Dr. Sylvia Coats, NCTM and professor emerita of music, retired from Wichita State University after 28 years as professor of piano pedagogy and class piano. She authored Thinking as You Play: Teaching Piano in Individual and Group Lessons, published by Indiana University Press. Her credits include performances and recordings with the Sotto Voce Trio, articles in Clavier Companion and American Music Teacher, and presentations at conferences throughout the United States and internationally in Scotland, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, and China. She has held many offices in MTNA including two terms on the Board of Directors, Certification Commission Chair, and MTNA Secretary Treasurer. The Kansas Music Teachers Association honored her as 2007 Teacher of the Year.
Denise Celestin, professor of dance at Wichita State University, received her early training in New Orleans and completed the MFA in Ballet from Texas Christian University. She has danced professionally with the Ballet Met of Columbus, Ohio, and has served on the faculties of the Ballet Met Academy, Otterbein College, and the Ohio State University. Ms. Celestin has participated as a coach in the Fifth USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi and has choreographed a wide range of works for Ballet and Opera. Her special interest in music and dance has led to invitations to present interactive sessions on Baroque and Romantic Dances at the Music Teachers National Association, CBDNA and International Piano Pedagogy Conferences.
Workshop 1: Dancing and Playing the Baroque Dances.
Two presenters, a music teacher and a ballet teacher, offer this unique workshop focusing on full body movement in both historical and practical contexts. Participants will dance the steps to the Baroque Minuet, Sarabande, Bouree, and Gigue. Teachers are encouraged to teach their students the dances to help them glean new insights into interpretation through tempo, articulation, ornamentation, and dynamics.
Workshop 2: Dancing and Playing the Romantic Dances.
The dance forms from the music of Chopin, Liszt and Brahms have always stirred imagination and inspiration. Dances in the Nineteenth Century filled candlelit ballrooms and graced the elegant salons of society. Participants will learn about history and style by dancing the basic steps for the Mazurka, Polonaise, Waltz, Hungarian Dance (Czardas) and Polka.