Hannah’s experience in teaching began when she was 14. Finishing out her three final years of competitive dance studio training, she was substituting classes in ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical for ages 3-18. They then began leading classes of their own at the age of 16, and soon undertook teaching part-time while beginning to attend college. As she balanced teaching with her own studies, she discovered a developing interest in leading young dancers through the intricacies and curiosities of contemporary improvisation.
Most recently, March has continued diving deep into the research of this work by facilitating improvisation and discussion into classes offered for college recruitment. So far, these experiences have been offered by March to high school and college transfer students at dance recruitment events across the country in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Dallas, TX, and Southern California, with more to come within this year.
As a dancer, artist, educator, and choreographer, I strongly believe that through any class or creative space that I oversee, I am a student alongside those I’m guiding. Just as much as I am put in the "teacher," role, I feel I am always learning new perspectives and ideas from those who share space with me.
I believe that dance education should be eye-opening, intriguing, thought-provoking, and of course, enjoyable. I strive to create healthy, open, and safe environments within the classroom to give eager, willing, and present movers space for gaining knowledge through movement research and exploration.
A huge part of my class structure always includes discussion. I love hearing what movers have to say in regards to their research as it not only provides new points of view, but inspiration for other approaches towards the art we share.
The classroom should be a space that students can reach full and open exploration in a judgment-free zone, where curiosities can lead to epiphanies and realizations.
I thoroughly aspire to inspire as well as push boundaries and hold a safe space for all bodies and backgrounds, while instilling discipline, creativity, resilience, confidence and empathy.
Photos: Hallee Bernstein / Dancewave