employment – HVS Movement Studies

David Howard

When I was living in NYC, David Howard’s ballet class saved my soul. In a city where most dance classes felt like an audition, taught by people who didn’t really understand how to warm up a body or just really loved deep plié in second position, with the body folded over- David Howard’s ballet class…

Letting It Be: Renewed Intent

By: Heather Vaughan-Southard August 14, 2012August 14, 2012

dance, dance career, dance education, employment, Uncategorizedcrochet, dance, dance education, friends, granny square blankets, knit, let it be, life balance6 Comments

Friends are the best. I tend to get ahead of myself in most ways, worrying about things that are important but likely to ebb and flow as we move through life. This is true of my professional life and my personal life. I spend a lot of energy putting things into action that sometimes I…

You Can Do Anything But Not Everything 1.0

Recently, Dance/USA produced a series of articles about professional choreographers who have turned to working in higher education as a means to keep creating choreography within concert dance and earn a living. Most of the artists interviewed are of notable stature (David Dorfman, Joe Goode,…) and discuss the balancing act required of working in two…

Playing Superhero: The Dark Side of Discipline

Discipline in the arts is usually one of the major “gains” in training and one of the reasons many parents choose to enroll their child. Discipline in pre-professional dance, for me, was what separated those that wanted to succeed and those that did. Discipline in professional dance takes on a different perspective in response to…

Four Confessions and a Concern

Recently, dance educator Sheena Jeffers wrote the blog post, “Teaching Dancers: Non-serious v. Serious” to which I contributed a few brief thoughts as did our highly esteemed friends, Nichelle at Dance Advantage and Dance_Reader. Sheena is an inspired teacher with a clear perspective and serious motivation. Her post was started as a conversation on Twitter…

Unsung Heroes: Taking on Community Dance

Is there anything as inviting and intimidating as a blank page or an empty studio. I am sorry for my negligence in writing….it has been a very full fall. My pages have been filling of notes on the differences/observations/musings about teaching dance in the K-8 setting instead of high school and college. And I have…

Help Wanted: Finding the Right Sub for Your Little Darlings

By: Heather Vaughan-Southard November 7, 2011

dance education, employment, teaching danceLeave a Comment

Here’s my latest for Maria’s Movers. Help Wanted: Finding the Right Sub for Your Little Darlings

Leading Me Here

Ten years ago I was living in NYC. I loved it. Good and bad, I loved every bit of it. Every blade of grass in the Sheep Meadow in Central Park. Every bookstore. Every pretzel cart. Every step stepped where history was made and interesting people walked before. Ten years ago I was pursuing the…

Finding 1st

I do a pretty funny impression (if I do say so myself) of a favored former professor of mine, in which I circle myself for a couple loops as if casually chasing my tail, finally locating my final destination and carefully placing myself accordingly: 1st position parallel. Essentially, it is the same position I was…

Why NOT Dance?

By: Heather Vaughan-Southard January 8, 2011January 9, 2011

arts, dance, dance career, dance education, employment, teaching dance, Uncategorized4 Comments

There are times I am astounded at the directness of my child and his ability to read my inner most thoughts. Last evening, as my son played with the strap on my leotard, he asked, “Mommy, why do you dance?” Yesterday was a rare day because if forced to comment, I would’ve said, “I don’t…