They clapped, jumped, swayed and intentionally held a pose ... Our third graders' recent series of workshops through Saint David's new collaboration with the National Dance Institute was a smashing success. Over the course of three days last week, the boys learned correct timing, how to match rhythm to movement, and some secrets to balancing on one leg (hold arms out to the side). The choreography for the dances they performed before an audience on the final day in our Otto-Bernstein Theatre was inspired by the boys themselves and guided by the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou.
In one poem, "I Love the Look of Words," Angelou uses popcorn as a metaphor for the powerful impact of the written word: "Popcorn leaps, popping from the floor of a hot black skillet and into my mouth. Black words leap, snapping from the white page. " You can imagine the boys' joy in simulating the "popping" of popcorn through movement. As one third grader said, "I really loved jumping like a caramel popcorn being popped and trying not to make much sound when landing." The boys also had to pay close attention to their environment and the movement of their peers in order to stay in sync, following a musical, rhythmic, or lyrical cue.
This collaboration with NDI originated in our programmatic initiative to maximize the use of our school's theatre and expand our performing arts program. Our Music Chair, Jeff Moore, who had been involved with NDI for a number of years, jumped at the opportunity, reaching out to NDI's director to make it happen. Each workshop session was led by two NDI teachers/choreographers and a musician, with support and oversight from Mr. Moore and Saint David's Choral Director/Music Teacher Meg Myette.
Dance is a discipline that, while traditionally not common in a boys' school curriculum, has tremendous value in meeting our mission-centric goals and enabling boys to explore their full range of personal interests and talents: to "be all they can be" and find their "joyful balance."
Of course, dance and for that matter any of the performing arts, is about so much more than performance, movement and choreography. In addition to learning the art of dance, our boy learned the value of excellence in dance, the importance of hard work, focus, and cooperation/collaboration in achieving personal and collective success. They flexed and grew critical and creative thinking muscles as they harnessed movement to communicate, connect, and share ideas. And, of course, there are the well-documented positive emotional effects of dance as a mood enhancer and stress reducer.
As Mr. Moore summarized, "The workshops were incredible for the boys. They could be creative in their movements, but also part of a team. They could draw on emotions that young boys might not be able to articulate, and they could respond to the music with energy and joy." The review of another third grader: "I really liked the teachers' style; they didn't just make you do the dance; they taught different steps, there were cues, and a pianist. The environment was really nice in the theater, and I loved it!"
At the end of last Friday's performance, the audience of parents, faculty and staff faced a stage filled with boys united as a grade smiling ear-to-ear, exuding confidence, accomplishment and joy. Does it get any better than that?
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