KEYNOTE PRESENTER
In Search of Air: Growing Up Dyslexic
Created and Performed by Lida Winfield

Over the last decade, using her one woman show “In Search of Air” as a critical platform, Lida has taught educators how to use dance in the classroom as an instructional tool. She is an innovative leader in kinesthetic learning and emotional intelligence. As a performer and teaching artist, Lida travels the country as a Keynote Presenter/Performer addressing issues of education, disability, access, cognitive diversity, and the power of the arts. Her work reaches diverse populations in traditional and non-traditional settings, challenging who dances, who dance is for, and the impact that dance can have on learning and education. 
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In this unique Keynote Performance, Vermont dancer, choreographer, spoken word artist and educator, Lida Winfield shares the gift and heartache that accompanied her struggle to read, which did not occur until her early twenties.  This innovative Keynote Performance is a mixture of funny, sad, and ironic vignettes woven together in a creative and captivating format that explores the issues of disability, access and the value of hands-on learning. Lida's presence on stage clearly expresses her life experiences in order to bring us closer to our own.
Workshop Examples:
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Transforming Learning through Arts Integration (For Educators):​
As a professional performer, educator and practitioner of arts integration, Lida will present innovative approaches for hands-on learning by exploring sensory and kinesthetic experiences that enhance student development, celebrate teaching and honor the whole child.  Lida will use spoken word and dance to demonstrate different modalities for transforming learning for students with and without disabilities.
 
Reaching All Students Through the Arts (For Educators):
In this workshop,  participants experientially explore the topics of disability, access, inclusion and difference using movement, dialogue and the sharing of participants own stories.  Through these diverse modalities, educators examine what it means to teach a class full of students who have diverse learning styles while striving to ensure that content and discourse are available to all students.
 
Pre and Post-Show Workshops  (For Students):
Stomping Stories I:
This interactive workshop helps students better understand both the content and the art form used in In Search of Air. The workshops further deepen the understanding of the topics of disability, access, inclusion and differences as portrayed in the show as well as provide students a chance to ask the artist questions. With the use of simple movement and voice activities, students artistically express their thoughts and feelings regarding education, learning styles, failure and success.
 
Stomping Stories II:
Using improvisation, Lida will lead the group to explore different ways of creating stories and  movement. We all have many stories that contribute to how we see ourselves and how we operate in the world.  By sharing our stories through movement and narrative,  participants are building bridges between each other and contributing to the growth of community. Creativity and an open mind are all that are  needed to enjoy this workshop.  All sizes and abilities welcome.
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Pre-show workshops are recommended for 6th grade and post-show workshops are designed for 6th grade students and up. Workshops can be adapted for a single presentation or a residency. Custom-made classes for specific populations may also be requested.  Study guides are available for classroom use.

Keynote Performances &  Special Guest Presentations:
International Dyslexia Association National Conference, Portland, OR
International Dyslexia Association Conference, Foxwoods, CT
TEDx Middlebury: (Un)hinged​, Middlebury, VT
Mid-Peninsula High School, Menlo Park, California
Habla Teacher Institute Found in Translation:  The Roles of Literacies, Languages, & the Arts in Diverse Environments, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
Dare to Dream Conference - Teens with Disabilities, University of Rhode Island, RI
Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Teacher Institute, Reading, MA