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| directory of teaching artists: Paul Zmolek |
| Paul Zmolek has been a professional Dance artist/educator for 30 years. He earned an MFA in Dance, an MA in Interdisciplinary Creative Dance and a BS in Physical Education with an emphasis in Educational Dance. Paul was an artist-in-schools for 12 years in the San Francisco Bay Area while performing as a member with Tandy Beal & Company, San Francisco Moving Company, June Watanabe Dance Company and Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company. He has trained hundreds of emerging and active educators in Creative Dance pedagogy as faculty at various universities and offering workshops through professional Dance and Arts education organizations.
Highlights of Paul’s performing career include creating the title roles for the world premiere of four Frank Zappa ballets and performing in seminal works by Paul Taylor and Anna Sokolow. His acting career included performing in original works at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and as a founding member/choreographer of Theater/Group. As Performance Director for internationally renowned Master Preguica’s Omulu Capoeira Group, Zmolek collaborated with masters of Capoeira, Maculele, Flamenco, Kathak, Taiko and Congolese Dance to create contemporary choreographic works based in traditional cultural forms. Formerly owner/director of Barefoot Studios in Washington, his outstanding efforts in community outreach and creative work were honored by awards from both the Tacoma and Pierce County Arts Commissions. Currently on faculty in Theatre and Dance at Idaho State University, Paul’s creative output is focused upon original text/movement/sound physical theatre works for his Callous Physical Theatre. His collaborative process expands upon the curriculum based, concept driven experiential learning model that he teaches teachers to use and is utilized for his school residencies. Describe a transformative process that has occurred in your own practice as an artist or in a past residency as a teaching artist. In a San Francisco elementary school the fourth grade teacher told me that a young boy was going to be a felon, as he lived in the Projects and his older brother was in jail for selling crack cocaine. The boy was disruptive throughout my residency until I assigned him the responsibility of line leader for the choreography the class was preparing. Suddenly there was a complete change in his behavior. He took pride in doing a good job and ensuring that all the members of his line were excelling. This troubled youth who was sullen, non-talkative, and disruptive became joyful in his newfound respect and responsibility. Each of my classes has a culminating creative project where students create works based in the concepts that they have explored throughout the class. I recognize learning by the students’ successful application of those concepts towards the creation of their own works. What excites your imagination and in turn how does your work excite imagination for your audience? I am most excited by the process, both in teaching and in creating works, that goes beyond my original concept and, through engaging my students/collaborators in the process, becomes something far greater than any of us would create on our own. With performance works I strive for entertainment that has a transformative impact upon the performers and the audience. What characteristics mark a successful collaboration for you? Successful collaboration requires open communication and complete respect for the participants. The sign of a truly successful collaboration is that no collaborator can really claim sole ownership to any aspect of the product. How do you foster creativity, both in your own work and as a teaching artist? Creativity is the process of solving problems. Fostering creativity requires providing the participants with the tools to solve the problem, providing a clear rubric for solving the problem and creating a safe environment for risk-taking. List three key understandings of your discipline. List three outcomes of the three key understandings. List three Idaho Humanities Content Standards that
correlate with each of the key understandings you have identified above.
Goal 3.3: Communicate in dance through creative expression. Standard 2: Critical Thinking Standard 1: Historical and Cultural Contexts List vocabulary words that specifically relate to your discipline. Body – Alignment, Visceral, Distal, Sequential, Block-like Movement - Locomotor, Non-Locomotor, Axial, Gestural, Postural Space – Shape, Level, Relationship, Path, Direction Time – Accent, Metric, Non-Metric, Duration, Rhythm, Tempo Energy – Percussive, Sustained, Vibratory, Suspension, Collapse, Swing, Free, Bound, Direct, Indirect, Strong, Light Form – canon, rondo, ABA, suite, narrative palindrome, aleatoric List some subject areas outside of the fine arts that relate to your potential residency work. Math - A math dance can utilize the shapes of numbers to create pathways for locomotion or gesture and/or the shape of the body/group in space while the actual number may denote the number of times a movement/shape is repeated or the duration or rhythm of the movement. The algebraic function of the equation may be used to create the structure of the movement phrase so that the dance creates a movement phrase that is analogous to the equation. Language Arts – A poem may be explored for its rhythm. The words with rich imagery are identified and tied to Elements of movement to create dance phrases that abstract the poetry into movement. This dance derived from the poetry is performed as the poem is performed, creating a fully embodied poem. Social Studies – Students learn the four functions of movement (social display, work, war & contest, worship). They draw an imagined island, identify the geographic and climatic conditions and from this imagine a pre-industrial society. From this they identify the cultural mores of the society regarding social display, work, war & contest, worship. Utilizing the elements of movement they create ritual dances from this imagined culture. References Idaho State University Randy Earles, Professor of Music, Associate Dean for Fine Arts & Humanities Chad Gross, Associate Professor, Technical Director, Interim Co-chair (2008-2009) Joséphine A. Garibaldi, Assistant Professor, Director of Dance Southeast Missouri State University Robert Fruehwald, Professor, Department of Music Luther College Nick Gomersall, Professor of Economics top |
 Discipline: Dance Phone: (208) 233-2494 Email: pjzmolek@yahoo.com Website: www.isu.edu/~zmolpaul Special Populations I work with: This methodology works with all populations. I have experience working with deaf children as well as students with various physical and intellectual disabilities, including autism, ADHD, and cerebral palsy. I have extensive experience with at-risk populations.  ICA Artists by Disciplines
Dance Kay Braden Joy Esplin LiAnne Hunt Norma Pintar Rachel Swenson Paul Zmolek Theater/Storytelling Joy Steiner Teresa Clark Language Arts Malia Collins Carol Muzik Judy Sobeloff Visual Arts Deana Attebery Tom Bennick Judith Brand Sue Rooke Lizette Fife Helen Grainger Wilson Bernie Jestrabek-Hart Terrie Kralik Jeanne Leffingwell Amy Nack Mike Shipman Jennifer Williams Linda Wolfe Video/Media Arts Peppershock Media |
 Phone: 208/334-2119 or 800/278-3863 Fax: 208/334-2488 Mailing address: P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0008 Street address: 2410 North Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise, ID 83712 |