Professional Learning
Summer Dance Institute for Teachers 2023
OFFERING IN-STUDIO SDIT FOR SUMMER 2023!
Join us this summer for transformational learning! Celebrate 28 years of the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers. SDIT is designed for educators, dance teachers, arts specialists, and therapists who wish to deepen their understanding of the vital link between movement, emotions, and learning.
Gain confidence in combining the mastery of movement with the artistry of expression. Explore cutting edge dance pedagogy and best practices in the ever-evolving laboratory of SDIT. Strengthen your teaching practice while recharging your batteries through embodied learning.
Whether Brain-Compatible Dance Education and BrainDance are new to you or you are experienced and practiced in using Anne Green Gilbert’s holistic teaching methodology, we welcome you to SDIT.
In-Person SDIT
When you attend our In-Person SDIT in Seattle you may have the opportunity to observe Creative Dance Center Summer session classes, giving you the chance to witness BCDE and BrainDance in action! You are also welcome to participate in any Adult class the week of SDIT for free. A highlight of the week is a free concert by Kaleidoscope, our resident youth company made up of dancers ages 7-17.
Our In-Person course immerses participants in Brain-Compatible Dance Education – explore the dance concepts of space, time, force and body, Anne Green Gilbert’s unique five-part lesson plan, and the somatic depth and richness of the BrainDance. This course offers an environment of collegial support for returning and experienced participants as well as those new to BCDE.
Anne Green Gilbert’s teaching methodology joyfully celebrates and nurtures creativity, self-expression, collaboration, and community. Providing access and making dance inclusive for all is at the heart of BCDE.
This course allows participants to experience sample lessons based on Anne Green Gilbert’s successful five-part conceptual lesson plan and the brain-compatible principles that underpin it. Discover how incorporating these principles into your teaching, workplace, or home can positively affect learning, focus, collaborative skills, and creativity.
Since repetition is the key to learning, graduates of SDIT are always welcome to return to and repeat the course. Returning students often find a deeper understanding and expanded ways to put their knowledge into practice.
Required Text:
Brain-Compatible Dance Education, 2nd edition by Anne Green Gilbert is required for the course and available at bit.ly/BCDEBook
Residents of Canada have the option of purchasing the book directly from Human Kinetics Canada at bit.ly/BCDE-Canada
In-Person SDIT is taught over five days July 17 to July 21, Monday through Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm Pacific each day. Register by May 31 for Early Bird pricing: $575. Late registration – after May 31 – is an additional $70. EARLY BIRD is past – course fee: $645.
Limited financial aid is available on a first come, first served basis. If interested, email bronwen@creativedance.org for application.
Dates:
July 17-21, 2023
Monday through Friday
9:00am to 5:00pm each day
Attendance is required on all 5 days.
If you need to withdraw from SDIT, we must be notified two weeks before the start of the Courses (July 1) to receive a full refund (minus a $50 processing fee). No refunds will be given after this date. Contact bronwen@creativedance.org for details.

Virtual/Online SDIT – CANCELED
Due to low enrollment and more interest in the In-Person Course, Virtual SDIT has been canceled for 2023. We invite you to consider joining In-Person SDIT which still has a few spots remaining. Any questions please email terry@creativedance.org.
Our Virtual/Online SDIT offers flexibility and convenience! Learn this exciting methodology without having to leave your space. Virtual participants may have the opportunity to take an online Creative Dance Center class during the session, based on availability.
Our Virtual course is taught over Zoom and immerses participants in Brain-Compatible Dance Education – explore the dance concepts of space, time, force and body, Anne Green Gilbert’s unique five-part lesson plan, and the somatic depth and richness of the BrainDance. This course offers an environment of collegial support for returning and experienced participants as well as those new to BCDE.
Anne Green Gilbert’s teaching methodology joyfully celebrates and nurtures creativity, self-expression, collaboration, and community. Providing access and making dance inclusive for all is at the heart of BCDE.
