high school dance

The Arts – A Positive Effect On Bullying- Part 2

January 10, 2014 by 4dancers

by Janet Neidhardt

In March, 2013 I wrote a blog about working on a piece with my high school dance students based on bullying. We titled the piece: “I’m Taking It Seriously”. I wanted to give an update and provide a video that we created about the making of the dance as well as the finished product.

Since the performance of “I’m Taking It Seriously”, students who saw the dance still talk about it. When we discuss making a dance about something with social relevance it’s usually the first example they come up with now. I also have students who want to continue to make dances about bullying. They have started to look at it from a deeper perspective like expressing the inner emotions someone has when they get bullied.

As a dance educator I feel a responsibility to my students and community to serve them through dance and show that dance can be so much more than beautiful technique, it can communicate ideas and messages that might shift how we treat one another. It’s clear that the conversation about bullying is an ongoing one and that dance, being an art form in which we can express ourselves, is a wonderful means to spur conversation–and possibly make changes.

Loyola Academy Intermediate Dance Class from Loyola Academy on Vimeo.

dancer posing upside down — Janet Neidhardt

Contributor Janet Neidhardt has been a dance educator for 10 years. She has taught modern, ballet, and jazz at various studios and schools on Chicago’s North Shore. She received her MA in Dance with an emphasis in Choreography from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and her BA in Communications with a Dance Minor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Throughout her time in graduate school, Janet performed with Sidelong Dance Company based in Winston-Salem, NC.

Currently, Janet teaches dance at Loyola Academy High School in Wilmette, IL. She is the Director of Loyola Academy Dance Company B and the Brother Small Arts Guild, and choreographs for the Spring Dance Concert and school musical each year. Janet is very active within the Loyola Academy community leading student retreats and summer service trips. She regularly seeks out professional development opportunities to continue her own artistic growth. Recently, Janet performed with Keigwin and Company in the Chicago Dancing Festival 2012 and attended the Bates Dance Festival.

When she isn’t dancing, Janet enjoys teaching Pilates, practicing yoga, and running races around the city of Chicago.

Dancing From The Inside Out

August 27, 2013 by 4dancers

by Janet Neidhardt

As I begin a new school year I think about a theme for my classes to embrace. It needs to be a theme broad enough to fit within every unit of study and one that can be used as a through-line for the year. This year I have decided that dancing from the inside out will be my theme of choice.

What is dancing from the inside out?

Since there are many ways to interpret this theme, I discussed this with my students on the first day of class. We have determined that for us, this year, dancing from the inside out is being authentic about the way in which your body moves. I am approaching this topic from the standpoint of when I teach a movement phrase students will undoubtedly copy me however I want to push them to go beyond imitation and shift into a place of ownership over movement–right from the start. I want them to be aware of their body in space and time. Aware of their back, arms, feet, head, etc.

I can connect risk taking, performance, process of learning movement, ownership of movement, and so much more to this theme of dancing from the inside out. Having this theme will not only change how my students learn movement and concepts but it will also change how I teach movement and concepts. For example I might not demonstrate movement as much and ask that students work on their own to discover the movement in their bodies. I also will place emphasis on what movement feels like and transitions in movement phrases.

At the high school level students have the ability to take on more challenges yet they are still hesitant to take risks and be on their own. So much of how they value themselves is placed on what they look like or how they appear to others. Dancing from the inside out is a way for them to connect to themselves and have permission to look different than the person next to them without feeling like they are doing something wrong.

When teaching improvisation and choreography I hope that this theme will allow students to be more creative with their movement choices and experimentation. Perhaps students will make movement choices more based on feeling and instinct rather than what they think looks visually appealing, like tricks of some kind. Overall I think this theme will allow for individual process to take place within a community setting.

I am looking forward to seeing how this theme of dancing from the inside out changes and hopefully evolves my students understanding of what dancing is for them. Embracing this concept will be a good challenge for us all.

