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African American History Month Spotlight Pearl Primus By Gerda Peterich

African-American History Month Dance Spotlight: Pearl Primus

25 Jan 2021

African-American History Month Dance Spotlight: Pearl Primus This month we pay tribute to Pearl Primus, a dancer, anthropologist, choreographer, teacher and – ultimately – a doctor who lived from Nov. 29, 1919 – Oct. 29, 1994. Primus was born in Trinidad but her family [...]

SMART Goals for Children in 2021

4 Jan 2021

January is all about making New Year’s Resolutions, but let’s say good-bye to the resolutions and hello to some SMART goals for children in 2021. It is important for people of all ages to learn how to create a simple, SMART goal and the steps to achieve the goal. Learning about [...]

Black Lives Matter

5 Jun 2020

Dancing with Class sees, hears, and stands with the Black community, and is outraged by the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others before them. We recognize the importance of protest as a catalyst for change in bringing an end to systemic racism. [...]

Virtual Dance Lessons, Workshops & Parties for Schools

22 Apr 2020

Bring JOY & CONNECTION to Students with an Online Dance Workshop & Celebration In this time of social distancing, finding ways to create community through shared experiences of joy and celebration is more important than ever. Our team of professional teaching artists offer a [...]

In the News: Chicago Students Journey from Dance Class to Ballroom Dance Floor

6 Mar 2020

In a 2-part series, a reporter from ABC 7 Chicago followed a group of Chicago Public School students from their weekly dance classes at school all the way to a city-wide performance at the Chicago Cultural Center. The series cast a spotlight on Dancing with Class, a program that helps students [...]

2 Children’s Dance Books with Social Emotional Learning Themes

20 Jan 2020

Being a child can be hard… No seriously! Children can be easily influenced by others and are vulnerable to making comparisons to others. This is because they are in the beginning process of building their own identity and self-security. In this blog post, I will be reviewing two [...]

A Dancer’s Guide to Gratitude

12 Nov 2019

As we seek to build community through dance, an attitude of gratitude is key to our success. In this post, we explore why gratitude matters so much and 7 things we are grateful for as dancers. What is Gratitude and Why is it Helpful? Gratitude has several definitions including: the act [...]

Why Dance Belongs in the School Day (HINT: SEL is its Soulmate!)

16 Jul 2019

Years of research point to dance and Social Emotional Learning as a powerful combination with great potential to address issues of equity and inclusion. The most successful Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs use active forms of learning, and evidence suggests that dance out-paces [...]

Connection: A Dance Poem Compiled from Student Reflections

8 Apr 2019

Learning to dance with peers at school is an incredible journey in social development all by itself. When the goal is to eventually perform to live music played by your peers in the school orchestra, the experience rises to a whole other level. Students at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School [...]

Social Emotional Learning & The Magic of Dance Part I

16 Nov 2018

Social Emotional Learning & The Magic of Dance – Part I Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is not just a buzz phrase here at Dancing with Class. In fact SEL is an important intervention that contributes to a person’s cognitive development and mental health from childhood into adulthood. In [...]