TEACHING & CHOREOGRAPHY
TEACHING
I LOVE sharing my experience and my passion for the craft with both established and aspiring artists. I teach theater dance, Fosse-style jazz, ballet, pointe, alignment & conditioning as well as audition technique. I love working with versatile artists to help them with command of dynamics and to harness their unique edge; I take a fairly anatomical approach to refining technique and together we discover the potential for gesture and impact with the landscapes of their bodies and the stories they can reveal.
Clients range from coaching Oscar-winning Ariana DeBose to the artists at Noche Flamenca to the trainees at Joffrey Ballet School; from collegiate dance and theater departments to pop artist Ms. Lauryn Hill. Other teaching credits include NYU Tisch, both graduate and undergrad programs, Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey, NYCDA's Summer Intensive, as well as guest teaching at universities and schools around the country.
Ballet was my first love and after years of work as a Soloist at a Balanchine-style company, I teach classical syllabus with a sense of expansiveness, and my two (2) specialties are 1) refining pointe work and 2) getting dancers turning! Lastly, because nothing happens for a dancer except through successful auditioning, I teach audition technique. Teaming up with some of the best music directors in the business, we give young triple threats some valuable insight as to what's going on "behind the table" and a real-world edge for how to succeed "in the room."
CHOREOGRAPHY
For me, the most memorable stories and exciting production numbers not only shaping the body, but shape the space around the body. I'm interested in creating environments and impactful moments that reveal a sense of selfhood and sense of the other, technique and imagination, and that showcase the dancers' unique abilities and personalities.
When creating for competition, I balance what will dazzle as well as give our cast a playground where they will grow technically and artistically throughout the process. At the university level, I enjoy developing more complex phrase work and sophisticated staging to give the actors an authentic "big production number" experience. I treat all dancers as professionals and encourage them to exercise as much integrity and artistic POV as they would when working in a company.