So many exciting things!

 What wonderful things have I experienced over the last year?  I presented in July at the ISMETA/NDEO conference in New York.  I was honored to share Eastwest SomaticsⓇ  Practices and guide a workshop on somatic leadership in dance education.  Dr. Matthew Henley and I published new research in The International Journal of Arts Education, "Gripping the Landscape: Understanding Learning in Dance through the Skilled Intentionality Framework." I continue to build the dance program at Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts & Technology.  Last year select students traveled to New York to perform at Brooklyn Arts Exchange with Johnnie Mercer's The REDProjectNYC and our program received funding through CultureWorks to host Cora Dance for multiple residencies to guide ARGS and local middle school students in their Crossroads Project.  This summer I will travel to Greece to teach alongside Amy Bush at the Eastwest Somatics Institute Greece Retreat.  A few weeks after that I will teach at the Florence Summer Dance Intensive in Italy.  Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Recent developments

I had such a full year last year in my first year as the dance department chair at Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts & Technology in Petersburg, VA.  We expanded our guest artist program, travelled to New York City where my students performed with Johnnie Cruise Mercer at 92NY, and participated in both the Central Virginia Youth Dance Festival and the National High School Dance Festival.  

In January I was honored to provide a keynote address at the 2023 Eastwest Somatics Institute's annual conference in Springdale, UT.  On September 30, I will present Leading Dance with an Abundance Mindset at the National Dance Education Organization annual conference in Denver, CO. In November I will teach an Eastwest Somatics tutorial alongside Kelly Lester for the Eastwest Somatics Institute. 

In July I joined the board for Cora Dance Alleghany.  I look forward to helping this company, based in both Brooklyn, NY And Clifton Forge, VA grow and connect with its Virginia community.  

I'm looking forward to another year of exciting growth!

Promotions, new learning, and more

Important developments!  I was recently promoted to dance department chair at Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology.  I am excited to begin this new leadership role.  

In other exciting news, I traveled to Durham, NC last summer to attend the National Humanities Center's Teaching African-American History institute.  I spent a life-changing week with other educators from across the country (and Scotland!) learning more about African-American history so I can better serve my Black and African-American students.  The NHC offers a valuable database of primary sources for students and teachers, and amazing professional development opportunities.  To learn more, please visit their website. 

I also have a new article published in the Journal of Dance Education!  Last year my article, "Creating Thinking: Immersive Dance Theater as 4E Cognition in the Wild" was featured in JODE's special issue on 4 E Cognition.  I'm currently working with colleague, Dr. Matthew Henley, to determine how the Skilled Intentionality Framework as discussed by Rietveld might be used to better understand and improve dance education in the secondary classroom.

What's new?  In this time of pandemic challenges I have struggled to keep my web presence up-to-date.  However, I have had a year full of exciting new learning.  And my most recent exciting news is that I just received an acceptance for my newest article, "Creating Thinking: Immersive Dance Theater as Cognition in the Wild."  The article will be published in the Journal of Dance Education.  Date TBA.  

I am also excited to begin writing my dissertation on Eastwest Shin Somatics.  Check back later for updates about this project.

Return to Utah - Eastwest Shin Somatics Annual Conference

Last month I returned to Springdale, Utah to commune with some amazing somatic dance and movement educators and present my current research regarding Deleuzian duration and difference in somatic practice.  It was a powerful experience, even more rewarding because one of my high school students, Corrin, also presented at the conference.  The youngest presenter ever selected at the international conference, Corrin shared her experience integrating breath awareness in her own ballet training.  The conference included presenters from the US and Mexico, and offered many diverse presentations of the multiplicity that is somatics.  And we celebrated the phenomenal Sondra Fraleigh's eightieth birthday.  In the snow! It was a powerful experience.  Learn more about Shin Somatics here.

Participants of the Somatics in Phenomenology, Performance & Leadership
2019 Shin Somatics Conference

The conference was held in the beautiful Zion National Park, so hikes were a necessity.

Since returning to Virginia, I don't experience a lot of snow.  This was a gift, indeed! 

New York! New York!

This week I head to Gibney 280 in New York, New York to present at the Emerging Pathways Within Somatic Movement and Dance Education conference. I will present on Eastwest Shin Somatics® alongside Kelly Ferris Lester, Amy Bush, Catherine Schaeffer and Michelle Ikle.  I will also present a paper/lecture demonstration on Shin Somatics® as Deleuzian durational performance. 

