Dance can be explored, utilized, and accessed by everyone. In my dance classrooms students will be guided through the elements of dance to explore various ideas, themes, and questions. Each lesson aims to strengthen physical awareness, build body control, and participate in problem solving. Through movement, students will create innovative compositions and develop performance skills.
I believe in collaboration between students and teachers and love to integrate what is being taught from the school curriculum into our movement lessons and goals. I also utilize the National Core Arts Standards in my classrooms and encourage students to create, respond, perform, and connect.
Dance provides opportunities for us to ask questions, step outside of our comfort zone, and connect to new ideas. This helps to broaden our view and understanding of the world around us. I value the process of learning and aim to create an environment where process and product go hand in hand.
Amy Bukarau is a dance artist and educator based in Oahu. She has been training and performing in modern dance, ballet, and ballroom dance for over 20 years and has over 10 years of teaching experience. She received her BA in dance from Brigham Young University and her MFA in dance performance and choreography from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. As a member of the BYU Ballroom Dance Company, Amy has taught outreach classes and performed dance in South East Asia, Europe, and all over the United States. Amy has been teaching dance on Oahu for over 6 years and has taught in K-12 and university classrooms as well as private dance studios. She currently teaches at Kailua Dance Academy where she engages young dancers in creative dance classes focused on exploration and discovery of movement. Amy is also currently performing and choreographing for Convergence Dance Theatre and participates in dance outreach activities for the community.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Art Bento at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Artists in the Schools.
