Dance Education Laboratory (DEL)
at Jacob’s Pillow
DEL at Jacob's Pillow Programs
The DELving into Dance History courses guide participants in an embodied and interactive movement-based learning approach to re-imagining dance history through a more equitable and culturally relevant lens.
Drawing from the extensive resources of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, participants engage in meaningful dance learning activities that explore diverse dance artists, genres, and eras within a cultural, historic, and social context. Multi-modal teaching strategies include movement observation, embodied reflection, reconstruction practices, collaborative research, and collective dance-making.
This series includes expertise from guest experts in the field of dance performance, dance history, and dance education, who represent a wide range of dance forms and styles.
DELving Mini-Workshops focus on exploring a choreographer’s voice through the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) model. DEL facilitators guide participants through an exploration and investigation of a choreographer’s work through multiple entry points in order to design accessible lessons and activities for all dance learners.
DELving Mini-workshops may link to the work of the Pillow Lab Artists or dance companies featured during the Summer Festival. Participants may be invited to attend a showing (in person or live streamed) of a work in progress by a Pillow Lab artist where they may engage in an interactive dialogue with the artists or receive a discount to attend a performance during the Festival.
No prior movement experience is required! All are welcome!
In this workshop participants will:
- Explore different approaches to looking at a choreographer’s work
- Engage in embodied research
- Participate in movement exploration and collaborative dance-making
- Discover applications of workshop content to dance education
The DELving into the Archives workshop is designed in partnership with Jacob's Pillow Director of Preservation, Norton Owen, and Associate Archivist, Patsy Gay, and focuses on introducing dance educators of diverse ages and teaching contexts to the wealth of material that exists in the newly expanded Pillow archives. Participants will explore the archives in an interactive and embodied way and have opportunities to apply the DEL methodology to bring dance history to life in innovative, culturally relevant, and creative ways.
The DELving into Embodied Dance History course is a six-week asynchronous course designed for dance educators who want to re-imagine American modern dance history through the lens of culturally responsive, embodied, and inquiry-based learning. Course content is derived from content from the DEL at Jacob’s Pillow DELving into Dance History series that investigates dance artists through social, cultural, and artistic contextual frames. Participants will engage in collaborative research, have access to multi-modal course resources and primary sources, and interact with key source materials that provide important historical context to the material already available on the Pillow’s digital platforms, including lectures and panel discussions, oral histories, and historic dance films. This course is offered through the DEL 92NY online platform and can be taken for credit or audited.
Select course materials from the DELving into Embodied Dance History will be made available as downloads on the JPDI site and/or in the Pillow Archives under guidance from Norton Owen or Patsy Gay, and Thasia Giles.
DEL Essentials
Immerse yourself in this two-day intensive course on the DEL Model of Dance Education: Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), collaborative dance making, lesson planning, human development, strategies for effective teaching, and linking dance to curriculum for children and teenagers.
DEL Dance for Social Change
DEL Dance for Social Change examines varied approaches for empowering dancers and dance educators as advocates for social change.
DEL Next GEN Teaching Assistant Program
DEL is committed to preparing the next generation of dancers to participate in the field of dance education and has created the DEL Next GEN Apprenticeship program designed to support this initiative. Open to high school students (16 years or older) and college students who have completed one of the foundational DEL courses taught by Ann Biddle (DEL Essentials, DEL FUNdamentals, or UMASS Introduction to Dance Education) to apply and assist in DEL courses and workshops at Jacob’s Pillow in order to continue their dance education training through a practicum experience. Participants will receive a small honorarium per course or workshop for assisting and participating.