“During my observation of his [technique class] for first-year students, I was particularly impressed by the clear structure of the session, his proficient demonstrations, and his strategic positioning within the room to ensure visibility for all students. His teaching philosophy emphasizes high standards, personalized guidance, and empowerment, all of which are aligned with…fostering student success and artistic growth.”
— Marsha Barsky
Movement as Inquiry, Teaching as Transformation: Integrating Somatic Awareness and Artistic Exploration in Dance Education
My pedagogical practice is anchored in the embodied transmission of knowledge through the rigorous yet fluid principles of Safety Release Technique created and founded by Elizabeth “B.J.” Sullivan. As one of four certified Master Teachers of this somatically grounded method, I explore how technical precision and expressive freedom coalesce, challenging the false dichotomy between structure and spontaneity. I foster learning environments where dancers engage in a dialogic process—an ongoing, dynamic exchange between teacher and student, body and mind, structure and intuition—navigating joint articulation, momentum, and floorwork to cultivate movement efficiency and creative inquiry that emerges from active collaboration and mutual responsiveness.
Improvisation becomes a tool for inquiry, enabling dancers to inhabit the tensions between control and surrender, intention and discovery. Floorwork serves as a foundational practice, training dancers to traverse levels with clarity and dynamic power, while bridging somatic principles with the demands of professional concert dance.
My role as educator is integrally tied to my choreographic work: witnessing the evolving somatic and creative processes in the studio informs my choreographic questions, just as my choreography shapes my pedagogical strategies. Teaching and creation exist as intertwined limbs of the same organism, cultivating a vital ecosystem where embodied knowledge is both a practice and a form of resistance, transformation, and reimagination.
Safety Release Website: https://www.safetyreleasetechnique.com/
echos from
the floor
Note: Some of the following reflections were shared anonymously through course evaluations.
Thank you so much for all of your help in modern class. … I feel like I improved a lot in your class and have gained so much confidence in my abilities, and I will use those skills I gained for the rest of my life. I'll admit, although I didn't understand why we were keeping journals at the start of your class, they ended up being a big help and encouraged me to examine my movement quality in ways I never had before. …you put so much time and effort into helping every student and that level of care is not something you see every day and means a lot! – Charlene Font
“Thank you so much for all of your help in modern class. … I feel like I improved a lot in your class and have gained so much confidence in my abilities, and I will use those skills I gained for the rest of my life. I'll admit, although I didn't understand why we were keeping journals at the start of your class, they ended up being a big help and encouraged me to examine my movement quality in ways I never had before. …you put so much time and effort into helping every student and that level of care is not something you see every day and means a lot!” – Charlene Font
“Billy was great in creating an environment where learning was immersive, enjoyable and fun. He always had something new every week, and I really looked forward to his class. He is very invested in every single person and wants everyone to succeed in his class.”
Photographer: Brandon Demery
“When questions are asked he doesn’t give very vague answers. He takes the time to really dive into the question and deeply answers.”
“He describes each movement principle in a way that really makes sense. Every day feels like a continuation and evolution of what we did in the previous class which makes for consistent growth.”
“He is caring, understanding, thoughtful about how he impacts our learning and open-minded to creating the best space for his students.”
