Dance as an Art form in the Classroom
This program is facilitated by a teaching artist (6 to 8 weeks program)
Character Dance program is stylized folk or ethnic dance for the Ballet stage. Our mission is to first provide students with academic and performance-related opportunities in different dance styles from Europe, and secondly to enrich their experience through cross cultural interaction. Most popular dances in the Classical Character repertoire are the national dances of Hungary, Russia, Poland, Italy and Spain: czardas, mazurka, polka, tarantella, flamenco, etc.
Contemporary dance program covers concepts of individual creative expression. Students are introduced to contemporary concepts of dance and movement that emphasize spine work, articulation of body parts, shapes, and patterns. They learn to appreciate warming up the body before dance and gain a greater awareness of the health and self-esteem aspects of their physical selves. Students learn to develop their own movement and how to tell a story through dance. From that, they create their own dance work to full production. The content of the work is developed with classroom teachers to enhance the academic curriculum. Students may research a folktale, a historical figure or event as the subject of the work. Students also learn about other aspects of mounting a dance production, such as developing costumes, props, choosing music.
Both programs include students' performance at the end of 6 to 8 week session.
Instruction Fee: $80 per 60 minute class.
