National Dance Educator of the Year

The National Dance Association honors: Dr. Joy Friedlander

Dr. Joy Friedlander contributes to the dance education field with a positive attitude and strong artistic and pedagogical abilities. Through Joy's guidance, her student teachers see how dance training within the public school system may lead students to creative, healthy lifestyles. Describing her teaching at the Philadelphia High School for Girls (a magnet school for academically gifted girls), she notes, "My greatest accomplishment is the children, who are eager to be in school -- where the dance class is a safe place to grow and to learn. It is here where they are empowered, as communicators in the language of dance, to express their ideas." Joy has been working in curriculum integration for over 10 years producing teacher resources and evaluative models. She recently received awards as an Outstanding Professional and as the Pennsylvania Dance Educator of the Year. Her own dance education is the journey of a life-long learner, including: EdD, from Temple University, and both her MFA and BA from the University of California, Irvine. Joy conducts professional development workshops and has a "great interest in coaching teachers in integrating the arts." She encourages her young students to present dance performances as a community service - always wanting to share the art of dance with everyone.

Joy's expertise is evident across many educational sectors. She has taught at The Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA) and The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schenley High School Program, and has served on the faculty at the University of Alabama, Duquesne University, Point Park College, and Bryn Mawr College. She has presented at such conferences as Dance and the Child International (daCi), NDA, American College Dance Festival, Confluences I & II (South Africa), the Pennsylvania Governor's Institute for Arts' Educators, and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts. Joy has worked with The Pennsylvania State Department of Education as a consultant to develop: a Proposal for Dance Certification, performance assessments for the PATT Project (Pennsylvania Assessment Through Themes), and the Governor's Institute for Arts Educators. Joy has also worked for the Educational Testing Service and NAEP.

The NDA K-12 DEOY is chosen annually through a rigorous review process. As a positive role model for students and professionals alike, the candidate must demonstrate effective teaching in: 1) creativity in utilizing various methodologies; 2) a balanced curriculum based on the developmental needs of the students; 3) dance as an integral cultural component; 4) understanding of dance as a creative art through the discussion of aesthetics of students' own works and/or the works of others; and 6) opportunities for students to share their creative work with appropriate audiences.

Sportime is the official sponsor of the K-12 DEOY program. The National Dance Association is an association of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD).

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