Embodying one’s teaching identity – Making the tacit explicit

The author uses her own evolution as a dance teacher in higher education for a steppingstone to explore somatics as a pedagogical framework. She begins with examining the entrée of dance in U.S. higher education and how somatic beliefs are embedded within the goals of these early dance programs. As the author reflects on the parameters of somatics through different theoretical lenses, questions emerge about how a somatics oriented teacher embodies somatic values in her teaching identity. Through a qualitative research design of observation and dialogue, two contemporary technique teachers were observed for their body attitudes, gestures, and language choices to explore two particular instances of a somatics-oriented pedagogy.