DEL Lab Schools Feature: Erin Strong
We’re continuing to spotlight our 2024 DEL Lab Schools recipients. Join us in celebrating Erin Strong!

Erin Strong has taught and performed for over two decades throughout New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. Presently, she is the K-5 Performing Arts Coordinator at The Pingry School in Short Hills, NJ.
She has developed dance curriculum in creative movement, contemporary, modern, ballet, jazz, musical theater, and choreography. Additionally, she has developed interdisciplinary offerings, global education experiences, and social-emotional programming for children, teens, and adults.
Not for school, but for life we learn.
When Erin was introduced to this motto in seventh grade, her mindset was forever changed.
Her focus as an educator is rooted in the belief that the arts are a way of knowing, understanding, and communicating about one’s world.
Whether she is leading third grade students through their study of Jazz, swaying on the floor with kindergarteners as they embody a story about mermaids, or teaching a contemporary class to adults of mixed abilities, Erin is devoted to developing dance literacy in a learning environment rooted in empathy and inclusion.
At the heart of all her classes is celebrating one other, curiosity, and joy!

Erin teaching.
Erin’s professional accomplishments include:
- Graduating from Skidmore College as the first recipient of the Margaret Paulding Award for Excellence in Dance
- Earning an MA with PK-12 certification in Dance Education from NYU as a Susan Hersh Scholar
- Furthering her education through many of DEL’s offerings, including the DEL Facilitators in Training (FIT) program
- Performing with the Ellen Sinopoli Company, Deborah Damast, Renata Celichowska, and Ipswich Moving Company
- Early training with the renowned jazz master, Luigi, which continues to inform her work as a dancer and teacher
- Serving for many years as an administrative assistant for Skidmore College Summer Dance Workshops
A seasoned performer, teacher, and administrator, Erin believes in the power of the arts to transform, ignite, and build community.
We asked Erin to answer the following questions:
A. What is one of the biggest learnings or takeaways that has stuck with you from a DEL Course/Workshop?
There have been so many takeaways that have shaped how I have grown and continue to grow as an educator.
One thing that really changed my approach to teaching came from the DEL FIT program when we examined the power of a good question to invite exploration and creation. I remember we were advised to not ask a question unless you are ready for the answer. Meaning don’t ask students, “can you do this?” unless you are prepared to hear students say “no” in response. Instead, we frame questions in a way that guides students to embody a concept on a deeper level. For example, ask: “what would it look like if …?” or “how else can you do…?”
The power of well framed questions can spark so much creativity and innovation.
B. How do you apply the DEL Model in your teaching environment? Tell us more about how you use what you’ve learned from DEL in your real life.
DEL’s Framework values, among other things, community and reflection. I have found this Framework doesn’t just provide an avenue for my students to build relationships through collaboration, but it also has provided me with an invaluable community of passionate dance educators.
I value all the collaborative learning that occurs being part of the DEL community. DEL has provided me with the tools to be a reflective practitioner in a safe, encouraging, joyful environment. The DEL Model ensures the learning is meaningful and long-lasting, not just for my students but for me as well.
C. At the center of the DEL Model is the Teacher’s Heart, which represents the core artistic and philosophical values and beliefs of every dance educator. Erin shared:
I believe in teaching dance and all the performing arts as an artistic, physical and cultural practice. I believe dance is a way of knowing, understanding, and communicating about one’s world.
I guide my students to develop as movers, scholars, and artists. I love helping them discover connections between their dance learning and their overall learning about the world and themselves.
At the very core of my Teacher’s Heart are play, fun, and joy, not at the expense of content but to enhance the power of the content. Rigorous fun and fun rigor are the name of the game, and when in doubt, groove on!