Global Moves

Making a case for world-dance units
Students today live in a different world from those five years ago. Dance is on nearly every TV station, and YouTube has revolutionized the accessibility of dance, especially hip hop. … Continue reading →

Stunning Spacing

Developing precision in lines and formations
In the few moments before the lights went up on her students’ competition number, Lisa Pelliteri of Plumb Performing Arts Center in Arizona held her breath as she watched a … Continue reading →

Tybaldt Ulrich

Music for West Coast Swing
World champion ballroom dancer Tybaldt Ulrich logs a lot of hours teaching amateurs: priests, lawyers and dog walkers, between 30 and 70 years old. “Ballroom is good for your soul and … Continue reading →

Technique: Derick K.Grant

How I teach a rhythm turn
“In my class, you can hear yourself, says Derick K. Grant, who teaches 95 percent of his tap classes a cappella. “Students tend to hide behind the music, and it’s … Continue reading →

Fine, All Right, Cool

The Copasetics provided fellowship for tappers in lean times and laid the groundwork for the rhythm tap of today.
In grainy footage from 1975, members of the Copasetics Club, including Charles “Honi” Coles, Leslie “Bubba” … Continue reading →

Investing in School, Again

Three dance PhD graduates on why they went back to school and how it enhanced their careers

It wasn’t until she was in the middle of her PhD studies at University of California–Riverside that Michelle Heffner … Continue reading →