Susan Haines garners Dance Educator of the Year
Susan Haines, Senior Dance Instructor in the Department of Theatre & Dance was selected as the 2014 Dance Educator of the Year by the Dance Educators Association of Washington (DEAW).
The annual award is presented to dance educators working in the state of Washington that exemplify the following criteria:
- Excellence in dance education
- Advocacy for quality dance education
- Alignment with DEAW values and mission
- DEAW/NDEO membership (must be a member to win)
- Total number and variety of nominations
Nominations for Haines - submitted by students and colleagues - included the following praise:
Susan sees what students can do, and guides them to new physicality, performance, and artistry. She does this by engaging students’ minds and bodies in tandem.
Every year, I invariably describe Susan Haines as our 'Most Valuable Player.'
I can say without hesitation she is one of the most prolific teachers I have been graced to work under.
The award will be presented on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at the annual DEAW Fall Conference, held at Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Eastside studios (13440 NE 16th St. Bellevue, WA 98005). The conference will run 2:00-6:00, with the award closing the event at 5:30pm.
DEAW is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to the advancement of dance education as a basic and integral component at all public and private levels of education in the state of Washington. It is the state-wide representative for dance with the state office of education (OSPI) and partners with other arts and education organizations to bring this mission to life. Originally founded in 1990, DEAW aligned with the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) in 2003.
Photo credit: Pavlina Ortiz (top); courtesy of Susan Haines (bottom).
