DEL Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education

DEL Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education

Course Opens March 2
Registration Closes February 25

class type

Asynchronous

DEL Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education is a six-week asynchronous course where participants delve into the key components of cultivating culturally responsive pedagogy in dance education drawing from key video resources created especially for DEL by Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown.

Date:

Course Opens March 2
Registration Closes February 25



DEL Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education

Asynchronous (Online)
1 year of access to all course materials

Grade Level(s)

K-12

Time to Complete

~12 Hours

Modules

6

Prerequisites

None

Course Content

DEL Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education uses videos curated by Dr. McCarthy-Brown and additional resources to guide dance educators through a process of self-examination and teacher reflection; as well as provide culturally responsive teaching tools. 

Participants will examine how culture, identity, and race show up in their teaching practice and will be asked to reflect on how race and other marginalizing stereotypes operate in their learning environments. In addition, participants will be given building blocks of culturally responsive teaching strategies to de-center Whiteness in the dance classroom.

Learning Objectives

In this course, participants will…

  • Understand how to embed culturally responsive instructional practices in diverse learning contexts
  • Identify and address cultural appropriation in dance learning and choreography
  • Examine one’s own beliefs and personal and cultural biases in order to promote authentic self-reflection around racist attitudes
  • Learn strategies to address the many ways racism shows out in the classroom such as in perpetuation of cultural stereotypes
  • Cultivate and practice anti-racist practices as related to dance education and other spheres and domains
  • Understand how to “de-center Whiteness” in the dance classroom in a range of ways

Choose From Two Modes of Study

Independent Study

$190

Course Dates: Anytime within 1 Year!

Course Opens: March 2

Facilitated Study

$380

Course Dates: March 2 – April 12, 2026 Final assignments due April 26

Course Duration: 6 weeks

Independent Study offers the freedom to learn at your own pace, allowing you to dedicate as much or as little time to the material as you choose. No set deadlines. Access to course materials for one year. Best suited for those who prefer to study independently and autonomously. 

Facilitated Study offers a more structured and interactive learning experience, requiring you submit weekly assignments, along with a final assignment. Receive written feedback from facilitators and participate in discussion boards for peer interaction. Attend a mid-course Zoom meeting to meet your cohort, engage with peers, and connect directly with the course facilitator. Requires approximately 3 hours of engagement per week. Best suited for students who value consistent feedback, community engagement, and a clear course timeline. Eligible for undergraduate credit through DEL’s partnership with SUNY Empire State University for a separate and additional fee.

Discounts

  • NYCDOE dance specialists get 50% off every DEL course.
  • NYCDOE common branch teachers get 10% off every DEL course.
  • NYCDOE Arnhold New Teachers get DEL courses free for their first and second year teaching in the DOE.

Email [email protected] for more information.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available through 92NY. 

Learn more about general 92NY scholarship information and applications. 

(All discounts are applied to the course cost only and participants are responsible for paying 92NY registration fees.)

Credits

Students may take this course in Facilitated Study format for SUNY Empire State University credit for a separate and additional fee, and will receive 4 undergraduate credits.

Educators can also receive New York State CTLE credits for completed DEL courses.

What's Inside Our Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Course

6 Modules of Learning:

Explore and define key principles of culturally relevant pedagogy and examine the concept of cultural archetypes outlined by Zaretta Hammond.

Examine your own cultural identity and begin to learn how to engage with your students’ cultural identities.

Continue to explore key concepts and ideas related to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Dance Education as presented by Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown in a video series.

Consider teaching styles leaning towards a more Western-based method and more culturally informed methods outside the dominant culture.

Consider dance-making activities that support and affirm students’ foundational embodied identities. Student choice does not necessarily mean that Whiteness is not being centered.

We will define Whiteness as a core component of White Supremacy culture, and critically examine aspects of White Supremacy Culture with a focus on Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome.

DEL's Online Learning Platform

Meet Your Instructors

Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown

Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown is a culturally sustaining pedagogue.  She is an Associate Professor of Dance Pedagogy through Community Engagement on faculty at The Ohio State University and is the university’s first Artist Laureate. She teaches dance education and contemporary dance with Africanist underpinnings, grounded in the celebration of all movers;...

Mariangela Lopez

Mariangela Lopez is a Brooklyn-based dance artist and educator from Caracas, Venezuela. Since 1999, she has built extensive experience teaching dance to different communities across the country and abroad, from professional dancers to college students, public schools (Pre K-12), and communities at risk. She is a faculty member at The...

Edwin Brathwaite

Edwin Brathwaite is a certified science and dance educator teaches at Meyer Levin Performing Arts School, IS 285, for the past 20 years. A native of Barbados, West Indies, He facilitates New York Citywide Dance professional development, Arts Monday and workshops for Dance Educational Laboratory (DEL). He is currently facilitating...