The Dance Inquiry Podcast

What are the possibilities of California dance education now? Part 2

With a newly-reinstated dance teaching credential and secured state funding for the arts in schools, it’s an exciting moment for California dance education right now. Tune in as we speak with California dance teaching artists Gaby Mendoza and Carol Kueffer about how they view the new possibilities in dance education. In Part 1, we give a little background. Gaby and Carol share their pathways to teaching dance in schools, before the reinstatement of the credential, and describe the teaching artist communities that kept them learning and kept them creative. Part 2 dives into how the credential and Arts and Music in Schools Funding have impacted the dance education ecosystem, and a vision for what’s next. Music: "Night Grooves Unleashed" by Stocktune

What are the possibilities for California dance education now? Part 1

With a newly-reinstated dance teaching credential and secured state funding for the arts in schools, it’s an exciting moment for California dance education right now. Tune in as we speak with California dance teaching artists Gaby Mendoza and Carol Kueffer about how they view the new possibilities in dance education. In Part 1, we give a little background. Gaby and Carol share their pathways to teaching dance in schools, before the reinstatement of the credential, and describe the teaching artist communities that kept them learning and kept them creative. Part 2 dives into how the credential and Arts and Music in Schools Funding have impacted the dance education ecosystem, and a vision for what’s next. Recorded June 6, 2025. Music: "Night Grooves Unleashed" by Stocktune

How is dance an integral part of inclusive education? Part 2

Part 2 of our conversation with maker educator Paula Mitchell about the inclusive and community-based dance program at Grass Valley Elementary, and about how dance aligns with Grass Valley's maker school identity. Recorded April 29, 2022. Transcription and bio of our guest speaker can be found ⁠here [https://lunadancecreativity.org/episode-4-grass-valley-elementary-how-is-dance-an-integral-part-of-inclusive-education-part-2/]⁠. Music for this podcast episode was composed by Heather Stockton and Kip Kipperman. We'd love to hear what you think about this episode, or any questions it brings up for you! Please email us at PL@lunadancecreativity.org.

How is dance an integral part of inclusive education?

Maker educator Paula Mitchell chats with dance teaching artists Alisa Rasera and Heather Stockton about the inclusive and community-based dance program they helped develop at Grass Valley Elementary. Transcription of this episode, and bios of guest speakers can be found here [https://lunadanceinstitute.org/episode-3-grass-valley-elementary-how-is-dance-an-integral-part-of-inclusive-education/]. We'd love to hear what you think about this episode, or any questions it brings up for you! Please email us at PL@lunadancecreativity.org.

What does inclusive dance look like in early childhood?

For this episode we invited two teaching colleagues, Jessica Kershner and Aiano Nakagawa, to tell their story about how they partnered together to bring dance into an early childhood inclusion classroom in an Oakland public school. Transcription of this episode, and bios of guest speakers can be found here [https://lunadanceinstitute.org/episode-2-what-does-inclusive-dance-look-like-in-early-childhood/]. We'd love to hear what you think about this episode, or any questions it brings up for you! Please email us at PL@lunadancecreativity.org.