Professional Learning
Summer Dance Institute for Teachers at CDC
SDIT AT CREATIVE DANCE CENTER
Join us this summer for transformational learning! Celebrate 30 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.
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. SDIT faculty, Anne Green Gilbert and Dionne Kamara, share new lesson plans each summer. Returning students often find a deeper understanding and expanded ways to put their knowledge into practice.
SDIT Details
2025 Dates:
July 14-18, 2025
Monday through Friday
9:00am to 5:00pm PST each day
Attendance is required on all 5 days.
Tuition:
Register by May 31 for Early Bird pricing: $625.
Late registration – after May 31: $695.
Financial Aid:
Limited financial aid is available on a first come,
first served basis. If interested, email darrah@creativedance.org for application.
Note: If you need to withdraw from SDIT, we must be notified two weeks before the start of the Course (June 30) to receive a full refund (minus a $50 processing fee). No refunds will be given after this date. Contact darrah@creativedance.org for details.
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
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 our In-Person Summer Dance Institute for Teachers.
Read full bios of our amazing faculty below.
Can I attend a portion of SDIT?
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 course. Participants are required to register for and attend the entire course (5 days, 9am-5pm daily).
If you have commitments that may impact full participation and you are still interested in attending SDIT, 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?
SDIT IS HELD AT:
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.
**Based upon feedback from former SDIT participants, we do not recommend booking accommodations at hotels/motels along the Aurora Ave. N./Highway 99 corridor.**
Please read below for lodging recommendations.
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.
HOTEL NEXUS – discounted rate
Creative Dance Center/Summer Dance Institute for Teachers guests receive a special rate when booking at Hotel Nexus, conveniently located approximately 1 mile south of CDC and approximately 1 mile from the Northgate Light Rail station.
Use this BOOKING LINK for reservations to receive the SDIT rate. The discounted rate is available between July 11 and July 21, 2025. Once on the landing page use the EDIT STAY link to choose your specific dates.
Discounted Rates are below and include Complimentary Wi-Fi, Parking, Continental Breakfast, Guest Laundry & Fitness Center. Room rates quoted do not include the current tax rate of 15.7%.
Discounted SDIT rates are as follows for different room types:
- Single King Room/Business Class King Guest Room/Single Queen Room – $145 + tax/night. Includes one Single King bed, TV, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge
- Double Queen/Premium Double Queen Guest Room – $155 + tax/night. Includes two Queen size Beds, TV, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge
- King Hydrotherapy Room/Hydrotherapy Studio King Bed – $185 + tax/night. Includes one Single King bed, TV, Dresser, Desk, Full Bathroom, Large Jetted Jacuzzi Tub, Walk-in Shower, Coffee Maker, Microwave, + Mini Fridge
- Double Queen Kitchenette Suite/Two Room Double Queen Suite – $245 + tax/night. Includes two Queen size Beds in a separate Bedroom with 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
Email or call Sandy Sanchez with questions.
Sandy Sanchez: Sales Manager | Hotel Nexus, BW Signature Collection
sandy.sanchez@hotelnexusseattle.com
Office: (206) 365-0700 ext. 463
Mobile: (206) 612-4342
Hotel Nexus website: https://www.hotelnexusseattle.com
OTHER LOCAL HOTELS – no discounted SDIT rate
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Seattle/Northgate
Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Northgate
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!
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.