Photo Credit: Andrea Vasquez-Aguirre

The event is jointly hosted by ISMETA and NDEO.  Are you in town?  There are a very few spots left.  Check out the schedule here and register if you can!

On my way to New York City

The past few months have been very full, as I have continued teaching at Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Virginia State University while reading for my qualifying exams.  Additional exciting events:

• October: I presented with a former student, Mekinzey Parks, at the NDEO annual conference.  We shared our experience developing dance programs in public schools through the AmeriCorps Teacher Fellowship program.
• November: I traveled to Nazareth College in Rochester, NY to teach master classes and perform a solo choreographed by Utah artist, Sara Gallo, in the annual Movement and Dance Festival.
• January: My newest work, The River Runs Deep premiered in Dogwood Dance Project's annual concert at Dogtown Dance Theatre.  We were selected to perform the work in April in the Richmond Dance Festival.  Watch here for updates on the festival.
• February: I certified as a Shin® Somatics Yoga teacher. 

Coming soon:

In June I will travel to New York City to present at the NDEO/ISMETA Emerging Pathways in Somatic Movement and Dance Education conference.  I am excited to discuss Eastwest Institute's Shin® Somatics as a practical method with a panel of my peers.  I will also present my early thoughts about how Deleuzian philosophy might be exemplified in and press against the boundaries of, Eastwest Shin® Somatics.

Upcoming articles, recent presentations, and more.

This past year has been full of change as I relocated to Virginia to be closer to family while I completed coursework for my PhD in Dance through Texas Woman's University.  I am honored to currently serve as the Modern Dance Specialist for Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts.  I also teach Modern technique, dance appreciation and dance conditioning at Virginia State University.  These institutions offer many opportunities to share dance with a diverse student population while continually improving my pedagogy.

In other news, I presented my current research on Shin Somatics as embodied experience of Deleuzian duration at the 6th Annual Somatics Conference in Geneva, NY.  Prior to the conference, I was fortunate to dance with gifted educators hailing from all parts of the US, refreshing my understanding of Bill Evans Technique.  I returned from the experience refreshed and excited to share new and re-membered ideas with my students.

My most recent article, "Dance Scholarship and Community Engagement: A Literature Review of the Journal of Dance Education," appeared in volume 18, issue 2 of the Journal of Dance Education. You may also want to keep an eye out for my upcoming article, "Shin Somatics Contact Unwinding: Developing Mindfulness Through Interpersonal Relationship." You will find it in the December issue of the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices. This will be my UK premiere!

Coming Soon:
Dogwood Dance Project has commissioned me to create a new work for their upcoming concert.  I am excited and honored to work with the company.  I will post updates as we begin the dance.


Please check back for updates as I continue researching Shin Somatics and the French post-structuralist philosopher, Gilles Deleuze.

Article on Tap Dance Pedagogy is Out!

My article, "Meter and Musicality in Tap Class" is out in the Journal of Dance Education.  The in-practice article explores practical ways to teach musicality through tap.  Please access it at http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/rFEQGkhBY9uyRqHivYfm/full. 

Traveling to Zion

I will return to Utah for a week in December.  I am presenting at the EastWest Somatics Conference in Zion National Park in Springdale, UT.  Consider attending!  More information: http://www.eastwestsomatics.com/conferences.php.

Upcoming Articles

I have two articles about to be published in the Journal of Dance Education.  The first, "Meter and Musicality in Tap Class," addresses practical methods for teaching tap dance musicality through the use of multiple meters.  I offer specific examples, and support the success of my methods through student reflection.  The article is slated to appear in a fall issue.  Exact date TBA.

The second article is a literature review of the journal as it addresses community dance practice.  Look for "Dance Scholarship and Community Engagement: A Literature Review of the Journal of Dance Education," in the near future.

If you do not currently subscribe to the Journal, please consider joining the National Dance Education Organization and receiving a free subscription with your membership.  Learn more at NDEO.org.

Book reviews are out

The Journal of Dance Education recently published a couple book reviews I wrote. Please use the following links to check them out.

Isadora Duncan and the 21st Century


Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning

A new article is on the way.

