Sarah Council is a contemporary modern dance choreographer and teaching artist with 20 years of experience. She is the artistic director of Sarah Council Dance Projects (SCDP), a contemporary modern dance company currently based in Charlotte NC. SCDP is focused on dance research, creation and performance and works to share these experiences with others through presentations, workshops and residencies.
As a dance educator, Council believes that the creative process is empowering and transformative for individuals and communities. Sharing this process with others is her passion and priority. SCDP’s education program Move Create and Collaborate: k-12 arts-integrated and PD movement residencies and workshops has been implemented in several Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Schools and featured at Wake County Arts Council’s Arts Integration Institute. Council is an A+ Fellow with A+ Schools of North Carolina and is celebrating her 10th year as dance teaching artist with the Wolf Trap Institute of Early Learning Through the Arts (DC, NJ, NC, VA). She also has experience teaching dance and dance-making in community spaces in person and virtually (centers, libraries, ZOOM etc.). SCDP’s Dancing the Poem Workshop Series had been supported by of the Arts and Science Council (NC) Culture Blocks programs and Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Libraries. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to teach in numerous studio settings over her extensive career: Dance Place (DC), Joy of Motion (DC), American Dance Institute (DC), Glen Echo Park (DC), Ebb and Flow (NC).
SCDP has received support from the Queens Council on the Arts, The Puffin Foundation and The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and Arts and Science Council. Council’s choreography, described by the Washington post as “…uncommonly honest and expressive”, has been presented in numerous venues in NYC including: The Green Building, the 92nd St. Y, The LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Times Square Arts Center. The Flea Theater, The Secret Theater, The LABA Theater, The Riverside Theatre, Green Space, Triskelion Arts, Topaz Arts, Merce Cunningham Studio, Dance New Amsterdam, Gowanus Arts, Times Square Arts Center. Council’s work has also been presented at the following venues in Washington, DC, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Florida: Dance Place (DC), The Jack Guidone Theater (DC), Franklin Marshall University (PA),Glema Mahr Center for the Arts (KY) and Jacksonville Episcopal School (FL), Meredith College (NC), Bennett College (NC), The Duke Energy Theater (NC), Goodyear Arts (NC), Stephen Hyers Theater (NC) and BOOM Charlotte at Petra’s Bar (NC). She has performed with Gesel Mason, Deborah Riley, Helanius Wilkens, Cynthia Word and Citydance Ensemble. Council Is also a Certified GYROTONIC® and GYROKENISIS ® instructor and loves introducing people to this powerful system. She invites her clients to experience the joy of moving while building strength, flexibility and range of motion! She is offering classes online and in person. Find out more: www.sarahcouncil.com Council has a BFA from the University of Oklahoma
skcouncil@gmail.com
http://www.sarahcouncildance.com
5000 Elder Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205
202-236-9176
Move, Create and Collaborate, is a 3–5-day arts integrated, in-person OR virtual creative dance residency for grades k-12 that engages students in an exploration of classroom curriculum through movement and dance-making.
Facilitated by choreographer and dance educator, Sarah Council, students will have the opportunity to experience the joy of movement while participating in problem solving, self-expression and collaboration.
Working in-person OR together over zoom or any other school-preferred online conferencing platform, students will create choreography that explores a curriculum area selected by classroom teachers such as science, math, language arts or social studies. Educators will work closely with teaching artists to create custom content for their classes. The program will also include a collaborative planning meeting between the teaching artist and classroom teachers before the residency begins to identify objectives. This program will meet for a total of 3-5 days. The exact residency duration, schedule and format can be determined to meet the needs of each individual school.
Move, create and Collaborate aims to provides a rich immersive arts experience for all participants and offers educators accessible arts integration strategies they can use with their students right now and for years to come!
Over the course of this residency students will:
– Consider an area of classroom curriculum identified by classroom teacher (math, science, social studies, or language arts).
– Experience how these ideas can be explored through movement utilizing the elements of dance (shape, time, space and quality).
– Work independently and collaboratively to create original choreography inspired by these explorations.
– Perform and observe these small group dances in an informal classroom sharing.
Move Innovate and Collaborate aligns with the following Arts and Science Council’s funding priority area: Developing Third Grade Reading Skills (phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary development and comprehension).
Sarah Council
202-236-9176
skcouncil@gmail.com
October through May
School hours
Multipurpose room or classroom with desks pushed to the side so students can have space to move freely. If the virtual option is selected, access to a large screen or smart board is also required.
schools
3-5 day residency = $900 – $1200 per classroom
Standards addressed will be determined by classroom teacher and teaching artist.
Standards addressed will be determined by classroom teacher and teaching artist.
50% of the total engagement fee if cancelling within 30 days of the booking
100% of the total engagement fee if cancelling within 7 days of the booking
In case of inclement weather or other unforeseen situations SCDP will work with the school to reschedule residency activities.