On Friday, May 15, 2026, Teaching Artists from across Ohio gathered in Cincinnati for Destination Arts Integration—a full day of professional development that felt less like a workshop and more like a reunion of people who care deeply about learning, creativity, and kids.

For me, the journey began long before the first session. I had the joy of traveling with my friend and colleague Sara Lawrence Sucato, owner of Sustaining Movement Services and longtime dancer with Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels. Sara and I have a way of falling into step; literally and figuratively. Her motto, “Moving through life and connecting with others along the way,” pairs beautifully with my own: “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” We both work on helping people move with intention.

Somewhere between the highway miles to the super Gen X hotel, called The Graduate, and the coffee stops, we scribbled down ideas for our businesses, swapped stories, and reminded each other why this work matters. Everyone deserves a friend like Sara, someone who sees the world through the same lens of movement, meaning, and possibility.

Learning From Leaders in the Field

The workshop itself was rich with insight:

• Jessica Held offered a clear, practical roadmap for building engaging residencies—structures that actually work, examples that spark ideas, and tools that Teaching Artists can use the very next day.
• Bridget Lambright guided us through the ways creative expression supports trauma healing, reminding us that the arts are not just enrichment—they are essential.
• A thoughtful panel featuring Dr. Elle Pierman, Marquette Stankowski, and Demetrius Thomas, facilitated by the incomparable Karen Erickson, dug into the realities of residency design. Karen’s work in Drama and Arts Integration continues to shape how so many of us think about curriculum, collaboration, and the power of story.

We also named something we all know but rarely say out loud: Teaching Artists are best when they are the least important person in the room. The students come first. The administrators and co-educators carry the weight of the school day. Our job is to support, adapt, and never take things personally. Advocacy has become a bigger part of our work than ever before, because the arts deserve a seat at the table, and so do the kids who thrive through them. The arts are essential.

A Personal Takeaway: It’s Time to Tell the Stories

My biggest realization from the day was simple and loud: I need to write more stories.

I’ve been doing this work for 30 years. It has shaped me, sustained me, and taught me more than any textbook ever could. I didn’t truly understand learning until I started dancing the lessons. And I’ve met so many students (so many versions of my younger self) whose stories deserve to be told.

So here’s my commitment: more case studies, more reflections, more windows into the real work happening in classrooms across Ohio.

And here’s one to start.

Case Study: Probability, Dance, and the Wrestling Room (Stark County, 2012)

In 2012, I walked into a rural Stark County middle school and was directed to the wrestling room, complete with the unmistakable smell of well‑used mats and a group of students who were not thrilled to be there. The integration for the day? Probability and Dance.

Every coping mechanism in the room was on full display. So we began with the simplest tool we had: breath. We practiced Box Breathing… four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out, four counts hold…

…and the energy shifted.

I taught them three movement patterns representing Rock, Paper, and Scissors. We explored probability by dancing out the math of chance: How likely is it that someone will float the paper pattern? How often does the rock pattern roll through? What happens when we track the outcomes?

Before long, the lesson turned into a full‑blown dance performance, complete with student‑requested music. Later that month, families were invited to see all the math‑based performance pieces we created.

The turning point came after a snow day. The students returned and immediately asked, “When is our make‑up day?” They wanted more. They wanted to dance math again. They wanted to learn.

That moment alone was worth every data point.

Gratitude

Thank you to the Ohio Arts Council, Art Possible Ohio, OhioDance, and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education for creating a day that reminded us why we do this work—and why the stories matter.