Seventeen dance teachers from Oklahoma and throughout the United States were on the OCU campus June 12-16 to participate in the first American Dance Master Teacher Workshop, presented by the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. Participants, ranging in age from 18 to 60, worked nearly 12 hours a day soaking up instruction in jazz, tap and ballet pedagogy as well as education in proper tap/jazz shoe fitting, prevention of injury, nutrition for dancers, and more. OCU faculty involved include Mary Price Boday, Patricia Oplotnik, Kay Sandel, Tiffany van der Merwe, and dance department chairman Jo Rowan.

Dean John Bedford said participants were thrilled with the workshop and are already asking for more. “This full-week event has been a great success ,” he said. “We anticipate our teacher workshops to grow in attendance and number offered. They are part of our goal of establishing the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management's reputation as a center for improving and educating great dance teachers, and part of our recruiting plan.

Boday, a master teacher who will oversee OCU’s American Dance Master Teacher program, said she plans to offer the next teacher workshop in June 2007. She added that several of this year's participants expressed interest in returning to OCU annually.

Boning up on their teaching skills.
OCU dance faculty Kay Sandel, left, and Mary Price Boday work with “Mr. Small Bones” to teach proper technique to participants in the first American Dance Master Teacher Workshop. Seventeen teachers from around the country came to OCU June 12–16 to take part in the workshop.