A Blythe Coach

Tag: Philosophy

The Shrew Unleashed – MFA Thesis – Dance Choreography & Performance

“The Shrew Unleashed” is a creative feminist response, in poetry and dance, to the misogynistic messages in Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew.” It is a green show performed by five dancers and a poet in three parts: selected Shakespearean sonnets, an Audience-Participation “Spontaneous Dance Poem,” and “Wonder Woman,” a spoken-word poem. Performances for school and public audiences took place March 11-15, 2015 inside and outside the Kennedy Theatre at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Themes in the work include the power of words, empowerment, and social justice.

The Practice of Ballet, an Art if Living – BA in Philosophy Thesis

In this piece I will explore the uniqueness of ballet technique as a practice that extends the virtue of dancers to their audience, using the philosophical framework of Aristotle, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Elaine Scarry as well as my own experience in dance.

Looking Forward to Learning, Teaching & Creating – Autumn 2025 Personal Curriculum

Let’s romanticize, gamify, and bring the fun to our learning and creating goals this season with a “Personal Curriculum!” It is a trending topic that I can really jump on board with.

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.

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.

Fall 2022 Curriculum – Self Study & Practices of a Creative Professional

I am studying, reading, and practicing a variety of “subjects” or “courses,” which overlap and could be grouped in different ways, which are related to my goals for the year. Topics encompass dance and movement, spiritual practice, creativity, business and finance (including sales and marketing), languages, travel and adventure, love, connection, and relationship.

On Balance – Practicing the Process of Dancing with Equilibrium

When everything is turbulent, how can we find equilibrium, equipoise? In my work as a movement educator in ballet, dance, and yoga, as well as life coaching, the topic of balance comes up so often! Therefore, I thought I would do an experiential exercise where I ponder on the process of balance in the body […]

Relever – Rise Up! in ballet, movement, & life

Looking at the news today can make me feel like the world is in a downward spiral. Sometimes our individual lives feel this way as well. And maybe we’d like for things to take a turn for the better, and just continue along a linear path towards perfection. Well, life seems to follow a more […]

Haiku Poetry Challenge 2021- What I learned writing 365 Poems in a year

Haiku #99 of 2021 by Blythe C. Stephens (inspired by Emerson) Poet as sayerrecognize experience,beauty, report back My Passion for Poetry I love poetry! I enjoy reading it, writing it, sharing it, using it for teaching and inspiring choreography. What do you use poetry for? Who are your favorite authors?  Ever since I was a […]

Interview with Mentor Virginia Holte, bringing ballet to the Big Island of Hawaii -Podcast #50

For nearly a year, the A Blythe Coach podcast has consisted of weekly bite-sized insights on dance, yoga, well-being, creativity, and joy! But, to celebrate the 50th episode of my podcast, I’ve decided to share a special longer-form (1-hour) interview, kicking off a regular interview series to be interspersed with my solo episodes. I’m so […]

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