Emily Crofford
Dancer | Choreographer | Educator
Emily Crofford (Winston-Salem, NC) was born a mover, became an athlete by design, and a dancer through intuition. Emily is an investigative artist and educator interested in exploring the intimate connection dance offers both performers and viewers. She has taught contemporary and jazz dance techniques, dance appreciation, dance pedagogy, conditioning, yoga, and creative movement to a vast spectrum of students across several states. She teaches at High Point University and Winston Salem State University and has also taught at Elon University, Salem College, and the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She appeared in the official music video for I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance) by the Glass Animals and was selected as one of Dance Project's Artists in Residence for Fall 2018. Her choreography has been featured at several Cleveland Dance Showcases, American College Dance Association conferences, and Tobacco Roads Dance Productions' In Concert '19. Emily has worked with numerous choreographers, including performing with Christine Bowen Dance, Chris Yon, and was part of the Corciano Festival, 53' Agosto Corcianese, in Corciano, Italy. Additionally, her research integrates somatic and conditioning practices seamlessly into dancers' training, which she presented at several National Dance Education Organization Conferences along with various other dance conferences. Emily earned her MFA in Dance with a concentration in choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her BFA in Dance Education, an education minor from Kent State University. She is also a certified Yoga teacher through the Yoga Alliance and a Certified Elite Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association, becoming certified in Strength and Conditioning, Personal Training, and Nutrition.
Choreography
Media
Artist's Statement
"Dance is life. Know that you are alive."
- Hanya Holm
I believe that Dance surpasses the notion of Art reflecting life because dancers are life lived through the Art of movement. I believe that Dance possesses a true heartbeat, one that resides in the breathing beauty of the dancers living in the ephemerality of the art form. I am fascinated by this intimate connection Dance offers. I am the medium for which I create and present my Art. I am an extension and representation of the choreographer whose work I am performing, and so are the dancers who step into my rehearsal. There is no separation between my Art and myself, as Dance lives in and through me. When I create, my histories, perspectives, loves, losses, triumphs, failures, and beliefs all ebb and flow through me, permeating the work with a signature unique to myself. As an artist, I find my artistic voice to be ever-changing, ever-evolving, ever-learning, fumbling, and growing as I navigate and negotiate through this whirlwind of life.
As an artist, I strive to create work that honors the life force intimately tied to Dance. Inspiration for my work runs the whole gambit of human emotions and experiences. Inspiration soars from the laughter of a child, slithers from underneath anxieties, or blooms in the warm embrace of a lover. As life offers a range of feelings and events, so does my choreographic body of work. While working from life’s cornucopia of creative resources, I seek to create works that reflect, investigate, and explore the themes. I want the audience to feel welcomed into the work, allowing for individual interpretation and connection to the dancers and movement.
While my choreography reigns true to my artistic voice and vision, I always take the dancers I am working with into consideration when crafting the piece. I am truly honored by the dancers who choose to give their time and talent in the pursuit of the creation of my work. I believe in creating works that showcase the abilities of those dancers, highlighting their artistry and strengths, and pulling from their unique talents and skills to create a work that honors who they are and how they exist within the universe we cultivate. I cherish the variations, individual quirks, and flairs my dancers bring to the work. The dancers live within the work, and I value their insight into the experience. It’s not their perfection that I am after, but their truth, vulnerability, and willingness to explore within the structure.
As a choreographer, I always keep myself from settling and slipping into what is comfortable and easy. I have created work for traditional proscenium theatres, site-specific, film, and immersive dance theatre. All of which brings forth new challenges, perspectives, and investigations. Each Dance offers unique insight into whom I am as an artist while promoting further inquiry into how I create and what I value. With every work, I most appreciate the ability of Dance and Art to connect us all to a sense of truth and beauty that emanates from the realizations and complexities of what it means to exist and thrive in this tapestry of life.
Teaching Philosophy
The art of teaching dance lies within the transfer of knowledge through individual bodies moving in space. Bodies that carry with them unique life experiences that help to shape who they are as individuals and artists. As a dance educator, I center my teaching philosophy around acknowledging and honoring each student's unique beauty and artistry. No matter what my student's skill level or age, I hold dearly that the work they are producing is not merely the selection of the correct answers on a test, but rather the work is intimately tied to whom they are as moving bodies moving individuals. My students entrust me with their bodies and minds, motivating me to continuously investigate and reflect on my teaching methods and practices.
