ABOUT THE PROGRAM

During its 10 week/20 session residencies, the St. Louis Dancing Classrooms program transforms girls and boys into mature, self-reliant, and elegant young ladies and gentlemen. Principals, teachers and parents have praised our program for developing important skills and behaviors in their students, including civility, respect, teamwork and self-discipline.

Specifically designed for 5th grade students, each residency takes students on an imaginary journey around the world as they learn the basic steps of the Merengue, Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango, Swing, and Waltz. Traveling to the Dominican Republic to learn the Merengue or Austria to learn the Waltz, students learn about the people and cultures that sparked the origin of each dance. Sprinkled in the mix are a few contemporary line-dances that we like to call “sugar dances”. 

RESIDENCY AT A GLANCE

• All residencies occur during the school day

• Residency lessons are twice a week for 45-50 minutes each session

•  All lessons are facilitated by one of our highly skilled and trained Teaching Artists, who work in partnership with classroom teachers and school staff assigned

• Students learn the basic steps of 6 different ballroom dances as well as a few contemporary line dances

• Our Standards-Based Programming meets state and national requirements in both PE and Music

• Cross-Curriculum Learning and Concepts make our program relevant across academic subjects

• Each lesson of the residency is centered around encouraging and practicing positive student behavior and interaction

• The 20th lesson of each residency is an in-school Culminating Event performance and celebration 

• All of our partner schools have the option to participate in one of our competition events with the opportunity to progress on to the annual Colors of the Rainbow Team Match Championship

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For more information, please email Angela Brooks at angieb@stldancingclassrooms.org

or call us at (314) 435-5878.