A Blythe Coach

Tag: Creativity

Summer Verses to Swoon for – Poetic Seasonal Inspiration

Savor the last days of the season with me in real time, or feel the warmth of those long lazy days anytime with verses suitable to summer.

Philosophy for Children in a Dance Context – p4c teaching applications to performing arts education

What role can “gently Socratic” philosophical inquiry play in the context of performing arts education?I consider myself fortunate to have had the honor of participating in Dr. Thomas Jackson’s PHIL 492: Philosophy with Children (p4c) course in the Spring of 2015, one of the last courses in my work towards my MFA in Dance. The concepts and techniques have continued to prove valuable over time, so I wanted to share as a resource for fellow educators, performing artists, and dancers.

July was Sigh Worthy – 2025 Month 7 Reflection

July is about high summer, brought a heat wave and then cool rain to Cologne, and kicked off my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series with glowing energy and creativity.

Be Buoyant like a Butterfly – Flights of Fancy – Airy Inspiration Roundup

Light as a feather, fluttering in springtime and summer, having had encounters with butterflies in just about every place I have been, I always feel blessed by their gentle presence. Butterfly, Schmetterling, Farfalle, Papillon…I love their many names, their movements, the science and the mystery behind their lifecycles. My late ex mother in law Janine […]

Emancipatory Dance – Dancing Intersectional Feminism

This article was originally part of my Theory and Criticism work for my MFA in Dance in 2014, and critical pedagogy and artistic practice continues to be relevant to my teaching, coaching, and creative practice over a decade later.

My perspective has continued to expand with my maturation, experience, and ongoing education, so articulating my philosophy and approach is an ongoing challenge.

Since my graduate school years, I’ve made updates based on my qualitative in-studio encounters and from others who wish to honor the tradition of dance, including classical ballet, while also supporting the whole dancer and society in a contemporary context.

Jaunty June – 2025 Month 6, Q2 & Midyear Reflection

A sweet spring in Cologne and in the US came to a close, June brought a heat wave, hay fever, relief that a couple critical medical procedures in the family seem to have been successful, end-of-schoolyear, start of the summer, and birthday fests.

In this article I’ll wrap up the month of June, Quarter 2, and the first 6 months of 2025 as a whole in my own projects, life and events.

May Replay – 2025 Month 5 Reflection

In May, we had one more week of work and play on the Big Island, several days of travel back to Cologne, then jumped jetlagged back into teaching, coaching, publishing and celebrating there! Felt at home in both Hawai’i and Germany, both happy and homesick in each location.

How (and Why) to Take Dance Notes – Class, Rehearsal, Performance Writing to Grow & Create

How and why take notes on dance classes & rehearsals?

Research supports the efficacy of notetaking in supporting learning and creativity, now how do we put that into practice and actually make time and space to jot a few ideas down afterwards?.

April Adventures on 2 Continents & an Island – 2025 Month 4 Reflection

April revelry took place on two continents and an island, was 50 percent “regular” teaching, creating, and normal publishing schedule and travel prep, 50 percent adventures in several places I feel at home: Portland, Oregon with dear friends like family and Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i with actual family and mentors.

Honored to host and participate in special events along the way, such as World Tai Chi & Qigong Day on the Big Island, a live performance of “The Wizard of Oz Ballet” and a recorded one of the Big Island Choreographers

In a nutshell, my personal themes for the month were Easter & Spring, Love & Friendship, and HOME.

Traveling Dancer Yoga – Mindful Movement on the Go

For frequent flyers and folks for whom it is important that we freely move, I’m offering yummy yoga poses, practices, and a playlist full of goodies for small spaces of time and elbowroom. As always, asana, shapes and flows are adaptive to varying energy levels and needs, physical capacity and limits from within or without, which you may practice anytime from anywhere.

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