Dance and Literacy

Dance and Literacy Programs Dance and Literacy Programs can enhance dance education in education as a whole Dance and Literacy Programs can help children see how everything they learn in all their academic classes can also connect art classes Dance and Literacy programs to teach dance and literacy through movement, poetry, storytelling and visual art

Dance and Literacy programs can incorporate reading and dance which can reading to movement. Students’ engagement in what they read in class is increased when they are asked to recall story elements through movement then are taught to express character conflict setting and other story components through their own movements and dance expressions.

Other perks to Dance and Literacy Programs Dance and literacy are such an important part of every child’s life and we should be proud to be a part of this process Teaching artists are professional dancers, do these programs during their residency, a local dance company performs for and dances with the kids In many program the children can present their work they choreographed with the teaching artists in a performance Their pieces are usually theme based or a story to incorporate the literacy aspect to bridge both dance and literacy!

Programs involving Dance and Literacy New York City Ballet NDEO ArtsEdge The National Endowment of the Arts New York State Council on the Arts

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet offers professional development programs and workshops. NYCB offer a program called "Dance - Literacy through an Aesthetic Education," which is a one day workshop offered to educators, administrators, parents, etc. “The workshop introduces the 'literacy of dance and its intrinsic relevance to literacy in other subject areas. The workshop involves movement, discussion, writing, and curriculum design exercises to illustrate how literacy across disciplines can be achieved.” The Second Program is the “Ballet–Curriculum through Aesthetic Exploration is a 15-session series for individual professionals from New York City public schools. This program examines the craft and aesthetic of ballet, as exemplified by NYCB, to provide teacher and student with opportunities for literacy enrichment and curricular development.”

NDEO The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) is an autonomous non-profit organization dedicated to promoting standards of excellence in dance education by providing the dance artist and the dance educator a network of resources and support, a base for advocacy, and access to programs and projects that focus on the importance of dance in the human experience. The goals of NDEO are to: 1) promote dance as an artistic process which broadens and deepens human experience; 2) strengthen the national voice in articulating and implementing a vision for dance education; and 3) weave dance into the complete fabric of learning. The NDEO works to advance knowledge in the field of dance education, encourages research and practical application, and promotes quality instruction in dance arts education conducted by qualified teachers of dance.

ArtsEdge Artsedge provides lesson plans that involve the National Standards for Arts Education These lesson plans unite the arts with academic subjects such as Math, English, History, and Sciences There website lists the Standards as well as up to date articles, reports, and other arts related materials

The National Endowment of the Arts The NEA is an organization that provides many excellent programs for artists in our nation. They have grants and funding programs to help artists start new artist projects and many other great opportunities for art supporters. They also house the Council on the Arts. “The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education”

New York State Council on the Arts The NYSCA's Mission is that "The New York State Council on the Arts is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York's citizens The Council believes in supporting the following." They also are "committed to fostering public understanding and enjoyment of arts and culture through support of arts education, public participation, and lifelong learning programs in schools and community settings for children and adults."

The End