DANCE MOVEMENT AND CHOREOGRAPHIC PRACTICES FOR OAKLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The purpose of “Children and Their Instantaneous Choreographic Practice” is to find the most direct and non-threatening/ cool way for kids to access their movement creativity. The goal is to enable them to see themselves as authors or creators of their own movement so they are making their own moves as self-expressive choreographers. The aim is for them to develop self-confidence by discovering their self-expression and enable them to understand and actualize the power of their own creativity.

“Narrative is in the Bones” by Maureen Whiting for Adults and Professional Dancers

This class begins with first accessing the deeper somatic body through breath work, and then incorporating dance technique suited to the level of attendees. Through this more alive activated body and nervous system we will source the body as a keeper of memory and dream space as we engage in instantaneous dance and dance making.

(Post) Modern Dance Technique and Improvisation for (Ballet) Dancers with Maureen Whiting

Using the bones (our skeleton) as a guideline we will engage in thinking to deepen our dance technique. Using the imagination as imagery and emotion as memory we will work on improvisation to expand our movement vocabulary.

My training: I grew up a ballet dancer in the Cecchetti and Vaganova ballet techniques with Pirkko Lawlor and then Charmaine Ristow at Wisconsin School of ballet. I have taught dance classes at the University level in Theatre Departments and I have taught Improvisation and Choreography in Professional dance settings. I can teach beginners through professionals, and children through adults. My knowledge is influenced by over 40 years of dancing and over 25 years of choreographing while running my own company. My technique is influenced by my studies in Alexander work (with Shelley Senter Sara Padilla and Kevin Ahern), Skinner Releasing Technique and Open Source Forms (with Joan Skinner and Stephanie Skura), and study of breath work with Benoit La Chambre, choreography with Ralph Lemon and countless others.

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