I base my pedagogical practices on a student-centered or "progressivism" belief. A progressivist approach to education means living in a constantly changing world. To better prepare our students for society, we must encourage them to seek answers through hands-on experimental learning. Students learn through application and critical thinking rather than rote memory and repetition. Critical thinking, active learning strategies, and real-world content application will help guide my students toward a more meaningful learning approach. It is essential for students to see the value in the process of acquiring knowledge rather than placing the value of the course entirely on extrinsic rewards. To instill this mindset in my students, I embody these principles and continuously reflect on my pedagogical practices and continual growth as a learner.
I base my technique class on the principles of Safety Release Technique, kinesiology, and somatic practices. I use the knowledge gained while studying Saftey Release Technique from its developer, B.J. Sullivan, to combine my understanding of the body as an Elite Trainer and somatic experiences as a certified Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance to present this technique to the students. Such an approach to teaching contemporary dance technique exemplifies self-growth, investigation, and discovery. My goal is to provide students with a profound understanding of their bodies by discovering how to release excessive tension to allow for fluidity of movement intermixed with power and strength.
I tell my students that it's not a matter of them looking like myself or their peers but instead finding how they can process and interpret the presented concepts within their bodies. This development of strong bodily awareness is emphasized through sound anatomical references as well as the use of imagery throughout the class. I encourage my students to cultivate a deep-seated understanding of how they connect to the movement, explore their range, growing as artists. I begin class with a series of slower combinations that either take place on the floor or standing as an opening somatic reading of our day-to-day bodies. It is essential to begin each class this way as it helps to strengthen the student's mind-body connections. A strong mind-body connection enables students to think and feel while moving, gain a deeper understanding of habitual tendencies, use their energy efficiently, and help to prevent injuries.
As the class progresses, I structure the lessons around finding connections from the simplest warm-up movements in the beginning to the largest, most expansive movements performed at the end of the class. This method allows students to witness that dance is an ever-evolving and investigative experience of the moving body and the intricacies of the art, that the simplest movements all feed into the large picture.
By employing various teaching methods within the classroom, I diversify my instruction to allow students multiple modes of access to the curriculum while challenging them to grow as learners and artists. Whether in technique, lecture, or choreography class, I challenge my students to become self-motivated and continuously investigate the subject matter. Critical thinking, active learning strategies, and real-world content application will help guide my students toward a more meaningful approach to their education. For example, in World Dance, the students learn about the importance of dance in various cultures. Through written assignments and discussions, they analyze and reflect upon how varying cultural perspectives and biases can impact the development of dance related to culture.
An atmosphere of respect, trust, and understanding cultivates a safe and encouraging space for dancers to learn and explore. By showing my students the respect and attention they deserve, I serve as the first example of being supportive within the classroom. I make it a policy to respond quickly to student emails and make myself available outside of class meeting times to discuss any concerns the students may have throughout the semester. To promote community, I often have students verbally and physically reflect on positive and inspiring moments they witness when observing peers. My goal is for my students to develop their critical thinking skills and see the value and artistry of the dance art form. I encourage students to develop strong artistic beliefs and appreciate and respect opinions that differ from their views. Class and small group discussions help foster exploration into the course content and allow the opportunity for self-expression.
My students provide me with constant inspiration that drives my investigation. As an educator in a physically demanding field, I feel tremendous responsibility for the well-being of my students. To offer my students the education they deserve, I must be a forever learner. To continue my learning, I seek opportunities and resources to guide me in developing safe and effective teaching methods. Obtaining my Strength and Conditioning Coach certification is one method I employ to continually build my understanding of the human body as it applies to physical activity. Through my research, I seek ways to develop mindful conditioning approaches and techniques for dancers. A mindful conditioning approach will enable dancers to gain a deeper understanding of practical and effective conditioning practices that will allow them to develop as dance artists through the mindset of an athlete. By combining the principles of conditioning practice with a mind-body connection through somatic practices, dancers will learn safe, efficient, and sustainable practices that foster healthy longevity in their careers as moving artists. Furthermore, by attending and presenting at various dance conferences, I can receive feedback on my theories and gain insight into how dance education is expanding and developing.
