“This class deepened my appreciation of the interrelatedness of technique and anatomical understandings of the body. I liked the open spirit of creative engagement that both professors brought to the material. There was a dialogue between moving and reflecting that I found extremely useful. I saw weekly opportunities to reframe my teaching and to apply this material to students of all ages.”
—Functional Awareness course participant
Tips for Hips for Dance Educators
Teaching Strategies for Core & Pelvic Stability, Turnout, & Injury Prevention
with Nancy Romita
Sunday January 10, 2027
Time: 10:00 -11:00 AM (Eastern Time US)
Zoom
This Zoom session explores methods to improve core and pelvic stability and hip joint mobility through Functional Awareness® cueing methods. The practices develop understanding of movement function, foster student self-agency, and improve dance skills, Each person navigates hip movements through a unique body construct. The Zoom workshop provides dance educators with a series of verbal, auditory, visual, and tactile cueing prompts to help support each student toward increased stability in core support and healthy strategies to improve turnout. The session also provides self-care strategies for both students and dance educators to restore and reset the body dance class dancing and in daily life.
Enrollment is limited, so register now.
Session fee $20.00 (includes pre-recorded video content access for 7 days Jan 10-17)
Nancy Wanich-Romita (MFA, RSME, M.AmSAT RYT) IS on the dance faculty at Towson University, dance educator, yogi, keynote speaker, & co-author (with Allegra Romita Functional Awareness Anatomy in Action for Dancers published by Oxford University Press. See full bio at https://functionalawareness.org/faculty/
To register, go to: https://secure.
Functional Awareness® Mindfulness Practices in Embodied Anatomy for the Dance Educator
Asynchronous Online Learning:
Summer Course: June 8-July 17 2026
Course Description:
Functional Awareness® (FA) is a practical approach to dance pedagogy using anatomical imagery and reflective practices to enhance movement potential, facilitate ease in action, and improve dynamic alignment. This 6-week course curriculum is an opportunity to reinvigorate teaching practices and renew personal movement practices for self-care.
The course utilizes engaging lectures, readings, and active movement explorations that present current research on motor learning skills for core strength, improving standing leg balance, and other dance skills. The course is conducted as weekly sessions. The sessions include asynchronous webinars and optional opportunities to meet synchronously with the instructors and cohort to share insights and questions. Learning outcomes include the ability to utilize FA verbal, tactile, & visual cues to enhance efficacy in action, employ FA rubrics to assess student learning, and acquire a language for providing feedback to students that encourage student agency. Each week, participants learn strategies to improve movement skills while employing tools for dancer wellness and injury prevention. The course content is appropriate for all movement populations and is applicable for all dance styles. The modules integrate practical applications in functional anatomy and somatic mindfulness practices to support inclusive learning and diverse perspectives in dance.