Currently, Janet teaches dance at Loyola Academy High School in Wilmette, IL. She is the Director of Loyola Academy Dance Company B and the Brother Small Arts Guild, and choreographs for the Spring Dance Concert and school musical each year. Janet is very active within the Loyola Academy community leading student retreats and summer service trips. She regularly seeks out professional development opportunities to continue her own artistic growth. Recently, Janet performed with Keigwin and Company in the Chicago Dancing Festival 2012 and attended the Bates Dance Festival.

When she isn’t dancing, Janet enjoys teaching Pilates, practicing yoga, and running races around the city of Chicago.

Tips For High School Dance Teachers

April 12, 2013 by 4dancers

by Lucy Vurusic Riner

I loved high school. I know, most people are kind of shocked when I say it, but I did. It’s where I first remember trying to form some sort of identity. When I look at pictures of myself from freshmen year to sophomore year I go from the bad 1980’s poof hairdo prep-ster look to a shaved head, dark goth lipstick and combat boots.

Only in high school can you pull that off.

It’s also in high school that I rekindled my love for dance. I had taken class as a small child and hated the structure. My sophomore year a lovely woman named Rosemary Doolas brought dance to my all girl’s Catholic high school and here I am now. It made perfect sense to me, at age fifteen, that I was going to be a dancer.

High school dance programs in Illinois run the gamut in terms of structure. People are usually surprised to find that there are anywhere from 30 to 40 schools in the state that actually have full-blown programs. By this I mean that there is someone in the high school that is employed to teach dance classes as part of the daily curriculum. Larger schools have up to four or five faculty dedicated to teaching dance full-time while smaller schools or programs have one full-time faculty or part time positions offered throughout the day. Beyond the actual school day, hundreds of schools in Illinois offer extra curricular activities in dance. These programs also range the gamut from dance teams and orchesis companies to other specialized dance clubs (focusing on breakdance, Latin or improv).

So when I went to college and found out that I could teach my first love, DANCE to my second love, HIGH SCHOOL it was a no-brainer for me. Almost twenty years later I have taught at three different area high schools and have had the pleasure of serving as the Chair of the Illinois High School Dance Festival.

As a dance educator, I have tried to find ways to expose high school students to dance in a number of different ways. As with any other subject in high school, teachers are always hoping to increase the number of students they can get involved in their programs. Below, I have compiled some of my thoughts on teaching dance, particularly modern dance, within the high school curriculum.

Know your audience

These are adolescents. They are completely self involved and utterly dramatic. You also have a wide range of levels and experiences. There are students that take class at their studios and students that you are trying to expose to dance for the first time. How do you develop ways to keep both of these populations interested? Your advanced ballet student that competes at her studio is a very different person than the beginning dance student who is mortified to put on a leotard and tights. You have to be sensitive to your audience and know who you’re playing to. Otherwise you have the potential of losing some really amazing opportunities with new movers that you can mold into your program as the years progress.

Build relationships with your students

These are high school students. They are social beings. The more you get to know your students and invest in who they are as people, the more they will invest in trusting you. And if they trust you, you can expose them to far more advanced ways of looking at dance.

I share at least one personal dance experience with my classes each week. It helps them to know me not only as their teacher, but also as a student of dance. It also doesn’t hurt to let them know you’re a person outside of dance class as well. I share stories and pictures of my own family with my students and it allows them to see you through different lens.

Give a little to get a little

Being an artist is a vulnerable thing. And let’s be honest, most kids don’t come near liking high school as much as I did. For many students it’s a means to the end; they imagine how they’ll get through it.

I believe in fun. I think it’s pretty basic: I love dancing because it is fun. And in it’s “fun-ness” I am able to express myself and nurture my creativity. Is it also challenging? Yes. Does it also take a lot of self-discipline? Yes. But all the hard work is worth it because I have walked out of the classroom feeling satisfied. And for me, satisfaction is fun.

(As a side bar, we as dance teachers sometimes think that having fun doesn’t mean that we are working hard or learning valuable lessons. This is not true. You are allowed to have fun in any level class you teach, in whatever content you choose to teach that day. You can be serious and still have fun. And if you allow your students to see your love and investment in dance they will relate to you more. You might become the bright spot in a potentially stressful day and they’ll be happy to see you.)

