Instructors

Ann Biddle

Ann Biddle M.A., Dance Education, Columbia University, B.A., English Literature, Kenyon College and Fulbright Scholar. Ms. Biddle has been a dance educator, staff developer, curriculum consultant, writer and choreographer for the past 30 years. She is the Founding Faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at the 92nd St Y with Jody Arnhold (1994 to present) and is the Director of DEL at Jacob’s Pillow (2017 – present). Ms. Biddle has designed and taught numerous courses for DEL including Foundations in Dance Education, DEL Essentials, Planet Dance- Mu ...

Ann Biddle

Ann Biddle M.A., Dance Education, Columbia University, B.A., English Literature, Kenyon College and Fulbright Scholar. Ms. Biddle has been a dance educator, staff developer, curriculum consultant, writer and choreographer for the past 30 years. She is the Founding Faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at the 92nd St Y with Jody Arnhold (1994 to present) and is the Director of DEL at Jacob’s Pillow (2017 – present). Ms. Biddle has designed and taught numerous courses for DEL including Foundations in Dance Education, DEL Essentials, Planet Dance- Multicultural Dance Education, Dancing in Early Childhood, Dance and Nature, Teaching from Transformation to Inspiration (Tina Curran), Dance and Literacy (Barbara Bashaw), DEL: The Next Generation, the DEL Facilitators Training Program, Dance for Social Change, DEL Essentials OPDI (NDEO) and DELving into Dance History course series at Jacob’s Pillow. Ms. Biddle is currently a Dance Lecturer at UMASS/Amherst Dance Department and has been a guest lecturer at Mt. Hoyoke College and Skidmore College. She is also a Doctoral Candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in the EdD Program in Dance Education.

As a staff developer and curriculum consultant, Ms. Biddle has partnered with numerous cultural organizations including: Urban Bush Women, Doug Varone, Flamenco Vivo, Jose Limon Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, New York City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Movement Research, Jonah Bokaer, HT Chen Dance Center, and Robin Becker Dance Company. Ms. Biddle has taught overseas at the National University in Costa Rica as a Fulbright scholar and at the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana. Additionally, she worked closely with the late Alan Lomax as a Choreometrics analyst and is currently an advisor to the Global Jukebox initiative.

Ms. Biddle was an advisor and contributor to the NYC Department of Education’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance, PreK-12, and has been a NYCDOE Blueprint professional development facilitator since 2005. She is also a scorer for the Massachusetts Dance MTEL exam. Ms. Biddle was the Director of Arts Programs at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School (PVPA) in South Hadley, MA, and Director of the Dance Department from 2011-2018. She is the Director of the DEL PVPA dance mentorship program featured in the upcoming documentary film, PS Dance! The Next GENeration, Executive Producer, Jody Arnhold, filmmaker, Nel Shelby.

As a writer, Ms. Biddle’s dance teachers’ curricula and training manuals include: The Essence of Cool: West Side Story, New York Export: Opus Jazz the Film (NYC Ballet), Dance Motion USA Doug Varone and Argentinian Brenda Angiel’s Aerial collaboration, Richard Daniel’s Dances for iPhone film series, Wonderdance early childhood curriculum, Dance Making Inspired by Langston Hughes Poetry, Re-imagining D-Man in the Waters, the DEL Facilitators Training Manual and Robin Becker’s Into Sunlight Dance Curriculum. She is a frequent presenter at NDEO conferences and was selected to pilot the Model Cornerstone Assessments as part of NCCA. In addition, Ms. Biddle has published integrated curricular units though the NYC DOE (Dance Units Inspired by Literary Works, 2016 and The Essence of Pearl Primus through Photography and Poetry: The Negro Speaks of Rivers, 2018, Reimagining D-Man in the Water, 2019 and Into Sunlight A Teacher’s Guide, 2019).

Ms. Biddle’s research interests include teacher education, transformational leadership and dance and social justice.

