Hanna Jacobsen
About
Hello, bom dia! I'm Hanna, and while I am originally from California, I have spent the better part of the past decade living in the northeast of Brasil. I spent a number of years working with water access and sanitation, and have also been an experiential educator. In more recent years, I have (re)turned my attention to dance, and have been immersed in the creative world of Bahia, as a student, teacher and artist/performer. I have years of classical ballet training, and also have experience in modern, contemporary, Afro-Brazilian and folcloric/popular dance as well. I teach English classes to students of all levels and ages, mainly focused on conversation, but sometimes on accent reduction, grammar and/or writing. I also work part-time as a translator - most recently, I translated a book about the graffiti and tagging scene in Salvador, Bahia.
I would describe my teaching style as personal and intimate. The more I know about your goals and about what moves you, the more I can tailor lessons to meet your needs and also be dynamic enough to keep you inspired when challenges arise.
dance - It's difficult to teach and learn dance via an online platform - it's so important to SEE the body in motion to offer useful feedback - so early on, I'll teach you things to look out for and feel in your body while doing movement so you can self-correct, too. I'll want to know what you most need assistance/guidance with - alignment, strength, learning/embodying choreography, interpretation - the lesson needs to be informed by your design and needs.
english - Conversation classes are my specialty, and I generally get you talking about yourself, your ideas, your motivations, your doubts... what do you know better than your own self? Hence, there is always a lot of material for conversation. :) And, it's important to note that the more that you practice on your own time, the more advances we can make during our time together. ;)
Bachelors degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley
Master's degree in Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara
Professional Tecnical Course in Dance - Funceb (Bahia)