Gender and Sexual Identity Inclusion Training For Dance Studios

Samm Wesler is a dance teaching artist and educator. She believes empowering students to take charge of their education and delve into what moves them will lead us to become a society of open-minded, passionate learners and observers.

In this podcast, Samm shares how to lead a diversity and inclusion training in your dance studio, how language can shape the development of LGBTQIA+ teens, and empower you to feel more comfortable and prepared when speaking about these topics with your team.

Key Takeaways

[2:55] How do we start a healthy discussion about being inclusive to dancers who are non-binary?

[3:45] Prepare and be ready. You’ll want to do this work before you need it.

[5:50] Samm is very careful about the types of language she uses around body parts.

[6:34] Samm provides an overview of pronoun usage.

[9:15] Using they/them pronouns takes practice. Become aware and shift your language.

[10:15] What age is appropriate to start practicing these pronouns?

[11:30] How do you ungender your language?

[12:55] Creating a safe space takes time.

[16:35] When it comes to bathrooms, what are the best ways to be inclusive and make everyone feel comfortable?

[19:20] Samm stresses that families are unique and shares her best practices in working with the families in your studio.

[21:25] How can you support your LGBTQIA+ staff members?

[25:05] Need help being more inclusive? Reach out to Samm.

 

Resources

Connect with Samm on her website & and on LinkedIn

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About Our Guest:
Samm Wesler

Samm Wesler

Samm Wesler is a dance teaching artist and educator. She believes that empowering students to take charge of their education and delve into what moves them; will lead us to become a society of open-minded, passionate learners and observers. Samm passionately believes that dance classes for adolescents must be inclusive for all types of students. As an openly Queer woman, she advocates for LGBTQIA+ dancers and dance families, to make sure that these spaces are affirming and safe.
 
Samm is from Pennsylvania and it is where she discovered dance at a young age, training at various studios until her college career. She holds a BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from University of Colorado-Boulder. Her education at Slippery Rock included training from professors and professionals such as Nora Ambrosio, Ursula Payne, Teena Marie Custer to name a few. At the University of Colorado-Boulder she worked with Larry Southall, Helanius J.Wilkins, Bud Coleman and others.
 
She is the Curriculum Director at Kathy Blake Dance Studios in Amherst, NH where she also teaches Contemporary, Improvisation and Composition. She is also on faculty for the Theater and Dance department at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. When she is not teaching dance, Samm is the Family Liaison at Windsor Mountain International Summer Camp in Windsor, NH where she has been on staff for eight years. Samm also speaks on the topics related to LBGTQIA+ and trains dance educators on how to build diversity and inclusion into their studio curriculum and initiatives.
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