Have a well-rounded curriculum

This next point is a philosophical one and it’s just my opinion but here goes…

You have to teach more than just what you love. I love modern dance but I’m not going to assume that all my students do too. In fact, in most cases, I’m trying to expose them to modern dance for the first time. My practice initially is to include modern dance in an introductory course and than offer more specific classes after they have had a taste of it.

As students begin to realize that modern dance is a form of self-expression, they become more invested in studying it more deeply. But within that curriculum I want to offer what they “know” as well. I love hip hop and jazz. That’s what I loved as a child. I love teaching hip hop and jazz. And honestly, there is still a lot I can teach my high school students about dance forms that they “think” they already know. I value those dance forms as much as I value modern dance; I just happen to enjoy making and performing modern dance more as an adult. But I have to remember to put myself in my high school shoes. Had I not already been in a major identity crisis my sophomore year in high school, I may not have walked into Rosemary Doolas’ modern class. And the reason I loved it is because I wanted to be different; and that stuff was DIFFERENT.

But most high school kids are not trying to be different. Most high school kids are just trying to fit in. They want to feel safe in their explorations of who they are and I have found the best way to do that is give them options. This is the time in their life where they should be exposed to a variety of different dance forms and choose their own path in what they find interest in. I am there to be the guide.

Don’t take yourself so seriously

Clearly this could also be a life lesson right?

Do you have any tips for teaching teens? If so, leave one in the comments section!

Contributor Lucy Vurusic-Riner is a native Chicagoan who has been supporting and contributing to the dance community for over twenty years. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance Performance and Dance Education from Illinois State University. Lucy has been a member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak, RTG Dance Company and Matthew Hollis’ “The Power of Cheer.” She has also had the opportunity to be part of the community casts of White Oak Dance Project and David Dorfman Dance.

Lucy has taught modern, hip hop, and jazz at numerous studios and high schools in the Chicagoland area. She was the Director of Dance at Oak Park and River Forest High School from 1999 to 2012. In 2005, Lucy completed her Masters Degree in Education from National Louis University and also received the Midwest Dance Teacher of the Year award and was the youngest of four finalists in the running for the National Dance Teacher of the Year award. Lucy and artistic partner, Michael Estanich, formed RE|Dance Group in 2010. RE|Dance Group investigates humanity in movement through long distance collaboration.

In 2012, Lucy joined the dance faculty at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL. When she is not immersed in dance, she is at home with her two great kids, Margie and Luka, and her very supportive husband, Jim.

Dancers – Embrace Your Body

October 22, 2012 by 4dancers

Some of Lucy Vurusic-Riner’s dance students

by Lucy Vurusic-Riner

I’ve been avoiding the teacher perspective on body image post for a long time. It’s that subject that lurks in the shadows and I’m too close to want to address it. However, in the aftermath of last month’s Wisconsin news anchor debacle, where a woman just doing her job (well, I might add) was criticized for her weight (which in no way impacts her ability to report the news, I might add again). I feel that it’s time to broach the topic.

The fact is, body image plays a huge role in my day to day. In fact, to say I don’t think about it every single day as a high school dance teacher would be a flat out lie. Over the last 18 years I have thought about body image at least once a day, EVERY day, as I enter one of my classes. The issues have varied depending on the school and community surrounding it. The frequency of how many girls are noticeably affected by it differs as well. But it’s always safe to assume that there is someone in the room with me looking at their body in a distorted way; maybe even me.

Personally, I have been lucky with the gene pool bestowed upon me. Because quite frankly, I think that’s where you have to look first. We are as short or tall as we are because of how the chromosomes matched up. My long torso was not something I had to do massive amounts of bar hangs to achieve. I have it because I have my grandmother’s body, and alas, she too had a long torso.

