Dance Coaching & Tutoring

ABOUT

Private Coaching & Solo Choreography for Young Dancers

I work with serious young dancers who are ready to deepen—not just their technique—but their artistry, confidence, and inner strength.

I am an award-winning professional choreographer with 25 years of national and international experience creating work, teaching professionals, and mentoring emerging artists. I currently teach at City Ballet San Francisco and Ramón Moreno Ballet School in Palo Alto, and have also taught at Academy of Performing Arts Palo Alto and Osipova Ballet Academy.

While my career has been rooted in professional choreography and university-level teaching, I bring that same rigor, discernment, and artistic depth to my private coaching. I work one-on-one with pre-professional youth to refine technique, develop musicality, and cultivate a powerful stage presence. When I choreograph competition solos, I do so with great care—crafting work that highlights the dancer’s unique strengths rather than forcing them into trends.

My approach is grounded in deep listening. I study the dancer in front of me—their instincts, their sensitivities, their physical intelligence—and build from there. We polish details. We strengthen fundamentals. We expand emotional range. We build resilience and self-trust. I want dancers to feel not only prepared to compete, but empowered in who they are becoming.

As a bilingual artist (PhD, UC Berkeley; MFA, NYU), I bring intellectual depth, cultural fluency, and a lifelong dedication to performance as both craft and calling. My work bridges discipline and imagination, excellence and self-love.

Private sessions are ideal for dancers preparing for competitions, auditions, intensives, or simply seeking individualized artistic mentorship.

I am currently accepting a limited number of private coaching clients.

Inquiries: doctoraphanie@gmail.com

COACHING RATES $110 per hour.

  • Inquire about a free diagnostic chat.

PRAISE

“Dr. Sherman was one of most remarkable teachers in my BA studies because she encouraged me to find my own voice as an artist, by paying attention to the different qualities of each student and giving us the chance to develop those qualities… She cares about her students not only as students but also as people, artists an even colleagues.”

—Melissa, Former Dance Student, Universidad de las Américas Puebla

“I would like to highlight the loyalty that she had with her students at la Universidad de las Américas Puebla, her excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and her group work as well as her individual leadership. She created great dancers and formed a great community of dancers. She has also shown leadership in altruistic activist activities with gender rights, and Mexico has benefitted greatly from her contributions, which I respect. I also admire her consistency and her desire to help others, since she has continued being my mentor after being her student.”

—Ana Karen, Former Dance Student, Universidad de las Américas Puebla

“You are, without a doubt, of the most important professors who has impacted my professional career and who I am as a person. With you I learned about many more authors, about other visions about art: dance, performance, theater, and their crossovers, as well as a more human and inclusive vision, a social consciousness and a Latin American vision of life and our profession.”

—Ricardo, Former Critical Theory Student, Universidad de las Américas Puebla

“The unconditional support, the respectful feedback, and the innovative teaching methodology of yours made us grow.”

—Mauricio, Former Dance Student, Academia de la Danza Mexicana, INBAL

"We love working with Stephanie Sherman and give her our highest recommendation. First, she is a wonderful teacher, combining high energy, high standards and clear curriculum, with joy and warmth that make her a highlight each week for our children.  Second, we see her work validated at school - our school's Spanish teachers have told us how quickly our children have progressed over the several years we have been working with her, and she has been willing to plan her lessons to fill specific gaps left by the school's curriculum.  Our children are very fortunate to work with such a naturally skilled teacher, who also brings strong academic credentials, broad experience and great joy for life."

—Paul, Parent, Spanish tutoring, CA

"Stephanie is a terrific teacher. My daughter studied with her online for a couple of years, and she never wanted to skip a class because the experience was so fun. Having the extra language exposure each week definitely improved my daughter’s knowledge and her enthusiasm for Spanish. I highly recommend her!”

—Danny, Parent, Spanish tutoring, CA

OTHER COURSES

Have you ever wanted to take a college level course? Here is your chance! I am a bilingual college professor with a PhD and MFA and am excited to teach you one of my courses. Inquire within.

  • Spanish (Private tutoring, TutorCorps, Pacific Preparatory, Ollin Center, Meridian Academy Middle School)

  • ESL: (Ollin Center; TESOL Certified)

  • Dance: Contemporary Dance, Choreography & Improvisation (ODC, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Academia de la Danza Mexicana INBAL, la Cantera, Fresh Festival, UC Berkeley, la Universidad Central del Ecuador, CEPRODAC, Espacio Vazio, private classes & much more in San Francisco, Mexico City, Quito, and Boston)

  • Disability & the Arts: (California College of the Arts)

  • Queer & Trans Studies: (California College of the Arts)

  • Performance Theory: (UC Berkeley, Universidad de las Américas Puebla)

  • Essay Writing: (UC Berkeley)

  • Dance Studies: Dance History, Dance Research, Dance Ethnography, Dance Appreciation, Dance in World Cultures (San Francisco State University, San José State University, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Academia de la Danza Mexicana INBAL)

  • Chicanx Theater & Performance: (UC Berkeley)