FOUNDATIONS:

Training and Certification

The FOUNDATIONS training and certification program provides dance artists and educators with the tools to prepare the dancing body, prevent injuries, promote recovery, and provide a foundation for artistic excellence.

What is a good body, a good foot, a good plie? A good dancer? Let’s unpack the assumptions and questions we’ve inherited about what is valuable for our art and how it is achieved.

When we are trained to see, sense, and strategize movement through an anatomical lens, we are better equipped to understand and coach a dancer’s movement - no matter the dance style. The FOUNDATIONS program builds a strong base of musculoskeletal anatomy, an understanding of motor learning, and a physical practice that brings this information into action, to make training easier, more effective, and safer through clear cueing, targeted exercise selection and invention, program design and sequencing. 

The FOUNDATIONS program is composed of three units. While you must complete the units in order, you can pace your completion of the 2nd and 3rd units so that it is convenient to you. It is possible to take some of the courses without pursuing certification, however you must complete all three units within 2 years if you wish to qualify for certification.

After completing the FOUNDATIONS certification, students have the option to continue studying by taking individual workshops or by joining an advanced training supervision group.

I hope you will consider becoming part of a network of educators committed to forging the training cultures of the future so that they are more humane, more efficient, and more artful.

READ ON TO LEARN MORE.

Who is the FOUNDATIONS training and certification course for?
Dance educators who want to bring a sophisticated anatomical lens to their classes and help dancers work in healthy harmony with their bodies.

Studio directors who want to accelerate their dancers' growth and be better equipped for the inevitable challenges of injury amongst dancers.

Choreographers who want to communicate and problem solve movement in ways that bring more nuance to their art and reduce frustration within their creative process.

Performers who want to develop deeper understandings of and access to their own dancing bodies, building awareness, strength, and accessible mobility.

 

Foundations: ONE

This 12-week online course will provide you with a solid understanding of basic musculoskeletal anatomy for dance and movement. It will help you begin to develop the ability to see movement through an anatomical lens, allowing you to refine your skills as a performer and teacher. You will:

  • Learn the basics of injury (What is injury? How do we think about prevention and recovery)

  • Explore class and exercise design (What makes a great class or an effective movement exercise? What structures and choices will create the results you are seeking?)

  • Cuing: how can we apply principles from motor learning and ideokinesis so we use language more effectively to achieve quick and stable change?

  • Articulate your teaching or performance philosophy (How do you see your role as an educator or coach? How do we talk in an honest and useful way about risk in dance? And what are your responsibilities?)

DETAILS
Winter/Spring 2025 - online (1st cohort)

Class size will be limited to 6-12 students in order to provide an in-depth learning experience.

Course fee: $3300** (discount and payment plans available)

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION/REGISTRATION, WRITE anneke.k.hansen (at) icloud (dot) com OR send a message HERE

 

Foundations: TWO

Level two builds upon the foundation laid in level one. Now equipped with an overview of musculoskeletal anatomy, students will come together in-person for a five day intensive. Anatomy will be reviewed with the additional tools of palpation and muscle testing to reinforce the understanding gained in level one. Each day will begin with a group movement practice and will then include lectures and labs. You will expand your ability to put your knowledge into practice by practicing postural assessments and analysis, creating protocols for movement issues (asymmetries, injuries, etc) and designing and leading a portion of a class. 

DETAILS

In-person. (Precise dates TBA.)

Los Angeles (August 2025) and New York (September 2025)

~40 hours over one-week

Foundations: THREE

Level three is a final five day in-person intensive. As before, you and your cohort will begin each day with a movement class led by Anneke. Review topics will be selected by the group prior to the intensive and students will be asked to present practice cases, either from their own teaching or dancing practices. These cases will be workshopped by the group. Importantly, we will revisit and review the teaching philosophy statements that you wrote in Level One, making changes as necessary to reflect our growth through the training process. 

 Students pursuing certification will be required to lead a practice class. 

DETAILS
In-person. (Precise dates TBA.)

Los Angeles (March 2026) and New York (April 2026)

40+ hours