Harnessing the Wind: The Art of Teaching Modern Dance.

This book provides theoretical knowledge, practical tips, and inspiration to help prepare the next generation of dancers and meet the demands of contemporary dance. It teaches the reader to set strategies and reasonable goals; use rituals to facilitate centering; safely incorporate conditioning principles; understand the interplay between gravity and rhythm, space, and energy to shape phrasing; and sequence exercises effectively using graphs and planning guides. There are 14 chapters in 4 parts. Part 1, "Philosophy," includes (1) "Dancing Roots: Technique" and (2) "Flying Souls: Artistry." Part 2, "Class Preparation," includes (3) "Sculpting Dreams: Goals"; (4) "Centering Minds: Rituals"; (5) "Gathering Power: Conditioning"; (6) "Shaping Phrases: Dancing"; and (7) "Weaving Light: Sequencing." Part 3, "Class Presentation," includes (8) "Time Flowing: Pacing"; (9) "Body Listening: Corrections"; (10) "Space Moving: Images"; and (11) "Silence Sounding: Accompanists." Part 4, "Professional Concerns" includes (12) "Energy Talking: Communication"; (13) "Excellence Training: Health"; and (14) "Youth Spinning: Vitality." Five appendixes present a college level modern dance teaching syllabus, a college level placement guide, information on pre- and post-assessment in the performing arts, and student and instructor course evaluation sheets. (Contains 75 bibliographic references.) (SM)