Sample Projects

Professional Development for Teachers and Administrators:

We can all create. We just need the tools and vocabulary along with a critical eye that can grab hold of the creative energies that surround us. The process is inherently the same no matter what artistic genre is being engaged, what the level of expertise is and what the age is of those participating. The company's workshops are designed to nurture the creative potential of each participant in a safe and non-threatening environment. Verbal and visual tools are given to assist them in finding innovative shapes and imaginative ways to move. Teachers will experiment with the type of activities that the students will eventually experience during the project. Time is set aside to discuss the details of the upcoming project and to explore curricular connections. It is also a valuable time for teacher input on what has taken place thus far and in developing the project so that it is well suited to the students and the needs of the individual teachers involved.

District Mentoring Districts

The ESDC District-Mentoring-Districts residency program, has taken the successful residency program in one school district, and used it as a model to bring dance to other districts. Begun as a pilot residency project for 4 th grade students, this program included an ESDC performance, a five-day series of workshops, and a performance sharing by the students with their community. Originally in a single elementary school, this program has grown to include the other three elementary schools in the school district. Once the entire school district committed to a residency program, ESDC orchestrated a mentoring program for another school district. This collaboration between ESDC and these two districts has been so successful, that we are now ready to expand to other regional school systems.