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Why Dance Matters: more voices from the dance classroom

May 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Tags: ·

by Randy Barron, a dance educator who is putting his own classroom experiences into the blog Classroom Choreography

At the end of a short Classroom Choreography residency in Arizona, I asked students to reflect in writing on their experiences making dances about poetry.

One of my 5th grade students (a boy!) said on his closing reflection, “I learned that dance is not just movement, it’s a way of life.” Those words did not pass my lips during the four days; that was his own interpretation.

A 5th grade girl, painfully shy, not well accepted among her classmates, and barely able to write simple sentences, said this about her experience: “I lerned to overcom my Fears.” (sic) Her teachers, the school staff, and I were all in tears when we read this. Dance opened a door for her that might not have been unlocked for years, if at all.

We MUST get dance to ALL children.

Join the discussion about Why Dance Matters here & here.

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