Mindfulness Matters.
Professor Amanda Sieradzki is a dance professor at the University of Tampa with a passion for mindful living and expressive movement. Accordingly, one of the classes she teaches is stretching and relaxation. As a result of the current educational environment changes, Sieradzki has worked diligently on adapting her class material to align with the regulations.
- What is your role at the University of Tampa ?
I am an adjunct professor of dance.
2. Outside of your professional career at UT, what are some other things you are working on/have worked on in your professional career?
I am the founder and artistic director of Poetica, a dance company that creates interdisciplinary choreography in site-specific and alternative spaces. Recently I co-presented a series called Dance in the Time of Coronavirus which premiered this summer. I am also a freelance feature writer with the Tallahassee Democrat, Creative Pinellas’ Arts Coast Journal, DIYdancer Magazine, and ARTSATL.
3. What was your biggest motivation in becoming an instructor at the University of Tampa?
The UT dance program is wholly unique in its mission and brain-compatible pedagogy. As an alumna of the program, I leaped at the opportunity to come back as an instructor and work with the next generation of dance educators.
4. What is your favorite part about your job?
I love interacting with and supporting my students in their creative endeavors. It’s such a thrill to witness their growth each semester and be a part of this vibrant campus community.
5. What don’t you like about your job?
At the moment, not being able to have everyone moving together in the same studio or being able to physically partner with one another has been really difficult.
6. What was the process like of adjusting your courses due to the CoronaVirus and the new social distancing rules?
In the dance program, we are following guidelines set forth by Dance USA’s COVID-19 study such as: keeping dancers 10 feet apart, masked, and following proper floor sanitization. From there, it was a lot of creativity and improvisation as far as re-adjusting assignments to fit these new requirements, but it has led to a lot of fun innovation with using new technologies for recording and creating dance.
7. How do you view the future of higher education environments (i.e. hybrid, etc)?
Given uncertainty with the virus, I think higher education will use the hybrid course model for the foreseeable future. It has definitely opened up new ways of thinking about the classroom environment and what virtual can offer students and faculty in terms of flexibility.
8. As an instructor of a stretching and relaxation course, what is one piece of advice you could give to people to maintain a healthy mindset during these uncertain times?
Make time to move! Take a step back from the computer screen and breathe deeply. Go for a walk to give your eyes and mind a break. It’s so important right now to take care of your body. Even though we have to be physically distant from one another, we can still stay emotionally close and supportive, and that includes being kind to ourselves in the process.
Interview has been edited for brevity, clarity, and style.