During the last 15 years, I have performed Chinese, contemporary and post-modern dance nationally and internationally, and have taught dance for seven years. I have had the opportunity to teach a variety of dance classes with differing objectives including movement, theory, and choreography for performance as well as dance classes with a cultural focus such as for Chinese students or western learners.

My pedagogic theory helps my students to develop themselves as learners and dancers, and encourages them to feel free to use their new knowledge to develop their own thoughts and movements. I believe it is equally important for students to learn about their body anatomy, about movement and about themselves. I provide an environment conducive to overcoming inhibition and exploring each student’s full range of creative movement.

I celebrate diversity in my classrooms since so much dance movement is influenced by culture and experience. I try to establish a teaching environment and develop experiences where difference is highly valued. I have seen how the dance arts can promote an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding of others as well as motivate students to share unique concepts and assimilate different perspectives. I enjoy the varied viewpoints that come from a multicultural environment. My classes encourage discourse on how students’ origins and experiences impact their identity and then express these motivations through dance.

As a teacher, I think of myself as a class leader who facilitates a comfortable learning environment. It is most important for my students to experience what it feels like to become a dancer and to find their own movements. I judge my effectiveness as a teacher not only by the skills my students acquire but what they take away from the class for their artistic and personal lives.