Carolina Ballet | Education | Dancers in Schools

• Dancers in Schools is an innovative program that enhances the educational experience for students across the state of North Carolina by bringing ballet education into public schools.
• Dancers in Schools integrates art with math, science, and healthy living tools.
• Dancers in Schools has reached over 40,000 public school students since the program was launched in 2004.
• Prior to visits, teachers receive lecture materials that include an informational video, an educational CD-Rom and a written curriculum guide.
• During visits, dancers perform a short ballet, demonstrate dance basics at the barre, answer questions about the lives of professional dancers and how ballet can complement students’ coursework, and teach students a short dance routine.

“It gave exposure of the arts to students who may not have had the opportunity to be exposed to ballet and the arts in general.”
teacher, Pitt County School

“It taught innumerable lessons in patience, cooperation, teamwork, leadership, and discipline.”
teacher, Gates County School

"This was a wonderful opportunity to expose the students of Stokes County to the arts. In a time when art funding has been cut from school budgets, our teachers have taken up the responsibility to teach students about art and all the areas it encompasses. However, we lack the expertise and the experience to teach students about all areas. This helped expose our students to the wonderful art of dance. The 'Dancers in Schools: Informance' held at our school has provided students with an experience they will remember for a lifetime."
Nancy Reynolds Elementary School Principal Rusty Hall, Stokes County

Program Goals
Carolina Ballet seeks to enhance the educational experience for students across North Carolina by bringing ballet into public schools. Additional program goals include strengthening the role of arts in learning, including linking ballet to science and health studies, and broadening children’s access to and awareness of ballet as an art form.

“The program enhanced learning... it sought to help students build confident identities so their minds can be open to reach their real potential in the world...”
teacher, Nash County

“The arts are an essential element of education and this program was impressive on its approach in connecting the curriculum across the board.”
teacher, Guilford County

“This program allowed the students to approach many subjects with a more open mind. Now they see that this form of dance relates to being physically fit, athletic and strong. The idea of ballet dancing became a more appealing form of exercise and entertainment."
teacher, Gates County

Program Objectives
In order to achieve these goals, Carolina Ballet has developed the following objectives:
• Provide arts education resource tools for educators, including specific ways to link ballet to science and healthful living
• Enhance arts education currently taught in the public school system
• Expose over 10,000 third- through fifth-grade students each year to professional ballet through “Dancer Informance Visits” and personal contact in the classroom
• Provide opportunities for students to attend ballet performances

“ The self-esteem the students developed from this experience helped to build confidence in order for them to attain goals and reach for the best in society.”
teacher, Granville County

“The program had excellent health and nutritional tie-ins; many of our students knew virtually nothing about ballet."
teacher, Forsyth County

"Dancers in Schools provided the opportunity to see and hear about the art and athleticism of ballet. The physical fitness of ballet dancers impressed the students and the presenters' analogies to sports were terrific!"
teacher, Forsyth County

INFORMANCE – a sharing or showing of dance that demonstrates the process for how students arrive at the product or performance as a result of instruction, rather than focusing solely on the end result. An Informance may include explanation or discussion.

NC Dance Standard Course of Study

“It energised students and stimulated an interest not only in dance but in the performing arts in general."
teacher, Chatham County

TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE GUIDE
To download the Dancers In Schools Teacher and Student Resource Guide,
click here.

DANCERS IN SCHOOLS INTERACTIVE CD-ROM
To explore the Dancers in Schools interactive CD-ROM online click on the link below. Program will load in a new window in approximately 5 minutes.

Dancers in Schools

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download a free Adobe Flash Player here.