To learn is to go on a daring journey of experiencing. When teaching, my goal is to challenge students to think critically and interrogate their own understanding of ‘why do I move, what do I feel when I create, and why does my movement matter.’ My sustained objective as a teacher is to have the students experience dance concepts by exposing them to history and tapping into their own creativity and innovations. This process of ‘re-education’ is aimed at opening a new lens which activates choreographic thinking, transferring the images and visions of how we see ourselves move in the world.

One of my primary goals in each teaching engagement is to find the tendencies and inclinations we have regarding our bodies and motion. From there, I am able to help each student gradually expand their mind to see other routes toward accomplishing specific movements through dance. This multiprong approach is critical to my pedagogical nature, and by exploring these diverse facets, I am engaging in the creation of my own pedagogy.

All art forms have a sort of connective tissue which cushions their relationships to one another. In each class I teach, I embrace every aspect of my student’s performing abilities, range of motion, and understanding of dance as an extension of movement. This network facilitates a freer form of expression; one that propels the process of learning, understanding, and reacting to the present world before us.

Choreography and Teaching Stills

Jasmine Powell Teaching Stills and Choreography, Hollins University

Education and Choreography