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Samuel Baumgarten, Chair
Sam Baumgarten is a Professor in the Department of Movement Arts, Health, Promotion, and Leisure Studies at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Beginning in July, 2006, he became Department Chair. Before becoming involved in his current work--teacher preparation in both physical education and dance--Baumgarten taught elementary physical education for thirty years. During that time, he developed considerable interest and expertise in teaching dance to children, and he continues to foster this work among his future teachers. |
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Joy Friedlander, Chair-Elect
Joy Friedlander's expertise and knowledge of the field of dance education is evident across many educational sectors, having taught in universities, public schools, private dance schools and pre-professional schools. She has worked in conservatory as well as scholarly educational environments. Such diverse experiences have contributed to her commitment to support the mission of quality dance education for all populations. She received her doctorate in dance education from Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and M.F.A. in dance choreography and performance from the University of California, Irvine. Previously, Joy has taught at The Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA) and The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schenley High School Program and has served on the faculty at the University of Alabama, Duquesne University, Point Park College, and Bryn Mawr College. Joy founded the dance program at the Philadelphia High School for Girls six years ago - a magnet school for academically gifted girls. She serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Dance Education and on the executive board of daCi USA. Joy was awarded the National Dance Educator of the Year 2005 - 2006
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Jeanne Traxler, Treasurer
Jeanne Traxler is the Director of the Peanut Butter& Jelly
Dance Company, founded in 1975 and dedicated to bringing
dance to children and children to dance. PB&J presents
in-school dance programs by professional dancers, teaches
creative movement classes for children, and directs a small
company of children that works collaboratively, called SMALL
FEETS dance company. In 1997, PB&J presented its work and
Jeanne taught children from around the world at the daCi
International Conference in Finland. Jeanne has also
presented for daCi at NDEO in Albuquerque (2003) and
Michigan (2004). PB&J and SMALL FEETS were performing
participants at the daCi USA Intergenerational Gatherings in
Philadelphia in 2005 and Provo in 2008.
Jeanne is also the founder and an organizer of an annual day
of dance for Boston area young dancers from a variety of
dance traditions: Children’s Dance Festival, which is
celebrating its 17th anniversary! She has also taught many
pre-school age children in a variety of settings, has
choreographed six elementary school musicals, and received
grants for the creation of concert works. “The daCi mission
is reflected in everything I have done, even before I was a
member!” |
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Judith Nelson , Secretary
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Jannas Zalesky, National Representative
As a performer, instructor, educator and administrator, Ms Zalesky has operated her own dance school, Together in Dance , served as the Supervisor of Cultural Arts in Georgia, directed the education department of City Center, implemented Kids on the Move , a US Department of Education grant, received a Fulbright scholarship, and spearheaded a National Endowment for the Arts -- Arts Plus initiative. She created and managed the Dunham Institutes and serves on several boards including the New York State Alliance for Arts Education.
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Anne Green Gilbert, Past National Representative
Anne Green Gilbert is Director of the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company, which she founded in Seattle, Washington in 1981. When not teaching creative dance at CDC or choreographing for Kaleidoscope, Anne trains teachers through her Summer Dance Institute in Seattle, for Seattle Pacific University and Seattle University, and has conducted hundreds of workshops across the United States and in many other countries. Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement, Creative Dance for All Ages, Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Teaching Creative Dance (DVD) and BrainDance (DVD), as well as numerous articles. Anne is an active member of NDEO and Dance and the Child International. Anne has received numerous awards including the 2005 NDA Scholar/Artist Award and is featured in Dance Teacher Magazine May 2006. |
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Lynette Overby, Newsletter Liason
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Marilyn Berret, Member at Large
Marilyn Berrett is an associate professor in the modern dance division at Brigham Young University as well as founder and artistic director of "Kinnect," a dance education teaching and performing outreach company. As both a dance artist and certified public school educator, Marilyn enjoys teaching creative dance to students of all ages. She currently serves on the daCi USA board as the southwest regional representative and as president of the Utah Dance Education Organization (UDEO). |
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Janina Dobkowski, Member at Large
Janina Dobkowski is a Dance Educator with extensive classroom, stage, and workshop experience. She taught in college, elementary school and various ages in between. Janina was a Physical Education and Dance teacher for over 12 years at Samuel Staples Elementary School, Easton, CT, one of the first five HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Schools in Connecticut whose mission is to infuse the arts into the curriculum. She founded DanceCo, a dance club, for grades 2-5, which uses student writing as the basis for choreography. Janina conducted many interdisciplinary projects connecting dance with other academic areas. She served as mentor to new and returning teachers. Presently she conducts workshops for both teachers and students. Her other specialty draws on her Polish heritage which includes the Polish language, songs, the folk arts and, of course, dance. She is a lifetime member of the Polish-American Folk Dance Company of NY, which performs locally and at international festivals. Janina holds a Masters Degree with a concentration in Dance, from Springfield College, MA and a B.A. from Queens College, NY. |
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Denise Rapp, Member at Large
Denise Rapp studied with Virginia Tanner as a member of the
children’s Dance Theater from the age of 7. She earned a BA
in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and an M.Ed from
Arizona State University in Curriculum and Instruction with
a Dance emphasis. She has taught dance on the High School
level for over 12 years and is currently teaching dance at
Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona. While living in the
California she worked as a dance specialist in the schools
integrating dance into K-6 academic curriculum. She
currently serves on the NDEO board as the State Affiliate
representative, the Arizona Fine Arts Standards Revision
committee, she is President of AzDEO (Arizona Dance
Education Organization) and acts as a member at large on the
Dance and the Child International Board.
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Chris Roberts, Member at Large
Chris has taught children and adults for 29 years. He received his BS degree in Elementary Education/Special Education from Brigham Young University and has a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology (Gifted and Talented) from BYU. He has been teaching dance (along with everything else) to children every day for the past 9 years. Chris has taught dance workshops for the Utah State Office of Education and has co-taught with Marilyn Berrett in Brazil at the daCi World Conference. Chris was a keynote presenter at the Fall Networking Arts Conference in Ogden and was a co-presenter in a panel and lecture-demonstration (with Marilyn Berrett and Julie Ahlander) at the Fall 2003 National Dance Education Organization Conference in Albuquerque. He also co-presented a paper (with Marilyn Berrett) at the 2006 NDEO Conference in Long Beach, CA. Chris is a proud graduate of Anne Green Gilberts’s two-week teacher workshop in Seattle. He loves giving children the opportunity to express their creativity through dance. |
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Mary Lynn Babcock, Member at Large
Dr. Babcock has presented her work and taught at universities, Mid-America Dance Alliance and American College Dance Festivals throughout the Southwest and Midwest portions of the United States. Internationally her scholarly and creative work has taken her to Brazil, Egypt and to the VII Annual International Festival for Contemporary Choreographers in Almada, Portugal and the Netherlands. Dr. Babcock has served on the Board for National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and is presently a Board member for Dance and the Child International (daCi) USA Chapter. Her primary influences in contemporary dance have been with Bill Evans, Erick Hawkins company members, Clay Taliaferro and Claire Porter. All of her work comes from a somatic approach toward movement, where the body is situated as the central source for understanding human interaction in a cultural world. Her most recent article entitled, Moving Self: the thread which bridges dance and theatre,” was published in Research in Dance Education. Presently she teaches modern dance, movement for theatre, improvisation and introduction to composition, Laban Studies, and dance and technology. Dr. Babcock has created one of the first maclab studios of this kind in Texas designed specifically for dance majors. Babcock loves working with various media and disciplines within a variety of social contexts. |
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