“When a teacher steps foot in front of a class, they have a hand in shaping the young minds in front of them, whether or not they go on to become dancers. What they say and do has a heavy weight, and can be carried into an individual’s life long after the lesson is over.” – Caitlin Heflin
At Frame Dance, we firmly believe that dance educators hold a unique and influential role in shaping the futures of their students, both on and off the dance floor. We are committed to training and developing dance instructors who embrace a wholistic, body-positive and innovative approach to teaching and are ready to inspire the next generation of movers, shakers, collaborators, and leaders in our community.
Dance Source Houston featured our new professional development offerings in an article for The Dance Dish. Check it out!
BRING OUR TEACHER TRAINING TO YOUR STUDIO
We are committed to empowering dance educators with the tools and knowledge to positively impact their students’ lives – on and off the dance floor.
Contact us today to bring this industry-leading training to your studio and propel your early childhood dance program to the next level!
TEACHER TRAINING MODULES:
We are happy to customize this training to fit your needs. Below are our signature training modules:
LEAD INSTRUCTOR:
Ashley Horn is a dance educator, curriculum writer, costume designer, choreographer, and installation artist based in Houston, TX. She has been teaching dance, with a focus on early childhood, neural development, and pedagogy for over 20 years in public schools, studios and community centers.
In collaboration with Frame Dance artistic director, Lydia Hance, Ashley has been creating, practicing, and implementing their curriculum, the Little Framers Curriculum, that teaches children about their innate worth, artistry, and agency through dance training and making. In addition, she teaches Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning at the elementary and middle school levels throughout the Houston Independent School District. Ashley has guest taught at Rice University, University of Houston, and Houston Community College.
Ashley has a BA in Public Relations/Advertising with a minor in dance from the University of Houston.
CURRICULUM & PEDAGOGY
For 15 years, Frame Dance Artistic Director, Lydia Hance, & collaborator Ashley Horn have been creating, practicing, and implementing a curriculum and dance pedagogy that teaches children about their innate worth, artistry, and agency through dance making. With a combined experience of over 35 years working with dancers ages 0-6, they have developed lesson plans that are rooted in child psychology, are technically sound, and practical to implement in the classroom.
Rooted in our organization’s values, the Frame Dance curriculum and pedagogy includes:
- Body-positive language that teaches children to respect and honor their bodies
- Age-appropriate, developmental progression that is mindful of physiological, mental, and emotional development of children
- Activities that encourage innovation, collaboration, independence, confidence, and resilience in children (as opposed to simply and solely the replication of a teacher)
- Flexibility and adaptability for children with learning differences and intellectual disabilities
- Modalities for working in the public school system
- Research-based framework for trauma-informed teaching methods
All trained studios are eligible to license our full early childhood curriculum. Contact us for additional information.
A BRIEF LOOK INTO OUR MOST RECENT TEACHER TRAINING