Teens Connecting Through Salsa
SalsAmigos was founded by Sam Gill, PhD, and his daughter, Jenny, in 2006, although they have been teaching the dance to teens since 2004. Sam has done extensive research and writing on SalsAmigos in light of teen development and dance theory. They are now producing instructional videos to support the development of other SalsAmigos groups. They have produced a number of video lecture presentations to demonstrate the dance form and document its important contribution to youth development.
Presentation Series by Sam Gill, PhD
Dancing can be as important to teen intellectual and human development as traditional academic work. This is the position presented from a number of perspectives by Professor Sam Gill, University of Colorado, in a series of six video and image illustrated lecture presentations, Gill creatively and insightfully engages a number of the most pressing and important teen and human development issues
- the importance of touch to human development, yet the difficulty of providing appropriate and healthy touching in schools
- the impact of the social devaluation of dancing on recognizing the importance dancing may have on human development
- the crisis of physical fitness among our youth
- the new research showing that teen brains continue to neurologically develop and the issues of what environmental conditions best nurture this development
- how certain dance forms present a non-hierarchical, non-competitive, inclusive, and intrinsically motivated team experience that complements sport-team experiences
- the possibilities that certain dance forms may help “normalize” some learning disabilities
- the development of appreciation for and tolerance of differences of all types
- how teens are often considered as “problems” rather than “opportunities”
Gill’s presentations acknowledge the difficult and complex issues faced by parents and schools in supporting teen growth and development, while offering insight into how some of these issues might be understood and creatively handled. His suggestions are often boldly innovative. His presentations balance academic research and extensive experience teaching dance to teens and adults. The presentations are clear and engaging while dealing with complex research and difficult issues.
These presentations are essential to educators, youth workers, parents, dancers, and anyone interested in human development.
Watch the Video Lecture Series
For more information on Sam Gill, see www.Sam-Gill.com. Professor Gill is available for presentations and workshops.
Here is a detailed overview of the SalsAmigos Program PDF