theater, for Opera and Philharmonic Symphonies, and on film, in both television and movies. I bring that wealth of experience into the classroom, with profound gratitude for both the heights and the hardships, and I embrace my responsibility and the opportunity to incorporate all of my experiences, leaving what does not work behind, to continue to move dance into a new, richer, era.
I love ballet. I love it while acknowledging the powerful, entrenched problems that plague it. I love it while possessing a deep and personal understanding of the trauma that it has created in the past and, unfortunately, continues to create in the present. I employ a reconciliatory pedagogy, giving credit and respect to all forms of dance, putting ballet into a global context, and employing a broad view that acknowledges and honors those who have been ignored or removed from Western history and tradition. I acknowledge the hierarchical structure of the institution while, in my own teaching, emphasizing personal autonomy and empowerment within the classroom. Consent is essential, at every step and every age. In essence, I teach through an equity-based lens that centers inclusion and diversity in both course content and teaching practice. This ensures each student’s success regardless of background, identity or prior experience.
How does this look and feel in the classroom? My technique classes are energetic and often aerobic, emphasizing clean unadorned port de bras and line, a strong core, precise alignment, and rapid movement. An emphasis on the dancers’ musicality is central. I employ live musicians whenever possible and use an eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, and world music. I employ imagery, demonstration, and somatic awareness to increase proprioception and alignment, avoiding both tactile adjustments and the mirror. Dancers need to feel and understand their bodies from the inside out, and staring into a mirror, or having someone else physically adjust them actually lessens the effectiveness of the studio. Finally, dress codes are inclusive and flexible. While classes are technically and aerobically challenging, they retain a lightness of spirit and a joyous atmosphere.
I refer to my classes as brave rather than safe spaces. Students are encouraged to speak up and out with the understanding that doing so is not always easy or simple. Feelings are real and there is not a guarantee that one won’t be hurt or inadvertently hurt someone else, but intention and the space to work through issues is key. Reconciliation, reformation, and respect are essential to both course and class work. My integrity as an educator is based upon it.
Mental health and wellness is essential to dancers. A constant reassessment of technique, procedure, and common practice is integral to my teaching and is achieved through continuing education with organizations such as Minding the Gap, Dancsend, and NDEO. I continue to contribute to the written discourse, furthering my graduate study research which is focused on the ways that systemic abuse cycles in dance, combined with a lack of representation (sexual, racial, gender-based, and cultural) lead to ingrained leadership imbalances and a culture of abuse and harm to dancers, institutions, and society as a whole.
I am a passionate and dedicated teacher. My success is highlighted in my open classes, full of previous conservatory and college students. They are dancers who originally came to me without a choice, often hating ballet and severely traumatized by it. I see them in class now. Many are professional dancers with big smiles on their faces, making a conscious choice to be there in class with me. Nothing could make me happier.
I am, at my core, a ballet dancer and teacher. I received the majority of my training on scholarship, starting at a small local studio, moving on to larger studios, and then major companies. My training was eclectic and I pull from most major schools of ballet, classical jazz, modern, and tap. Ballet mentors include but are not limited to Richard Gibson, Alonzo King, Trinette Singleton, Francesca Corkle, Summer Lee Rhatigan, and Ido Tadmor. Jazz influencers include Claude Thompson, Luigi, and Jack Cole. Modern training focused on Lester Horton, Bella Lewistsky, and Martha Graham. I have danced in both ballet and modern companies, in Broadway tours and regional theater, for Opera and Philharmonic Symphonies, and on film, in both television and movies. I bring that wealth of experience into the classroom, with profound gratitude for both the heights and the hardships, and I embrace my responsibility and the opportunity to incorporate all of my experiences, leaving what does not work behind, to continue to move dance into a new, richer, era.
I love ballet. I love it while acknowledging the powerful, entrenched problems that plague it. I love it while possessing a deep and personal understanding of the trauma that it has created in the past and, unfortunately, continues to create in the present. I employ a reconciliatory pedagogy, giving credit and respect to all forms of dance, putting ballet into a global context, and employing a broad view that acknowledges and honors those who have been ignored or removed from Western history and tradition. I acknowledge the hierarchical structure of the institution while, in my own teaching, emphasizing personal autonomy and empowerment within the classroom. Consent is essential, at every step and every age. In essence, I teach through an equity-based lens that centers inclusion and diversity in both course content and teaching practice. This ensures each student’s success regardless of background, identity or prior experience.
How does this look and feel in the classroom? My technique classes are energetic and often aerobic, emphasizing clean unadorned port de bras and line, a strong core, precise alignment, and rapid movement. An emphasis on the dancers’ musicality is central. I employ live musicians whenever possible and use an eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, and world music. I employ imagery, demonstration, and somatic awareness to increase proprioception and alignment, avoiding both tactile adjustments and the mirror. Dancers need to feel and understand their bodies from the inside out, and staring into a mirror, or having someone else physically adjust them actually lessens the effectiveness of the studio. Finally, dress codes are inclusive and flexible. While classes are technically and aerobically challenging, they retain a lightness of spirit and a joyous atmosphere.
I refer to my classes as brave rather than safe spaces. Students are encouraged to speak up and out with the understanding that doing so is not always easy or simple. Feelings are real and there is not a guarantee that one won’t be hurt or inadvertently hurt someone else, but intention and the space to work through issues is key. Reconciliation, reformation, and respect are essential to both course and class work. My integrity as an educator is based upon it.
Mental health and wellness is essential to dancers. A constant reassessment of technique, procedure, and common practice is integral to my teaching and is achieved through continuing education with organizations such as Minding the Gap, Dancsend, and NDEO. I continue to contribute to the written discourse, furthering my graduate study research which is focused on the ways that systemic abuse cycles in dance, combined with a lack of representation (sexual, racial, gender-based, and cultural) lead to ingrained leadership imbalances and a culture of abuse and harm to dancers, institutions, and society as a whole.
I am a passionate and dedicated teacher. My success is highlighted in my open classes, full of previous conservatory and college students. They are dancers who originally came to me without a choice, often hating ballet and severely traumatized by it. I see them in class now. Many are professional dancers with big smiles on their faces, making a conscious choice to be there in class with me. Nothing could make me happier.