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Dance is rarely a mandatory part of a child’s education. If dance is taught at all, it is part of a physical education curriculum, is briefly covered, and presented only as a form of exercise, not as a form of artistic expression. Seeing a need in New York City’s worst performing public schools, Broadway stars Pierre Dulaine and Yvonne Marceau started a program called Dancing Classrooms in 1994, as an educational addition to their company American Ballroom Theatre. The film “Take the Lead” starring Antonio Banderas is based on the couple’s adventures in starting the program. The program works with participating school systems and teaches dance to students in grades 5, 8, and 12. Throughout a semester, students learn basic ballroom steps, gain self-confidence, and learn to appreciate an art form that many wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. Partner dance has proven an effective element in getting shy kids to open up and make new friends. At the end of the course, students showcase their work on stage for classmates, teachers, and family.
Dance education has largely been restricted to the extra-curricular spaces in a child’s education: after school ballet or tap dance lessons. This means that a child must demonstrate a love for dance early on and the parent must have the resources to provide the lessons, leaving most children unable to partake in dance education. Dancing Classrooms provides dance education at minimal or no cost to students. After a school-hosted course, students are invited to take regular private lessons at a discounted rate at Dancing Classrooms private studios around the country. Currently Dancing Classroom operates in Cleveland, Dallas, several cities in Florida, Long Island, Newark, New York, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and St. Louis. To find out more information or get a chapter started in your city, you can visit the Dancing Classrooms website at americanballroomtheater.com.
