Brenné Forst

My teaching beliefs are to be able to give people of all walks of life the opportunity to have
access to dance no matter where they are located. I believe everyone should be able to experience
dance as a way to express yourself, free of judgement and there should be no limitations
whatsoever. Whether it is racial, gender, socioeconomic, ageist, ableist, etc., inclusivity should be
applied wherever you go. I have put my actions into place by volunteering at at-risk communities
where dance training is not as accessible in children’s neighborhoods. While volunteering, I have
introduced dance styles and leading them to discoveries about movements outside of their
comfort level. Also, I have taught in inclusive classrooms where children are taught gender
neutral choreography so everyone would feel involved and comfortable without being singled-out
based on gender.
What I’ve done to enhance my teaching practices and created a new method that will
accommodate to all age groups and skill types. In my choreography, I now include modifications
in case something I originally plan doesn’t fit my age group/skill level and still completes my
vision of my choreography. It is important to do that because I don’t want my students to feel
uncomfortable dancing something they don’t think they could adequately perform so adding the
modifications has been a game-changer for me.
One goal for my students in my classroom is to be creative. I always incorporate an
improvisation section in my choreography for my students to express themselves without any
direction from me and just let go of any stressors they have held on during the day. Another goal
is to try and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Dance is considered a great form of exercise and being
able to do it for an allotted amount of time will greatly benefit their health. Plus knowing that
school may be the only place students can access a dance class will definitely inspire me to create
new and engaging ways to dance. Lastly, I would like my kids to find their inspiration in me to
pursue dance as a career. I feel that there are a lot of hidden talent in schools that has been
untapped due to the fact that schools don’t have funding for dance programs. If I could inspire
one student to live their dream as a dancer, that would make my life goal complete. I live by the
philosophy, “I want to teach dance so my kids can dance”, everyday.