Lacreacia Sanders

One of my goals as a dance professional is to share experiences and engage in meaningful dialogue with colleagues as often as possible. As a community college professor, I have had the opportunity to work with students from varying backgrounds and with just as many career goals.  Whether they are planning to major in dance or just passing through on the way to another career, my hope is to cultivate a love for dance as a participant and observer.  While developing that appreciation, the constant reminder is that humans…”real people”…are involved. 

Bringing humanity to the table is my current focus and has often threaded through my interactions both in and outside the classroom.

As a member of NDS, I’ve greatly appreciated the opportunity to engage with colleagues from around the country.  Stepping outside of the Texas dance community has been a reminder that issues in Texas may not be faced elsewhere.  However, on that same note, we are often having the same conversations.  A discussion that keeps surfacing is inexperienced teachers obtaining teaching and choreography jobs. It is tough to prevent this, but a suggestion is to arm these teachers with tools to teach safely and effectively.  I’ve also engaged in conversations with non-degreed dance educators in the hope to further open the dialogue. A strong passion of mine is to connect with students and younger teachers on their interests. I’ve often seen my role as a mediator between what they want to do and what we (experienced educators) think they should do. Through sharing some of these experiences, I plan to further bring their perspective into leadership.  These individuals forging the future are passionate and ready to advocate for the arts.  With guidance and education, they can continue to bring professional responsibility, compassion, and humanity into the dance field.