Tabitha Baker
SEPTEMBER'S MONTHLY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT!
“The connections and role models dance educators can find within their own community as a direct result of NCDEO is the reason I began attending and participating within the organization. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by professionals who are both educators and artists as I continue to navigate through my years as a beginning teacher. Each workshop I attend leaves me with new ideas to explore, new questions to ask about the art and teaching of dance, as well as new tools to take back to my students.”
Her Story
A North Carolina native, Tabitha Baker began her exploration of dance at four years old in Lexington, NC. From that point on, whenever someone would ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say, “I want to go to UNCC and be a dance teacher.” She embarked on her teaching journey at 14 years old, assisting and leading ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop classes. True to her word, she went on to study and graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.A. in Dance with a concentration in K-12 Education and a minor in Theatre. During her time at UNC Charlotte, she was an intern for Barre Belle, a nonprofit organization that works to provide access to dance through various locations in community centers and schools. This gave her the privilege of bringing ballet to students who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to experience it. She completed her student teaching at Jesse C. Carson High School in China Grove under dance educator Ashlyn Keller-Silver, where she truly learned the value of creating a welcoming environment in order for students to flourish. Also during her time at UNC Charlotte, she worked in various roles as a Communication Consultant and Precepter in the Department of Dance, giving her the opportunity to work with adults of various ages. Due to these assorted experiences, she has grown to love teaching people of all age groups.
Since graduating, she is now the dance teacher at Crestdale Middle School in Matthews, NC, where she teaches sixth-eighth grade students. Bringing in guest artists and giving students the opportunity to experience dance in the local community are extremely important in her teaching. She is also an instructor of various dance classes at Piedmont School of Music and Dance in Charlotte. When she is not teaching, she is continuing her dance training with Baran Dance as a member of the intern company, BDU, in which she understudies and has the opportunity to perform alongside Baran Dance company members. Baran’s collaboration with local artists and musicians has instilled the importance of engaging with the community around oneself.
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Tabitha believes that educators never stop furthering their own education and dedicates her summers to various dance intensives, including American Dance Festival, staibdance, and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She is able to not only expand her own movement practice but implement strategies taken from many different techniques into her teaching. Due to this drive for more knowledge, she is also a member of NDEO and attends both the National and NCDEO Conferences each year. Her interest in dance education research is rooted within these organizations. She is deeply committed to inclusivity within dance education and guiding students to find their own creative voices. Creating a classroom in which students feel comfortable, motivated, and included has been the driving force in Tabitha’s own research and practices.