The Montessori
Approach to Dance
The Montessori Dance Guide (MDG) presents a Montessori approach to creative dance. MDG uses the language of dance to develop the
creative potential, personal expression, and sensibility of each individual.
Dance begins with becoming aware of what is being perceived by the
senses and uses reality as an endless source of inspiration.
Understanding that everyone is unique, and therefore has
a different wayof moving, is central to MDG.
MDG is led by Katarzyna Ustowska-Gmerek, M.A. Dance Education
„Children do not know what their future work will be.
But they know that they must prepare their instrument from the beginning. The purpose for which these instruments will be used is different for each person.
This is the great importance of movement."
M. Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures
Katarzyna Ustowska-Gmerek
dance educator, dancer and choreographer
Katarzyna graduated from the State Ballet School in Gdansk in Poland (2008), the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, UK (BPA hons in Contemporary Dance, 2011), the Postgraduate Diploma (Company Pathway, Verve, at NSCD) and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (M.A. of Arts in Contemporary Dance Education, 2017).
Katarzyna works as a dance artist, teacher and choreographer in her home country and abroad. Since 2007 she continously collaborates with the Sopot Montessori School where she leads classes for children age 1,5 - 14, educators and parents. Following the research of her M.A. thesis on dance in the Montessori pedagigical environment she studies methods and strategies on how creative dance can enlarge Montessori curricula today and how Montessori approach can be applied to dance education.
She works with The In-between Words Foundation (PL) and Aphasia Recovery Connection (USA) using dance language to assist the recovery of people suffering from aphasia through developing personal ways of moving and comunicating ideas.
She a dance educator she collaborated with the North Karelia College in Finland, University Justus Liebig in Giessen, University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main, Leeds Beckett University, Polish Montessori Association, Polish Montessori Institute, .
Katarzyna continously collaborates with The Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre. She co-creates with a group of independent polish artists Durski/Kania/Stanek/Ustowska and works collaborativly with other artists.
She completed People Dancing and Dance for PD® - Dance for Parkinson’s introductory course (2020). Currently she studies the method created by Anna Halprin through the Life/Art Process® an integrated approach that explores the wisdom of the body expressed through movement, dance, and imagination, led by Ursula Schorn.