Likewise, I have some pretty crappy feet and bad turnout as far as the dance world is concerned. My genetics could have told me that I had horrible arches as early as 7 or 8, when I tried shoving my feet into pointe shoes. I bought the do-hickey that stretches your arches and I laid on my belly in frog position to open my hips for hours at a time. To a certain degree maybe that torture, as well as determination in class and a strong work ethic, did make me a better dancer, but guess what? My feet and turn out are still nothing to write home about. But truly, amidst all of this, to the common person’s naked eye, I have always had a body “suitable’ for dancing. Phew.

So how do I approach this in my dance classes? My tactic for the most part has been to diffuse it at every turn. In my first years of teaching I had some pretty severe cases. Girls that wanted so badly to be in the highest level classes and have the most performance experience. Girls who wanted to please their parents (who often consciously put pressure on their daughters), girls who needed to live up to their friends and acquaintances ideas of what being a dancer meant. And a lot of the time, I couldn’t even blame them. So much of what being a dancer means to the general public is solely based on cheesy movies and fantasy. How many of you have ever told someone you were a dancer and then had to tolerate some stupid comment about stripping or lap dances? I found that “controlling” one’s eating was the one place that my students could feel they were empowered to do something about the way that others perceived them. They might not be able to physically alter their flat feet or poor turnout–but they sure as hell could get skinny.

With a few more years of teaching under my belt, I started to notice that poor body image was becoming less of an issue with my students. Sure, I still had the occasional one or two that popped up every three or four years; the ones that need to be hospitalized or get counseling. But it soon became an issue that was manageable.

What had happened? Had body image problems become a thing of the past? Hardly. I sat down with a group of my dancers a few years back and we had a long discussion that, at first, was simply a conversation about nutrition and diet and what people like to eat, but then turned into a riveting discussion on exercise and how to most efficiently take care of our bodies.

What I learned was that part of the reason I wasn’t seeing that problem was because we had formed a safe dance community within our classroom.

I rarely talked about weight. I never degraded my body or how I looked in front of my students (in fact, they often had to listen to me talk about how I embraced by big butt). And I ate what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it, in front of them and with no guilt, because feeling shameful, about anything, has never helped someone overcome any sort of obstacle.

I want my students to be appreciative of their bodies and how to live in them. Adolescent girls have enough to worry about with their changing bodies, raging hormones and the pressure of becoming young, responsible adults.

I believe teaching dancers how to take care of themselves and respect their bodies needs to become an intuitive practice; one that we take part in each day when we talk about foods that we love, clothes that we feel comfortable in and dance classes that we take that make us feel good about ourselves. Some dance teachers might read this and say that I’m not being a very honest teacher or mentor if I don’t talk to my girls about their weight. Guess what? It’s not going to happen.

Why? Because my dancers already know if they need to lose a few pounds. They knew before I did; they stared at themselves in the mirror long before I did, and they will continue to find things about themselves that aren’t good enough–just like I did. Yes, I want them to be healthy and make smart nutritional choices, and when it’s appropriate I talk to ALL my dancers about this as a group. Because–let’s be honest again…

Some of those skinny girls need to hear about how to take care of their bodies far more than the bigger girls. In the end, all that matters to me is that they love the body they are in.

Introducing Your High School Students to Modern Dance

January 20, 2011 by 4dancers

I have been teaching at Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS) for fifteen years. I inherited the job from a great teacher and friend who had already built and maintained a substantial program. I am also blessed to work in a community where the arts are respected and appreciated. My job is to keep reinventing a dance experience that caters to all of our students and teaches them to be life long dance enthusiasts. I’m proud to say that when I walk into work each day, I believe that’s what we are doing.

Our dance program is part of the Physical Education Department, and students are required to take one dance class before they can graduate from the high school. That’s right. EVERYBODY dances. Once everyone has taken a nine week (quarter) class as a freshmen, entitled “Introduction to Movement,” they can either be finished with their dance experience or continue to take dance classes at a more advanced level as juniors or seniors. Although our introductory course covers seven different dance styles, the overall dance program is based in modern dance. We want our students to know how modern dance came out of and is still influenced by other dance forms… [Read more…]

What is dancing from the inside out?

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