Philadelphia Dance Projects

Drawing on the work of pioneering composer/music educator, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950), Karen Clemente will lead a workshop that harnesses the power and delight of rhythm.  Karen will share interesting and complex movement activities that she learned from the leading Dalcroze expert David Frego (taught with his permission) as well as her own. Great ideas to incorporate into all sorts of teaching!

Martha Eddy, CMA, RSMT will present the findings of her research on the role of dance in violence prevention and share dance strategies she has developed for a range of experiences from conflict, prejudice, bullying, abuse, verbal to non-verbal miscommunication and violence.  Special attention will be paid to somatic responses to the continuum from stress to violence, including lack of empathy, negativity, ridicule, and the wear and tear of ongoing social-emotional tension. Movement activities highlight these experiences and entry points to community building.

Come learn about Teresa VanDenend Sorge’s method of designing dynamic and feasible performances by students in school settings.  She developed this model through Koresh Kids Dance, a series of weekly classes in schools that culminate in performances made out of class “rituals” and poetry, and draws on the language of hip hop to collaboratively  build a dance with children.  The model can be adapted to a variety of situations. She will demonstrate her model and share video of the performances.

Open conversation and movement around ideas and resources from your teaching practice.  Bring something you have found useful, inspiring, successful in your own teaching to share.  It could be music, props, a prompt or structure for an improv or other ideas that motivate dancemaking.  The intent is to come away with something you can adapt to your teaching, no matter what setting or age group you teach.  Come ready to dance, even it you don’t have something to share this time.  Facilitated by Mady Cantor, Director of Dance TAG.

Based on the trailblazing work of Seattle dance educator Anne Green Gilbert, this workshop is for dance teaching artists who have the privilege or desire to teach very young dancers. NY teaching artist Judith Nelson will lead a sample class, including the Brain Dance, early technique, and dancemaking generated by movement stories. There will be time to share theory and practice, and some real live 4-7 year olds to show us how it’s really done! 

Judith Nelson, dance artist and educator, danced with the José Limón Dance Company, the David Gordon Pick-Up Company (appearing on PBS’s Dance in America), and many other modern dance companies. She has also toured nationally and internationally, both in musical theatre and as a solo artist. Her extensive work with children includes conducting numerous pre-K – 12 school residencies and teaching for a wide variety of community and university arts programs. Judith worked closely with children’s dance pioneer Virginia Tanner in Utah and later with Anne Green Gilbert. She has taught at a number of colleges and universities, most recently as Director of Dance at Auburn University, and serves as sec-retary of the board for Dance and the Child International/USA. Judith holds a MFA in drama from the University of Arizona and a BFA in dance from the University of Utah. Currently, she is on the faculty of the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, where she teaches young children through teens in creative dance, modern, and ballet.