The Art of Teaching: An Interview with Visiting Faculty Co-Chair Leyland Simmons
From Alaska to New York and Canada to Russia, Leyland Simmons’ career as a dancer and educator has brought him all over the world working with an incredible list of companies, including Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ailey II, and Ballet Divertimento. Now serving as SAB’s Visiting Faculty Co-Chair with Alicia Holloway, Simmons shared takeaways from his perspective at the front of the classroom and lessons he’s learned along the way.
Simmons began dancing in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, studying hip hop, jazz, and karate. He was initially resistant to pursuing ballet, but ultimately fell in love with the art form when he began training at the age of ten at Royal Academy School of Dance in Anchorage. When Arthur Mitchell brought Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) to Alaska, Simmons’ journey to New York began with an acceptance to DTH’s summer program. After training in New York for several summers, he auditioned for SAB and attended as a full-time student in the Winter Term for two years.
Simmons shared how valuable it was to learn from a variety of teachers during his time at SAB, including Peter Boal, and New York City Ballet company members Albert Evans, Philip Neal, and Damien Woetzel.
“I remember how beneficial it was to hear different voices,” Simmons said. “They were coming from different perspectives, (but) all having trained and performed Balanchine rep.”
“I remember how beneficial it was to hear different voices.”
Now upon returning to the SAB studios, Simmons is constantly inspired by his students’ eagerness to learn and reflects on the value of introducing new perspectives to the front of the classroom. Simmons said that while students may hear similar corrections from a variety of teachers, oftentimes hearing the correction phrased differently helps the student better comprehend the concept.
“You may hear something from an instructor and it just might not connect, and you hear it from another instructor who says basically the same thing, but it lands,” Simmons said.
Simmons began his teaching career while dancing for Ailey II, leading classes when the company was on tour and at their school. Simmons started to build his “teaching toolbox” by reflecting on his own educational journey while taking classes in New York City and noting his instructors’ variety of approaches to giving corrections.
Eventually, he sought out additional teaching communities to expand his knowledge by pursuing a Master’s Degree in dance education from New York University and a certification in American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum. Simmons said the opportunity to learn from the experience of others is incredibly important for new teachers who are early in their careers.
“It (provides a) network of other teachers who I can talk about certain approaches,’” Simmons said. “What has been really important for me is not just taking the courses but also having the network of people I can refer to when I may have questions.”
“What has been really important for me is… having the network of people I can refer to when I may have questions.”
When teaching, Simmons said one of his priorities is to be mindful of the skill level and age range of the class, which requires a teacher to give immense attention to the students themselves. Providing combinations that are too challenging for a group can risk creating a sense of frustration or even injury, and combinations that may be too simple for a class may lead to boredom. Ultimately, Simmons said his goal is for students to leave his class feeling inspired and to have a sense of love for the art form.
“The last thing I want to do is for any student to end up walking away feeling discouraged or hating ballet, or wanting to have nothing to do with it. I want them to be lovers of the art: they are our future patrons, our future board members,” Simmons said. “I always want the kids to learn but also walk away continuing to love the art form.
“The last thing I want to do is for any student to end up walking away feeling discouraged or hating ballet, or wanting to have nothing to do with it… I always want the kids to learn but also walk away continuing to love the art form.”
Perhaps one of the most meaningful aspects of his own teaching career has been to be a part of the legacy of Arthur Mitchell, who first brought him to New York. By training and then ultimately teaching at SAB, Simmons followed in the footsteps of one of ballet’s biggest stars and even currently serves in Mitchell’s former role at Harlem School of the Arts as Chair of Dance, a role Mitchell held before he went on to found Dance Theatre of Harlem.
“(There are) all these full circle moments – it’s really special knowing the legacy that he left and being part of that in some way, and now I’m able to take the torch and run with it with the next generation of dancers and students,” Simmons said.
Since returning to SAB, Simmons said one of the greatest changes he’s seen is students expressing desires to dance in a variety of capacities, whether it be on Broadway or with companies around the world. As the first male dancer to hold the position of Visiting Faculty Co-Chair, he also noted the shift in representation in SAB’s classrooms, from gender, race, life experiences, and more.
“I see more diversity, more teachers coming in with different backgrounds and (who) danced with different companies. I hope it continues to expand so that we can have more educators from different backgrounds and experiences to work with the students,” Simmons said. “It’s good for them to see themselves through the teachers, especially (for) students of color, to see there’s somebody from their community, neighborhood, state, or city that’s now teaching (at SAB). It’s inspirational.”