This course allows participants to experience sample lessons based on Anne Green Gilbert’s successful five-part conceptual lesson plan and the brain-compatible principles that underpin it. Discover how incorporating these principles into your teaching, workplace, or home can positively affect learning, focus, collaborative skills, and creativity.
Since repetition is the key to learning, graduates of SDIT are always welcome to return to and repeat the course. Returning students often find a deeper understanding and expanded ways to put their knowledge into practice.
Required Text:
Brain-Compatible Dance Education, 2nd edition by Anne Green Gilbert is required for the course and available at bit.ly/BCDEBook
Residents of Canada have the option of purchasing the book directly from Human Kinetics Canada at bit.ly/BCDE-Canada
Virtual SDIT is taught over four weeks June 29 to July 22 on Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:00am – 3:30pm Pacific. Register by May 31 for Early Bird pricing: $775. Late registration – after May 31 – is an additional $70.
Limited financial aid is available on a first come, first served basis. If interested, email bronwen@creativedance.org for application.
Dates – CANCELED:
All workshops are from 9:00am – 3:30pm Pacific on Zoom.
Thurs June 29 + Sat July 1
Thurs July 6 + Sat July 8
Thurs July 13 + Sat July 15
Thurs July 20 + Sat July 22
Attendance is required on all 8 days.
If you need to withdraw from SDIT, we must be notified two weeks before the start of the Courses (June 15) to receive a full refund (minus a $50 processing fee). No refunds will be given after this date. Contact bronwen@creativedance.org for details.
Is this course for me?
The conceptual brain-based teaching methods of Brain-Compatible Dance Education can be used in any setting and with all ages – infants, children, teens, adults, and elders. BCDE enlivens any dance style/genre and has successfully been used in dance studios, college programs, homes, daycares and preschools, classrooms, community centers, and assisted living facilities all over the world! Past participants include dance educators, classroom teachers (elementary, middle, high school), fine arts educators, music specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, dance therapists, parents, college professors, teaching artists, and more! Join us and see why people have used these words to describe SDIT…
Enlightened ~ Life-changing ~ Glorious ~ Cohesive
Non-judgmental ~ Transformational ~ Impactful ~ Outstanding ~
Remarkable ~ Inspiring ~ Comprehensive ~ Empowering
Click here to read what former participants have to say about their experience at SDIT. Practical, useful, and transformative, this is SDIT!
Who is teaching?
Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company Founder, renowned dance educator, and author Anne Green Gilbert and New York City based dance educator Dionne Kamara teach both our In-Person and Online/Virtual Summer Dance Institutes. SDIT faculty also includes Creative Dance Center Director Terry Goetz and Kaleidoscope Artistic Director Anna Mansbridge.
Read full bios of our amazing faculty below.
Can I attend a single workshop?
We do not offer single workshops during the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers. Deeper understanding and implementation of Brain-Compatible Dance Education and the BrainDance happens through a balance of novelty and repetition – this is provided through full participation in our courses.
For the In-Person Course, participants are required to register for and attend the entire course (5 days, 9am-5pm daily).
For the Virtual/Online Course, participants are required to register for and attend the entire course (8 workshops).
If you have commitments that may impact full participation and you are still interested in attending either course, please email CDC Director Terry Goetz at terry@creativedance.org with the specifics of your situation.
Can I receive certification or clock hours for this course?
While the Creative Dance Center does not certify people in BCDE or BrainDance, we do offer a Certificate of Participation and Transcript of courses and hours attended upon full completion of the SDIT.
Continuing Education credits and clock hours are not available for SDIT.
Where can I stay if attending SDIT in person?
LOCATION
Creative Dance Center
12577 Densmore Ave N
Seattle, WA 98133
We are in the Haller Lake neighborhood of North Seattle
Creative Dance Center is a 15-20 minute car ride (if there is no traffic!) from Downtown Seattle.
Visit https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/know-before-you-go/how-to-ride to learn about public transportation. Link Light Rail runs between SeaTac Airport and Northgate. The Link Light Rail station at Northgate is approximately 2 miles from the Creative Dance Center.