I am very excited to announce that my newest article, "Meter and Musicality in Tap Class" has just been accepted for publication in the Journal of Dance Education.  Stay tuned to discover which issue it will be published in.

Coming soon: Denise goes to Austria!

2016 has been a busy year for me.  In February I completed a residency with the wonderful dancers at Auburn University.  In March I was blessed to teach and perform at the MAD festival in Rochester, NY.  And in June I started work on my PhD at Texas Woman's University.  My life is full of dance and scholarship.

Coming up is an exciting opportunity to share my work in Guatemala and a solo performance at the IUGTE conference in Austria.  In December I will present at this international and intercultural arts conference, sharing my interdisciplinary teaching in the highlands of Guatemala.  I will also co-present with choreographer Andrea Vazquez and pianist James Kaufmann.  We will perform our collaborative work, Axis, set to Bartok's Mikrokosmos Book 4.  Check out IUGTE here.  To learn more about Andrea and James, check out Another River Interdisciplinary Ensemble.

EastWest Somatics Zion Conference

I'm on my way to EastWest Somatics' winter conference this weekend.  I can't wait to learn from the variety of international dance and somatic scholars presenting.  My presentation, How big can small be?, focuses on the importance of developing awareness of nuanced movement in the body as it relates to advancing dance technique.  I'm looking forward to connecting with these wonderful people and soaking in the natural beauty of Zion Canyon.

NDEO 2015 was fabulous

NDEO 2015 in Phoeniz, AZ was the best yet.  I learned so much from my fellow dance educators, and I really enjoyed presenting about my work in Guatemala.  I'm looking at an August trip to Guatemala next year.  I want to take students from several universities, so if you have a group of students who you think will love teaching little ones, please contact me at denisepurvis@suu.edu.  Hope to hear from you soon!

Just got back from yet another FABULOUS Bill Evans Teachers' Intensive.  9 hours a day of dance, somatics, introspection and personal growth.  This is my tribe.  I love re-membering how much my body knows.  And the sheer joy of dancing makes every sore muscle worth it.

I really enjoyed working with Claire Porter in her new dance, Electrical Shorts.  Her process is a wild ride, and I certainly learned a lot about myself and about dance making through working with her and the other members of our wonderful cast.

Can't wait until next year!

Another great trip to Guatemala

On May 8, I traveled to the Guatemalan Highlands with 5 SUU students and one former Cedar City resident to teach arts integrated lessons in the public schools.  Our team worked with students at La Cumbre and Sector Dos, teaching dance, music, visual art, theatre, English, math and social studies.  We designed lessons around the current curriculum at each school, and had a blast creating and learning together.  My personal favorite experience was teaching students at Sector Dos about West Africa and seeing them perform Funga Alafia, a West African welcome dance.  Because welcoming people to your village through dance is still a common practice for the children, they understood the importance of such a dance in a way that many children in the States are unable to fathom.  We had a blast dancing together.  If you want to see the kids in action, check them out in this video:

The Guatemala project continues to grow.  I am already planning for next year.  Check out the organization that makes this possible at http://www.highlandsupportproject.org/.

Guatemala was fabulous!

My trip to Guatemala was exciting and enriching.  I taught lessons on onomatopoeia and movement patterns to children at four different schools in the Guatemalan Highlands.  I also learned several folk dances, listened to beautiful merimba music, and hiked an active volcano.  The people I met were very excited to learn creative, ballet and modern dance, and generously shared their dances with me.  I look forward to returning in May of 2015 to develop the arts integration program.

Also upcoming is Shifting Velocity Dance Company in Concert.  Go to ShiftingVelocityDance.com to learn more about the company and our upcoming performances.  Please join us at the Heritage Center in Cedar City, UT on April 7 & 8 at 7:30 pm for an evening of exciting dance.  

Going to Guatemala

Welcome back to my blog!  Please explore the sidebar items on the right to learn more about me.

What is coming up?  In August I will travel to Guatemala to teach dance-integrated lessons and research the role of dance in Guatemala culture and schools.  I am very excited about this new opportunity and am grateful to Highland Support Project and Southern Utah University for making this happen.  Please check back in August to find out what I discover on the trip.  And check out Highland Support Project on the web at  highlandsupportproject.org.