With all the uncertainty that these times of financial crisis have created in our state, I want to take a moment to thank all our dedicated dance educators and artists for their continued committment to keeping dance important and relevant in the lives of their students and communities. We have, as a group, been affected in different ways and to different degrees in our professional and personal lives. But as dancers and artists we know the power of the creative process, and it is those critical thinking and problem solving skills that will keep things alive as we weather this storm. Amazing things happen when we are called upon to really use the creative skills that we teach and preach. So keep up the good and strong work, and never doubt the power of dance and dedicated teachers to affect great change.

Next week is our NDEO conference in New York City. Just a quick shout out to all our California members who will be attending and "taking a bit out of the big apple". I'll happily be there as well staying at the Skyline and presenting with Melinda Williams of the Music Center on Saturday. Hopefully, we'll have time to make connections amongst ourselves during the week. There is a meet and greet wine reception sponsored by K-12 SIG members and state contributors from California, New York, Washington and Arizona at 8 pm Saturday night in the 1050 Restaurant in the Skyline Hotel. It will be a great time to relax and connect. I hope to see you all there!

Shana Habel
Co-President

Dear colleague:

In 2007, with support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Center for Education Policy at SRI International created a report on the state of arts education in California. The report, An Unfinished Canvas: Arts Education in California, revealed that a large majority of California schools do not meet state goals for arts education –- that is, they fail to offer a standards-based course of study in dance, music, visual arts, and theatre. In addition, the report identified barriers to arts education, including inadequate and unstable funding, insufficient instructional time, and limited staff and professional development in the arts.

To learn how more California students might receive standards-based arts education, the Hewlett Foundation provided support for a suite of follow-up studies. We are pleased to announce the availability of:
An Unfinished Canvas: Local Partnerships in Support of Arts Education:
http://www.hewlett.org/download?guid=06ff1c8e-8d47-102c-9266-0002b3e9a4de

An Unfinished Canvas: Local Partnerships in Support of Arts Education explores the role of partnerships between local arts organizations and schools and districts in supporting elementary arts education in California. We also highlight case studies, illustrating how partners in six diverse California communities work together to increase access to arts education, and discuss benefits and limitations of those partnerships.

Click here to read a fact sheet that describes findings across the full suite of reports: http://policyweb.sri.com/cep/publications/AnUnfinishedCanvasFactSheet.pdf

Each of these reports has important implications for arts education in California, and we sincerely hope that you will find the information useful in your efforts to support arts education. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Moy Eng
Director, Performing Arts Program
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

Bedford Interactive Productions and Research (U.K.) is a partnership that has been pioneering the use of technology in dance education for over 15 years. The latest Bedford Interactive products (Choreographic Outcomes: Improving Dance Composition CD ROM RESOURCE PACK and Vocalise: Improving Dance Performance DVD ROM RESOURCE PACK) will be presented in a practical, hands-on workshop setting.

Session 1
9.30am – 11.30am
Teaching COMPOSITION using Choreographic Outcomes
A practical workshop using the material contained in the DVD Rom resource Choreographic Outcomes. The aim of this groundbreaking resource pack is to teach students how to create FORM in their dance compositions. This most difficult aspect is demonstrated by professionals and young students who perform two solos, four duets, trio and quintet excerpts. Each aspect of form – motifs, developments, variations, contrasts, floor and air patterns, orchestration of dancers in time and space - is studied and explored by the students in practical composition tasks. While geared to secondary and post-secondary students, the resource pack informs all levels of dance education.

Session 3
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Teaching PERFORMANCE using Vocalise
A practical workshop using the materials contained in the DVD ROM resource Vocalise: Improving Dance Performance. This NEW resource, which aims to teach and improve modern dance performance, is truly ‘cutting-edge’ in both pedagogy and technology. It provides a comprehensive template for the teaching and improving performance of set dances through in depth analysis of movement, phrasing, rhythm, dynamics, spatial features, use of music and style. While geared to secondary and post-secondary students, the resource pack informs all levels of dance education.

BIOGRAPHY
JACQUELINE SMITH-AUTARD
From initial experience over five years as a dance teacher in a secondary school, Jacqueline Smith-Autard has lectured in five colleges/universities for 45 years - mostly delivering dance teacher education. Practical work has always been the seedbed for her research contributions to dance education in the form of books, many articles, and latterly, in the context of Bedford Interactive, DVD/CD ROM Resource Packs.
The two seminal books are still informing dance education – Dance Composition in its 5^th edition (2004) is to go into a 6^th edition in 2010 and The Art of Dance Education in its 2^nd edition (2002) is being re-printed for 2009.
She has also been instrumental in development of examinations in dance at school level, development of dance in the UK National Curriculum, and is founder honorary member of the National Dance Teachers' Association in the UK, former chair of daCi UK, member of the editorial board for the international journal - Research in Dance Education, external examiner for dance teacher courses, MA/MSc. courses and has acted as consultant for government agencies and in several other countries.
Retirement from the University of Leeds in 2004, except for continuity in tutoring PhD students, does not end her career. She will no doubt go on authoring materials for dance for years to come.