This instructor is currently teaching the following classes:

DEL FUNdamentals: Arnhold Summer Fellows

DEL FUNdamentals

Dorrance Dance: Developing Fundamentals Of Music And Movement Through Body Percussion

DEL Dance and Civics

Jody Gottfried Arnhold

Jody Gottfried Arnhold, MA, CMA, Founder of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92Y, is a luminary in dance education and an advocate for dance. She created DEL in response to the need for a practical and focused dance pedagogy program. Through DEL, Jody aims to inspire and prepare teachers to work with children and teens. She continues these efforts as Executive Producer of the NY Emmy nominated documentary, PS DANCE!: Dance Education in Public Schools, to raise awareness and advocate for her mission, Dance for Every Child.

Teaching dance in NYC public schools for more t ...

Jody Arnhold

Jody Gottfried Arnhold, MA, CMA, Founder of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92Y, is a luminary in dance education and an advocate for dance. She created DEL in response to the need for a practical and focused dance pedagogy program. Through DEL, Jody aims to inspire and prepare teachers to work with children and teens. She continues these efforts as Executive Producer of the NY Emmy nominated documentary, PS DANCE!: Dance Education in Public Schools, to raise awareness and advocate for her mission, Dance for Every Child.

Teaching dance in NYC public schools for more than 25 years, has provided Jody with the experiences that continue to guide her dance education efforts including supporting the dance program at the New York City Department of Education, creating the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College, and serving as the visionary benefactor behind the Doctorate in Dance Education at Teachers College Columbia University. Jody supports and champions many NYC dance companies including Ballet Hispanico where she is Honorary Chair. She also supports and mentors countless dance teachers many of whom now lead the field.

Jody serves on the Advisory Committee for Arts Education at New York City Department of Education and was Co-Chair of the Committee that created the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance K-12. She is on the Board at 92Y, Hunter College, Harkness Foundation for Dance, and on the Advisory Committee of Dance/NYC. She has received National Dance Education Organization’s Visionary Award, Education Update’s Distinguished Leader in Education Award, and Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award. Jody has received the Floria V. Lasky Award, Dance Films Association’s Dance in Focus Award, and the New York State Dance Education Association Outstanding Leadership Award. She has been honored by Lincoln Center Education, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Jose Limon Dance Foundation, Dancewave, and NYC Arts in Education Roundtable for her contributions to dance and dance education.

Jody holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an MA in Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA).

DEL was recently named Outstanding Program by the National Dance Education Organization.

This instructor is currently teaching the following classes:

DEL FUNdamentals: Arnhold Summer Fellows

DEL FUNdamentals

Catherine Gallant

Catherine Gallant, MFA (choreographer) has been creating work for more than 30 years. Ms. Gallant’s work often explores themes of chance, doubt and the body as a source of comfort and torment. She was the assistant director at 92Y Harkness Dance Center from 1994-96 just as DEL was beginning. She has presented work at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, WestFest and at Inwood Hill Park sponsored in part by the Partnerships for Parks. Catherine is also the director of Dances by Isadora which, since 1989, performs, teaches and collaborates with dancers throughout the world, most recentl ...

Catherine Gallant

Catherine Gallant, MFA (choreographer) has been creating work for more than 30 years. Ms. Gallant’s work often explores themes of chance, doubt and the body as a source of comfort and torment. She was the assistant director at 92Y Harkness Dance Center from 1994-96 just as DEL was beginning. She has presented work at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, WestFest and at Inwood Hill Park sponsored in part by the Partnerships for Parks. Catherine is also the director of Dances by Isadora which, since 1989, performs, teaches and collaborates with dancers throughout the world, most recently at Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series and with French choreographer, Jerome Bel on his new work, Isadora Duncan which Ms. Gallant will perform in the 2021-22 season. She began her study of the technique of Isadora Duncan in 1982 with Julia Levien and is currently on the Duncan Archive Committee duncanarchive.org. Catherine is a full-time NYCDOE dance educator at PS 89 in Manhattan. She and her students were featured in the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary, PS DANCE! Catherine is on the faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). Ms. Gallant is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University.