Adult Classes
In Fall 2022, Olivia is teaching adult contemporary movement classes at University City Arts League. Enroll here: http://www.ucartsleague.org/classes/adult-programs/
The class descriptions are as follows:
Beginner/Open Level Contemporary Movement
This open level, beginner-oriented contemporary movement class focuses on finding flow and grounding. In a warm and welcoming class environment, we will work together to find relaxation and nurture your unique creative expression. We will respect and honor the knowledge of all of our bodies, whilst creating new possibilities for joy and play in movement. The class will consist of a warm up, creative movement explorations, and a cool down. No prior movement experience is necessary.
Intermediate/advanced contemporary movement
This intermediate/advanced level contemporary movement class focuses on finding grounding and total body connectivity. We will find flow in movement and nurture our unique creative expressions. With a sense of play and discovery, we will work towards integrative movement patterns through exploring dynamic alignment and kinetic chains. The class is structured to facilitate nervous system regulation, and each participants’ embodied experience is honored and respected through a trauma-informed teaching framework. The class will consist of a warmup, an expressive/creative component, and a cool down. Prior dance experience is recommended.
In Spring 2021, Olivia offered adult movement classes through Poético Dance Collective, including a site specific choreography workshop and a sunset Movement Meditation class.
Children’s Classes
As a children’s dance educator since 2018, Olivia loves sharing the joy of movement with her young students. She has taught children of all ages, but has the most experience with teaching children aged 4-8 years old. From 2019-2022, Olivia was a lead children’s teaching artist at University City Arts League’s afterschool arts program, teaching ballet, creative movement, and environmental science based dance classes to 5-7 year olds. From 2019-2021, Olivia also taught creative movement classes to 4-7 year olds on Outschool.com, creating a virtual space for joy and dance whilst children’s lives were turned upside down due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In spring 2022, Olivia taught creative movement to 5-12 year olds at Salamander Arts after school arts program.
In Olivia’s dance teaching practice for children, she employs Anne Green Gilbert’s Brain Dance method and empowers children to express themselves through creative movement. The development of healthy, age-appropriate neuro-motor skills is encouraged through imaginative games and exercises designed to promote musculoskeletal alignment and proprioception. With her knowledge of anatomy and movement development, Olivia’s dance classes for children are structured to integrate movement development patterns and create a safe space for students to explore movement, express themselves creatively and gain cognitive, behavioral, and social skills. As an educator, Olivia aims to affirm children’s agency, improve their self confidence, and instill in them a love of movement.