Generate biggest/most desirable outcome

If you’re a dance educator or dance parent looking to confidently & appropriately introduce matters of race and dance history into your lessons while creating a more inclusive,  holistic, and enriching experience for your dance students, then you already know you need to "do your homework" and strike the right tone with your students and their families.

You've always known that as a dance educator (or parent who invests in your child's training), that dance lessons teach more than steps; dance training teaches character, expression, resilience, life skills, community-building and more.

And at this critical moment in the world, you sense that the time has come to deepen your commitment to even more holistic education for your dancers, especially in terms of race and dance history.

You have always sensed the need, but now feel the great opportunity that now exists to create a more inclusive and empowering dance environment.

And beyond the efforts you've already been making, you know you can and truly want to do even more to align yourself and your lessons to this goal.

Trying to change the world in one conversation?

Consistent conversations, based on your holistic knowledge base, make for stronger retention and long-lasting impact

With a deep and long-standing issue like race in dance, expecting that one "home run" conversation will change the world just isn't realistic, so let's take that pressure off.  

In this case, a giant splash doesn't necessarily create the best impact.

You need to approach this just like you do any other dance lesson: you have a vision of where you are taking your students, then you teach and build upon your lessons over time, because consistent teaching makes for better retention and long-lasting results. 

This is about the marathon, not the sprint, where inches of improvement create miles of progress. 

So let's create plans with that vision in mind...If you don't have a vision for this yet, then let's talk about that... 

Things won't really change, so what's the point in trying? 

You alone, are a powerful role model & influence in your dance program 

You may have real doubts, but you also don't want to "stay on the sidelines" because that essentially guarantees that the status quo will continue. And if that's what you wanted, then you wouldn't even bother reading this page. 

But since you're here, let me remind you how much your students respect you, and look up to you. You are a voice in their ear that is so meaningful, they trust in your leadership...and they're watching you now.

Mother Teresa once said, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

So yes, it's exhausting and it may not feel like your actions matter that much. But this is a friendly reminder of what you already know: every single voice that is raised now combines with every other single voice. And together, those voices and actions, in dance program after dance program, create a forward, snowballing momentum that can't be stopped. 

So whether you need to be re-energized to continue your efforts or you need a place to start, the dance world is in need of YOUR voice. 

I don't feel qualified to talk about these issues, so shouldn't I stick to what I do know? 

Concepts Around Race & Dance History Are a Vital Part of a Dance Educator's Professional Development and Lesson Planning 

Dance teachers come from all sorts of backgrounds, and have all sorts of education and experience that grounds their teaching approach.

And because we all take so many different routes to becoming dance teachers - whether you started teaching at age 19 or got a Master's Degree in Dance Education - we must all rely on various types of Professional Development in order to continually ensure that we are bringing the very best to our students, year after year.

Without professional development, our teaching approaches can wind up being out-of-step, out-of-touch and beneath current standards in the world today. 

And when it comes to race in dance education, most people have been either un-informed or grossly mis-informed.

The consequence? Mis-education around race in dance:

1) has caused us to make questionable decisions in terms of what we choose to teach, and how we choose to teach it; and

2) has given all our students mis-information (or lack of information) that is dis-enfranchising and dis-empowering

Historical context has always been a guiding principle in our personal lives and in society; the past gives us lessons that influence the way we operate in the present.

With this is in mind, it's easy to see why leaving history out of professional development is costly.

Module 1

[Module Title (should be results or action-driven or state the big outcome/promise of that module)]

Module Lead (a few lines of body copy): Elaboration of promise and why that outcome matters, mentioning how this outcome compounds on top of the outcome of the previous module/component and/or the antithesis of that outcome / where they’ll struggle if they don’t take action.

Module Highlights:

Curiosity-driven fascinations breaking down the process of how they’ll achieve the promise of the module.

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