ABOUT

Rockii Nelson is from Spartanburg SC. She is a Rockhill-based dance artist. She holds a Bachelor's in Arts in Dance with a Theatre minor from Winthrop University. Rockii is the Marketing Coordinator for Winthrop's Athletic Department and assists with Winthrop's Spirit Squad. She has choreographed for the Winthrop Spirit Squad, Winthrop Dance Theatre, Junior and Senior showcase. Rockii has served as President of the National Dance Education Organization. She has also stage managed for Winthrop Dance Theatre. Her skills range from being the performer and collaborating with the choreographer. Rockii handles behind-the-scenes tasks that are necessary for putting on a production. Miss Nelson uses the tools in theatre and dance that have been bestowed on her to influence her peers and community. Rockii Nelson has acquired the necessary tools in the Theater and Dance department to enhance her capabilities further. She hopes to continue her performance career while gaining her Master's.

Artist Statement
Dance has become my safe space and I dance because I love to create. The purpose of my art is to bring meaning and bring hope into a concrete world. I aim to emphasize liveliness and authenticity throughout my works. I strive to create an environment that will allow the audience to have the experience to feel, rather than to sit and observe. My art is a reflection of myself, it has allowed me to express my emotions and improvise according to how I feel. Since I was young, I have wanted to perform and be able to express myself through movement. The emotions within me all seem to surface as I dance, helping me to show my inner spirit and connect with others. At a very young age, I knew dance was what I wanted to do in my life. I was immersed in dance at the age of three. When my parents submerged me into dance it allowed me to escape the stresses of reality. Being a very active child, I wanted to be involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. Being constantly told that there was no future in dance, I started drifting away from my passion. I began to take a big interest in sports such as basketball and track. Coming out of high school I decided that I would give dance up and take a scholarship for basketball at Converse College. I gradually started remigrating back into dance and taking classes. I realized how much I regret turning away from my passion. When presented the opportunity to attend an internship at Hollins University, by one of my professors at Converse College; I immediately was reassured that dance was for me. Instantly, I took a leap of faith and transferred to Winthrop University to pursue a Bachelor’s in Arts. Winthrop University has helped me to improve my skills as a performer, as well as a choreographer. Dance, overall, is my one true passion. It is the one thing that I can feel completely “at home” while doing. Dance never fails to make me happy and I’ve known for years that I want to become further involved with dance in a college atmosphere and for a career. I can’t see myself studying any other subject or art, for dance has truly become a crucial part of who I am.

Philosophy Statement
My teaching philosophy is to create an environment where students can develop mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. I also want to prepare students for solving and analyzing problems that they will face outside of the classroom. By engaging students in real-world activities, students will be ready for life after school. The goals that I want my students to achieve are becoming independent critical thinkers. I believe that as an educator it is my responsibility to be a guide to the students. Also, engage students in activities that will implant purpose in their lives. Students should have the opportunity to merge together with one another to share what they learn. The student’s responsibility is to obtain new and deeper understandings through their own investigations. I believe that technique, body alignment, weight, dynamics, and improvisation should be taught. Which will allow the students to gain understanding and connections on how dance influences everyday life. I believe in the educational philosophy of the progressivism approach when it comes to who should decide on the teachings. Jointly, the teacher and student should decide what is to be taught. This will allow new ideas, and findings to flourish. This way the students will be more engaged when they know they have a say in what is being taught to them. This material should be taught by designing classes that share history, vocabulary, technique and much more that will help students activate their creative voices.