Most anyone in dance education has experienced those uncomfortable moments when a student responds negatively to feedback, refuses to apply corrections, or outright talks back. While most teachers generously share their knowledge in hopes of bettering a student’s practice, it doesn’t mean dancers will always be agreeable or receptive. As the cultural landscape of dance […]
The story took flight with a chance encounter at the 60th Street post office in Manhattan. It was the mid-’90s and Denise Jefferson, then head of The Ailey School, and Edward Bristow, then dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, would often bump into each other in the neighborhood. At that point, both schools were […]
The 2023 Dance Teacher Awards will take place on Thursday, August 10 at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City, and you’re invited! Click here to buy tickets. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Ana Marie Forsythe has been teaching for most of her life. Now 79, she first taught dance […]
Joan Peters, chairperson for Dunham Technique at The Ailey School for 44 years, died of congestive heart failure at the Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in New York City on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Peters, a dancer, teacher and choreographer, was one of three people recognized by Katherine Dunham and The Dunham Institute as a Dunham […]
Maguette Camara prides himself on being “a really, really good beginner dance teacher.” It’s true: His high-energy, rhythm-filled West African dance classes burst with joy and community, and his patient, supportive demeanor reminds first-timers that dancing—not mastering every single step—is what’s most important. Originally from Senegal, Camara was a longtime member of the lauded Ballet […]
International master teacher Ana Marie Forsythe has devoted nearly 50 years of her life documenting the Lester Horton technique in an effort to preserve it. “Dance has given me gifts that I never realized were possible when I took my first plié,” she says. “I enjoy sharing my breadth of knowledge of the Lester Horton […]
Ana Marie Forsythe’s eyes twinkle, and a smile plays at the corners of her mouth as she welcomes the 40-plus teachers who are enrolled for her two-week-long Horton teacher-training workshop at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater studios in New York City—plus me, a dancer and writer, taking part for the day. As we watch […]
The lateral T is a hallmark of Horton technique. When executed correctly, the body resembles the letter T: The torso tilts to 90 degrees, and the opposite leg extends for counterbalance. For a more advanced version of this staple movement, Karen Arceneaux has students continue tilting past 90 degrees to create a low lateral T […]
In Andrea Markus’ West African class at The Ailey School in New York City, listening is just as important as moving. “My goal is to get them to really listen for what makes each rhythm distinct,” she says. As her 7- to 8-year-old students sing, hear the drummer and then dance the steps, they become […]