teaching
Technique is a practice.
Consistency is a practice.
I believe how one arrives to class, for themselves and for their community, is a practice.
It is through personal and professional experiences in dance that have influenced the methods I use in my pedagogical practice. My formal dance training is rooted in ballet, modern, and postmodern and somatic perspectives. Applying somatic methods to dance technique allows me to blur boundaries within tradition to discover more organic and efficient modes of movement. Safety Release Technique has significantly influenced my pedagogical approach, reminding me that “action is energy,” and that technique is an ongoing practice of commitment and curiosity.
As a dancer as well, it is important for me to demonstrate this practice during any technique class, prompting reflective, somatic check-ins, such as:
· What does your body need, physically, mentally, or emotionally?
· What can you give yourself today? What can you let go of?
· What do you want to receive from this class?
My somatic approach to technique focuses on the functionality and efficiency of movement and identifies how the elements of one technique can translate to other forms of dance. It is also equally important to encourage somatic authority as a form of injury prevention: I remind students of how powerful their bodies are, and how resilient their bodies can be.
It is my goal for students to take risks, to not fear making mistakes—as therein is where embodied learning occurs—and to discover how movement can fit into each students’ body and best serve their individual artistic needs.
I invite students to simultaneously experience their own presence throughout class, based on practices informed by Bartenieff Fundamentals, the Feldenkrais Method, and Pilates. In dance class, students experience their breath, their weight, their joints, their skin, and their whole bodies in motion, both individually and collectively. Together, we discover old habits and strategies that no longer serve us, to instead, develop new, more sustainable movement patterns that are efficient, safe, and keep us moving for life.
Working from the inside-out prompts individual agency: I encourage students to connect with their bodies through movement as research, while they simultaneously work to discover their own sense of artistry and authority. I believe that engaging in conversation around feedback and critical thinking are essential for dance students to take ownership of their learning and to further develop their understanding of how they exist in this world individually and interdependently. It is my goal to guide students to discover something about dance that makes them feel thoroughly and unapologetically themselves.
Crafting a safe, brave space for students that is inclusive of all identities, cultural backgrounds, and beliefs is imperative. Fostering a community of care that supports creativity, bodily autonomy, and the freedom to express oneself authentically are crucial steppingstones to seeing student success. This approach lays the groundwork for teaching students how to engage with and participate in a functioning democratic society; my teaching philosophy maintains a student-centered, feminist, culturally-responsive, and holistic approach for the benefit of the student’s body, mind, and spirit.
Upcoming Classes + Workshops
Safety Release Technique with kt williams
Wednesdays, 12-1:30p
Dovetail Studios, Chicago, IL
This class offers an intermediate/advanced level approach to foundational contemporary dance technique and is based on Safety Release Technique principles, focusing on the spine, breath, movement efficiency, and freeing frozen tension. Class typically begins on the floor, and progresses into standing, traveling, and physically rigorous movement patterns. Class will offer opportunities for set movement patterning and improvisation, and will allow dancers to sense, examine, and listen to their internal body patterning. There is space for dancers to start slowly, modify, ask questions, make choices, play, take risks, and ultimately deepen their artistry through embodied practice.
Previous dance experience is suggested, dancers of all backgrounds are welcome. Dancers are encouraged to wear long sleeves and loose-fitting pants to allow for floor work and ease of movement; knee-pads are optional.
Previous Classes + Workshops
Summer Safety Release: a workshop series with kt williams
Safety Release Workshop with kt williams
When: Saturday, July 20, 2p-4p
Where: Dovetail Studios (2853 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL)
When: Saturday, June 15, 2p-4p
Where: The Rooted Space (1803 W Byron St, #201, Chicago, IL)
$15 (at the door - pay what you can) —> sign up here.
Over the span of 2 hours, we will dive deep into SRT through improvisational and somatic experiences that progresses from the floor towards more complex movement patterns that travel in-and-out-and-through space. Folks are encouraged to ask questions in open discussion and find personal modes of play and artistic expression. This workshop will focus on allowing one’s breath and dynamic alignment to guide movement efficiency, release frozen tension, and find freedom within a technical structure.
*Previous dance experience is suggested, however dancers of all backgrounds are welcome. Dancers are encouraged to wear long sleeves and loose-fitting pants to allow for floor work and ease of movement; knee-pads are optional.
