Lerna Babikyan

Category: Teacher training

The contens of workshops for trainer training

  • Pedagogy for Dance Teachers

    Pedagogy for Dance Teachers

    This training is for dance teachers from any style who want to develop themselves pedagogically and for instructors who teach movement-oriented classes!

    Although the basic material of dance education is the body, in principle, its education is not different from the learning processes of any other creative field.

    If you are an instructor in this field, being trained in a master-apprentice relationship with a dance teacher without scientific pedagogical knowledge may not be sufficient for your professional life in the changing conditions of the time.

    Knowing the scientific foundations of the work in terms of educational sciences will increase the quality of your professional practices and make you feel safe, while contributing to the positive change that dance art will create in your students and society.

    Outcomes

    • Learning body-oriented scientific learning theories
    • Introducing new approaches to classroom management
    • Learning how to create a creative, equitable and inclusive classroom environment
    • To review the basic operation plan and evaluation criteria of the dance course
    • To contribute to the establishment of productive and supportive relationships in areas such as classroom communication, parent-school management
  • Ecosophic Moves – Ecology Based Creative Dance Teacher Training

    Ecosophic Moves – Ecology Based Creative Dance Teacher Training

    Ecosomatic Movement and Creative Dance Pedagogy Training

    For educators, artists, facilitators, and professionals in health, social work, consultancy and academia

    This training is designed for professionals from diverse fields—trainers, educators, artists, consultants, health and social workers—who wish to integrate dance and movement as tools for learning, connection, and transformation. It supports participants in cultivating body-based awareness, creative confidence, and ecological sensitivity within their educational and professional practices.

    Originally launched in 2015 as the Creative Dance Trainer Training, the program evolved over the years to respond to contemporary challenges. Since 2023, it has been delivered in a hybrid format that grounds movement learning in ecological thought and ecosomatic practices, aligning body, mind, and environment as co-learners.

    Led by Lerna Babikyan, the program offers a rich blend of creative movement pedagogy, body awareness, and contemporary dance history, explored through both experiential and reflective modes. The exercises are designed to be low-risk yet highly activating—awakening participants’ physical, imaginative, and cognitive capacities. The integration of ecological transitions and sensory metaphors in movement invites a holistic perception of interconnectedness, nurturing a grounded sense of “worldliness” and embodied presence.

    The program also includes seminars by expert guest instructors, covering topics such as:

    • Introduction to Dance Therapy

    • Drama and Dance in Dialogue

    • Intercultural Dance and the Embodied Self

    • Designing Effective Learning Environments with Creative Dance

    • Dance Composition and Choreography

    • Introduction to the Skinner Releasing Technique

    Learning Outcomes

    Participants will:

    • Learn over 140 creative movement exercises across 14 thematic areas, integrating critical pedagogy and ecology-based practices

    • Gain tools to apply experiential, body-based learning in diverse settings that support emotional, social, and cognitive development

    • Learn to design inclusive learning spaces grounded in creative autonomy, ecological attunement, and somatic self-trust

    • Cultivate a joyful, creative, and compassionate relationship with the body—and the more-than-human world

    • Enhance skills in body language, improvisation, public speaking, and performance

    • Develop a sustainable, long-term approach to integrating dance and movement in educational, therapeutic, or social contexts

    • Understand creative dance through lenses of dance history, anthropology, drama, choreography, and embodied education

    • Strengthen ecosomatic awareness and contribute to pedagogies of sustainability and ecological peace

  • Brain-Compatible, Creative Dance-Based Lesson Plans for Preschool Teachers Workshop

    Brain-Compatible, Creative Dance-Based Lesson Plans for Preschool Teachers Workshop

    Brain-Compatible, Creative Dance-Based Lesson Plans for Preschool Teachers Workshop is a program that aims to provide brain-compatible learning experiences using the power of movement and dance in early childhood education. In this workshop, preschool teachers are introduced to creative dance-based lesson plans that support children’s motor skills, social-emotional development and cognitive abilities. Throughout the workshop, participants explore how creative dance and movement combine with brain-compatible learning principles. Each lesson plan is designed entangled way within a story to stimulate children’s natural curiosity and creativity. The lesson plans are shared with the participants along with music suggestions.

    Outcomes

    • Learning 25 different creative dance activities in practice
    • Ø Implementing the learning experience in the classroom with dance and movement in harmony with the learning principles of the brain
    • Ø Enriching teaching tools for children with different intelligence groups through dance and movement
    • Ø To be able to present positive, egalitarian and inclusive experiences of body image through dance in the classroom
    • Ø Learning how to use creative dance in an interdisciplinary approach in education
    • Support teachers’ dance and movement skills with creative approach
    • Integrate fun, creativity, process-oriented dance based learning acitivities to daily lesson plans in preschool in a non-judgmental atmosphere
  • Braindance and Body Awareness Workshop for Educators and Parents

    Braindance and Body Awareness Workshop for Educators and Parents

    Braindance and Body Awareness Workshop for Educators and Parents is a program developed to support the physical, mental and emotional development of children. In this workshop, participants learn the basics of the Braindance method and discover how to apply it in connection with body awareness. Braindance is a movement-based approach that supports neurological development and helps to improve children’s motor skills, balance, coordination and cognitive abilities.

    Throughout the workshop, participants will experience how Braindance movements are applied to different age groups and learn how these techniques can be beneficial for both themselves and children. In addition, with the improvisational dance and body awareness exercises that take place in each meeting in the light of the exercises learned, they both establish a closer connection with their own bodies and develop their creativity and inner dancer. Braindance and Body Awareness Workshop for Trainers and Parents is a program suitable for anyone who wants to play an active role in the development of children, no prior dance experience is required.

    Outcomes

    • Ø Learning Braindance apps for 3-6 years
    • Ø Learning Braindance apps for ages 7 and up
    • Ø Learning Braindance apps for 55 years and older
    • Ø Increasing body awareness
    • Ø Participans gains physical coordination, strength and flexibility
    • Ø Their bodily creative expression increases
    • Development of dancing skills through body awareness, moving meditation and improvisation
    • The workshop equips both educators and parents with the knowledge and skills to help children maximize their potential.
  • · Kinestetic Learning and Embodiment in Education

    · Kinestetic Learning and Embodiment in Education

    Kinesthetic learning focuses on an innovative approach that allows students to experience the learning process through physical movement. In this workshop, participants enhance their body awareness and explore knowledge and concepts through their bodies. Kinesthetic learning aims to embody learning by using movement and embodiment techniques, enabling individuals to have a deeper learning experience both mentally and physically.

    Outcomes

    • Ø Participants learn how to internalize information kinesthetically and discover how to integrate these learning methods into their own educational environments.
    • Workshop process makes learning more interactive, meaningful, and lasting for both students and educators.
    • The Kinesthetic Learning and Embodiment Workshop teaches participants how to support learning in a more holistic and inclusive way by harnessing the power of movement.