Teaching Dance in Schools

As a Dance Teacher I find great pleasure in teaching dance in schools. I've been teaching dance classes in Portlaoise since 2009 but I feel that teaching in schools challenges and inspires me both as a teacher and artist in a different perspective. In the journey that I had in the Timahoe National School, Co. Laois I was delighted to see the progression of each student that embarked with me in the wonderful journey of finding the relation between arts and dance. In Timahoe N.S. they have a sculpture about the Salmon of Knowledge which is the result of the residency of the artist Stefanie Bruning in 2008 and we used this piece of Art as a theme for our dance project.

To start with, I choreographed a contemporary dance phrase and taught the students. It was clear that it was a totally new experience for them all. The movements were unusual and to relate it with a piece of art seemed innovative and a bit far from what they expected of a dance class could be. After they had learned the phrase they started to move accordingly to the story, being as imaginative as they could, having also the support of not to be afraid of being creative. After both sides (myself and students) had put our input into the project, we started to mix and match what we created and also to experiment what we had using different qualities of movements.
We could had worked together for months and years experimenting and recreating our movements, but my residency in Timahoe was for only 10 weeks. The result in my view is amazing for a bunch of children who had none or very little contact with dance. They developed the theme in a very short period as growing up people, showing also that to be creative is to be innovative.

I hope you enjoy the video of my journey which I call 'Still Dance'. And I hope to continually facilitate self expression through dance not only to fulfill my desires but to have other people inspired by the dance that can come from within.

Still Dance – A Dance in Education Project

I am honoured to be funded by the Laois Arts Office to teach dance in the schools of the County Laois. In my first project (Sports Dance) taught at Portlaoise College, I worked with the relation between Dance and Sports, emphasising the physicality needed in both areas to achieve their goals. Working now at Timahoe National School with the project "Still Dance", I continue on supporting children to ‘read’ movement as emotional expression, exploring their creativity and their excellence in what they do. Both projects were born from a desire to search for other venues that may lead people to dance or to see dance with other perspective. I want them to enjoy dance from the simple to the most complex movement and to understand that when you move to the music, a dance happens.
‘Still Dance’ is a project focused on the relationship between dance and Arts (Sculpture). Or in other words, my proposal is to find in the stillness of a sculpture feelings and ideas that may lead us to create a dance. 

Creativity is part of me both as artist and tutor. Therefore, I find very important to lead my students to find their ‘own treasures’ and to refine it to the finest that they can. In that way I feel I am not only teaching the students new steps or a technique but to become responsible for their own dance and to accomplish goals that may add solid skills into their lives.
Still dance suggests research, meditation and concentration. It seems difficult to require all that from children in their 5th and 6th class, however, when they find in the theme an interesting history behind, they become so involved that they may go even deeper than expected, showing great results at end. 

At the Timahoe N.S, our theme is related to ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’ sculpture made by the students and placed in the main entrance of the school. There are some unique movements coming out of it and a solid and consistent passion for dance that I pray will endure for the rest of their lives.