Creating A Safe Dance Environment
Madison Ballet rehearsing Stephanie Martinez’s “Love”
Photo by Monika Ford
February 14th: NoHo Afterschool Performing Arts Classes Spring Session, February 15th: Princess Grace Awards Program, February 15th: Aimed Dance Emerging Choreographer Fellowship, February 19th: Bethany Arts Community Residency Emerging Artist Fellowship, February 19th: Dancers' Group, February 21st: Making It Public for Massachusetts Artists, February 28th: National Dance Project Travel Fund, March 1st: New England States Touring (NEST 1 and 2), March 1st: Aimed Dance Summer Fest: Internship & Workstudy Scholarships, March 1st: Brabson Family Foundation, March 3rd: Culver City Artist Laureate Program, March 10th: CALT Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences, March 17th: Residency at Sitka, March 19th: Walking Together, March 31st: SIA Foundation Grants, April 1st: Harkness Foundation for Dance Grant Proposal, April 1st: The Democracy Cycle, April 10th: Amplifi Napa Valley - Emerging Artists Grant, April 30th: South Arts: Professional Development & Artistic Planning Grants, April 30th: Oconee Performing Arts Society, May 1st: Small Plates Choreography Festival, July 31st: Community Engagement Artists and Creatives Grant, September 16th: The Awesome Foundation Micro Grants, September 30th: New England Presenter Travel Fund, September 30th: Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Scholarship, September 30th: 24 Seven Dance Convention, September 30th: National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant
×Madison Ballet rehearsing Stephanie Martinez’s “Love”
Photo by Monika Ford
By Gretchen Alterowitz
Western concert dance techniques are often taught in an authoritarian manner, which separates the roles of instructors and students by demarcating who holds power and knowledge (instructors), and who is subject to power and needs to gain knowledge. Authoritarian models, while sometimes defended for their rigor or results, can be abusive (emotionally, psychologically, physically) and lead to fear, anxiety, and injury. Intimidated dancers are less creative, exploratory, and willing to take risks, and their capacity to learn and develop is diminished. Inclusive teaching reimagines traditional ideas about who can and should dance and what the studio environment should feel like, with the goal of creating equity, care, and growth opportunities for all participants.
Gretchen Alterowitz is an artist-scholar-educator whose research focuses on feminist, queer, and democratic dancemaking, performance, and teaching. Her writing is published in Dance Chronicle, Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies, Journal of Dance Education, and the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Contemporary Ballet. She is Associate Professor of Dance at UNC Charlotte, where she teaches ballet technique, choreography, and dance studies.