AIRBNB
From the homepage of airbnb.com, search North Seattle and/or the Haller Lake neighborhood during the Summer Dance Institute dates. You can also search for locations near Creative Dance Center, located at 12577 Densmore Ave. North, Seattle, 98133, in the Haller Lake community of North Seattle. Other nearby neighborhoods include Bitter Lake, Pinehurst, Northgate, Olympic Hills, Broadview, and southern parts of the city of Shoreline. Booking EARLY is a good idea!
HOTEL NEXUS – discounted rate
Creative Dance Center guests get a special rate when booking at the Hotel Nexus, located approximately 1 mile south of CDC. Do not book online, you must call the Hotel Nexus directly to book with the discount. Guests must mention the Creative Dance Center special rate when booking.
Email or call Jeremy Hudson or Nikki Brame directly:
Jeremy Hudson: Hotel Sales Manager| Nexus Hotel
Jeremy.hudson@hotelnexusseattle.com
Office: (206) 365-0700 ext. 463
Nikki Brame: VP of Sales and Marketing | 360° Hotel Group
nikki.brame@360hotelgroup.com
Mobile: (206) 612-4362
You can also call the Front Desk, ask to be transferred to Sales, and mention the Creative Dance Center discount when making the reservation. If Jeremy or Nikki are not available you can book with the Front Desk and they will follow up to ensure the correct rate was used.
Rates are below and include Complimentary Wi-Fi, Parking, Continental Breakfast, Guest Laundry & Fitness Center. Discounted Summer rates are as follows for different room types:
- Single King, Single Queen, Accessible Single-bed rooms – $120 + tax/night
Includes one Single bed, Tv, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge
- Double Queen – $120 + tax/night
Includes two Queen size Beds, Tv, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge - Hydrotherapy Tub Room – $160 + tax/night
Includes one Single bed, Tv, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Large Jetted Jacuzzi Tub, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge
- Double Queen Kitchenette Suite – $220 + tax/night
Includes two Queen size Beds in a separate Bedroom with a Tv, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom. In the main living area, there is a Sofa couch that pulls out into a Double size bed, Dining Table to seat 4, Full Equipped Kitchen, Coffee Maker, Microwave, Stove top + Full Fridge
Hotel Nexus website: https://www.hotelnexusseattle.com
SDIT Faculty

Anne Green Gilbert
SDIT Director
agilbert@creativedance.orgAnne Green Gilbert (she/her) founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994. She was the Director of CDC from 1981 – 2014. Anne has had a varied teaching career starting as an elementary school teacher, moving on to dance and pedagogy classes at University of Illinois Chicago and University of Washington, then teaching children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle before starting the Creative Dance Center. She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach Masters Program for ten years. Anne taught infants through adults at Creative Dance Center for 30 years. She continues to teach older adults at CDC. Anne trains teachers through the Summer Dance Institute and CDC Educator workshops. For 40 years she conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and the creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as local Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope Dance Company.
Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement (1977), Creative Dance for All Ages (1st edition 1992, 2nd edition 2015), Brain-Compatible Dance Education (1st edition 2006, 2nd edition 2019), Teaching Creative Dance DVD (2002) and BrainDance DVD (2003/2016), as well as numerous articles. Anne has also collaborated with composer Eric Chappelle on the CDs, BrainDance Music and Music for Creative Dance Volumes I-V. Anne is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for twelve years. Anne is founder and Past President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State schools K-12. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards including the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014, and the American Dance Festival Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching in 2016.
Anne is the mother of three amazing Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her talented husband, David.

Dionne Kamara
SDIT Faculty
Dionne Kamara (she/her), a former member of Urban Bush Women performance company, is currently a resident teaching artist in New York City. Dionne teaches creative dance integrating academic curriculum to children in public schools, enabling them to express their thoughts and ideas through the art of dance. She has taught creative and traditional West African dance in schools, community centers and cultural institutions in the New York metropolitan area for many years and also teaches creative dance to infants through adults in several NYC studios. Dionne has been an SDIT faculty member since 2003.

