OUR THREE CURRENT DANCE RESIDENCIES
Dance is a tool that teaches story-telling, encourages creative thinking, imposes perseverance and undoubtedly, it leads to leadership building. In many ways, it helps support emotional development by exploring the interpretation of movement, the narrative of the story and the connection to music. Performance is an outlet that allows dancers to engage with a wider audience and to communicate intimate stories unobtrusively.
HAPPY DANCING BRAIN
Happy Dancing Brain, a celebration of movement and learning. Designed for elementary-age students, this unique program encourages them to engage with dance intellectually before embodying it physically. By emphasizing dance foundations and techniques through mental processing, it cultivates a deeper understanding of the art form. With a vibrant focus on multicultural dance, the Happy Dancing Brain initiative ensures that students of all abilities can cherish and appreciate dance in a meaningful way, fostering holistic growth and cultural appreciation.
Goals:
1. Cultivating Intellectual Engagement: The primary goal of the Happy Dance and Brain is to foster intellectual engagement with dance among students. By focusing on understanding dance movement, foundations, and techniques mentally before physical execution, the program aims to enhance students' cognitive connection with the art form.
2. Promoting Multicultural Awareness: Another key goal is to instill an appreciation for multicultural dance forms. By introducing diverse dance styles from around the world, the program seeks to broaden students' horizons and promote cultural awareness, fostering a sense of unity and respect for different traditions.
3. Nurturing Confidence and Pride:The program also aims to nurture students' self-confidence and pride. Through their journey of intellectual exploration and multicultural exposure, students will develop a strong sense of achievement and pride in their evolving dance abilities, contributing to their overall self-esteem.
Targets:
1. Intellectual Dance Proficiency: By the end of the 12 to 24-week program, students should demonstrate proficiency in mentally grasping dance movement, foundation, and SOME technique concepts, showcasing their ability to process dance intellectually and creatively.
2. Multicultural Appreciation: Students should be able to recognize and perform basic steps and movements from various multicultural dance forms. They should also express an understanding of the cultural significance behind these dances, fostering a broader perspective.
3. Confident End-of-Semester Performances: Each student is expected to actively participate in the end-of-semester performances. They should perform confidently, showcasing their intellectual grasp of dance techniques and their appreciation for multicultural diversity. This public display of their progress promotes self-assuredness and pride in their accomplishments.
DANCING THROUGH THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER
Experience the captivating journey of “Dancing Through the History of American Musical Theater,” a program designed for fifth graders. This immersive experience delves into the heart of U.S. musical theater history, guiding students through diverse styles, genres, and eras via music and dance. Through this interactive exploration, students embark on a time-traveling adventure, gaining insights into the evolution of Broadway music and choreography. They learn about the contributions from individuals of various backgrounds that have shaped the modern musical theater landscape. The program culminates in a grand production number, weaving together elements from multiple musicals into a stunning tapestry. Daily sessions feature engaging warm-ups, character work, and short lectures, but the core focus is on choreography and performance.
Targets:
1. Choreographic Skill Mastery: Students will develop proficiency in stylized choreography from different eras of American musical theater, showcasing their ability to execute diverse dance styles authentically.
2. Historical Understanding: By the program’s end, participants should demonstrate a clear understanding of the evolution of musical theater in the United States, recognizing key genres, eras, and contributors that have shaped its history.
3. Collaborative Performance: The program aims to foster teamwork and collaboration among students, leading to a harmonious and polished end-of-program production number that seamlessly blends elements from various musicals.
Goals:
1. Cultural Appreciation: Encourage students to appreciate the contributions of individuals from diverse backgrounds to American musical theater, promoting inclusivity and a broader understanding of its cultural significance.
2. Confidence and Expression: Through daily performance-centric classes, students should develop greater self-confidence in their dance abilities and expressive skills, enabling them to communicate narratives through movement.
3. Culminating Artistry: The ultimate goal is for students to demonstrate their artistic growth by successfully merging choreography from different musicals into a cohesive, visually stunning production number that reflects their learned skills and appreciation for musical theater history.
CREATIVE CHOREOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Embark on the "Creative Choreography Workshop," an engaging journey designed for elementary-age students. This program empowers young dancers to explore the art of storytelling through a rich tapestry of imagery, poetry, music, story telling, props, and sounds. Guided by this creative process, students collaboratively craft choreography, valuing diverse perspectives and narratives. Each session commences with an age-appropriate, structured warm-up, blending technical exercises and theatrical activities. Through these classes, students nurture teamwork, artistic responsibility, and self-confidence, cultivating their ability to think beyond conventional boundaries. Over the 12 to 24-week program, participants will craft an ensemble dance piece, skillfully incorporating various inspirations, showcasing their collaborative artistry.
Targets:
1. Collaborative Creation and Play: By the end of the program, students should demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively with their peers, embracing diverse viewpoints while working together to create choreography that tells a cohesive story. This target emphasizes teamwork and collective artistic expression.
2. Artistic Responsibility: Throughout the workshop, participants will learn to take ownership of their creative decisions and contributions. This involves understanding the impact of their choices on the overall composition and actively engaging in shaping the narrative and movement of the choreography.
3. Building Self-Esteem: As the program progresses, students should experience an increase in self-confidence. Through the collaborative nature of the workshop, they will recognize the value of their ideas and artistic contributions, fostering a positive sense of self-esteem.
Goals:
1. Crafting Ensemble Dance Piece: By the program's conclusion, students will create a captivating ensemble dance piece that seamlessly integrates elements of imagery, poetry, music, settings, props, and sounds. This goal highlights the synthesis of various creative mediums to produce a unified choreographic work.
2. Cultivating Creative Thinking: The program aims to develop participants' ability to think outside the box, encouraging innovative approaches to storytelling and movement. This creative thinking extends beyond dance, nurturing their capacity for imaginative problem-solving.
3. Celebrating Collaborative Artistry: The ultimate objective is for students to showcase their collaborative artistry by presenting a choreographic piece that reflects their shared creative journey. This goal encapsulates the essence of teamwork, storytelling, and artistic exploration achieved over the duration of the program.