Terry Goetz
SDIT Faculty
terry@creativedance.orgTerry Goetz (she/her) is Director of the Creative Dance Center in Seattle, Washington. Terry has been on faculty of the Creative Dance Center since 2000 and began training intensively with CDC Founder Anne Green Gilbert in 1997. She teaches Nurturing Baby, Parent/Toddler, and Parent/Child Creative Dance classes and Ballet and Modern Dance for older children and adults. Terry has taught in preschools and elementary classrooms as a teaching artist, and in studios throughout the Seattle area since retiring from Pacific Northwest Ballet where she danced from 1988-1995. Prior to performing with PNB, she was a member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater from 1986-1988. During her career Terry performed works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, José Limón, Antony Tudor, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Dendy, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Ohad Naharin, Petipa, and Bournonville, as well as performing full-length classical works. Terry presents workshops locally, nationally, and internationally, training dance teachers, early childhood specialists, educators, and teaching artists in BrainDance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education. She has presented at the National Dance Association and National Dance Education Organization conferences. Terry has taught for the International daCi (Dance and the Child) Finnish Chapter, the daCi National Gathering at the University of Washington, the daCi World Congress in Copenhagen and Adelaide, Australia, the Kuopio International Dance Festival, the Edmonton and Indiana Orff Schulwerk Associations, the East Asia Regional Council of International Schools Conferences held in Shanghai (2013) and Manila (2016), Hubbard St., and at universities in the US (The Hartt School, East Carolina University, University of Washington, University of Tampa, Skidmore College, Hofstra University) and Canada (University of Alberta). She worked with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in WA state as a Dance Specialist developing updated state-wide K-12 Learning Standards for Dance. Terry is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization and served as President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington. She co-directs the One-Week Refresher Course for the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers with her colleague Anna Mansbridge. In 2015 Terry was honored as Dance Educator of the Year at the Fall DEAW Conference. This annual award is presented to dance educators working in the state of Washington who exemplify excellence in dance education.

Anna Mansbridge
SDIT Faculty
anna@creativedance.orgAnna Mansbridge (she/her) is Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope Dance Company and Mosaic Dance Company. She is originally from Australia and the UK, and now resides in Seattle, WA. She holds a First Class Honors Degree in Dance and Education from Bedford College, UK, and an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College, CA. She has been on faculty at the Creative Dance Center since September 1999 teaching all ages. She has created many dances for Kaleidoscope Dance Company and co-directed the company with Anne Green Gilbert for 5 years before taking over the Artistic Directorship upon Anne’s retirement in July 2014. Mosaic Dance Company was first formed by Anne in 2006. After a hiatus Anna reconvened the company in the Fall of 2018 to offer additional performance opportunities to interested CDC students. Anna is also the Founder (in 2000) and Artistic Director of Seattle Early Dance, a company dedicated to recreating dances from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. She has directed/choreographed a number of early operas and concerts locally with Pacific Musicworks, Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington Music Department, and Early Music Seattle. Her choreography for Christoph Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice (1774) presented by University of Washington School of Music and Pacific MusicWorks at Meany Theater, was descried in a review in the Seattle Times as “effective and beautiful.” In addition, Anna has directed a DVD titled Baroque Basics: An Introduction to the Dance and the Music of the Baroque Period, and she has taught early dance workshops in the US, Europe and Asia.
Anna has been an adjunct instructor at Cornish College of the Arts and the University of Washington, and she is the former Chair for daCi USA (dance and the Child international). She organized the very successful 5th National Gathering at the University of Washington, Seattle, June 2014. Anna co-directs the one-week Summer Dance Institute for Teachers at the Creative Dance Center with Terry Goetz, and she gives workshops in Brain-Based Dance Education locally, nationally and internationally.
