In January and February, the magic of movement was in full swing with the fifth graders of Perry Harrison and Virginia Cross elementary schools! Black Box Dance Theatre’s lead teaching artists Natalie Morton, Alfredo Hurtado, and Steven James Rodriguez Velez brought new pathways to learning core curricula–and a healthy dose of welcome and inclusion–to kids at both schools.
Perry Harrison kiddos collaborated with Black Box dancers to choreograph original dance sequences–and then they paired that choreography with a clever rap about the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War challenges students as part of the fifth-grade state learning standards, and Black Box artists gave them a boost–helping them learn through their bodies, through rhythm, through rhyme.
Kids giggled and found delight in contributing dance moves for the group.“It felt nice and new … to do what you felt was right to do in dance,” said a Perry Harrison fifth-grader.
“I felt great,” another student commented. “It made me feel very creative.”
And, Perry Harrison students loved watching a professional performance by Black Box at the end of their time together.
Over at Virginia Cross, the dancers asked students to put on their “dancing hats.” The 10-day residency there incorporated dance with math principles like ratio and percentage.
At the end of the Virginia Cross residency, kids performed for their schoolmates and parents in the multipurpose room. And then, it was time for Black Box to do the performing, as the students cheered them on!
One fifth-grader performer summed up their post-performance mood: “I felt awesome.”
“Seeing the impact of the performance on the collective group of kids was the best part of this experience,” said Laura Holmes, Assistant Principal at Virginia Cross. “Watching the kids put their plan into action for the performance and actually dance, all while doing so in front of their peers, is the reason we do this!”
“I had no idea my son could do something like this. He is normally so shy!” shared a Virginia Cross parent, after seeing his child leading his class in their performance.
“Despite the uncertainty and hesitation that was palpable day one, by day ten the entire fifth grade [at Virginia Cross] was fully committed, focused, excited and so proud of themselves and each other!” shared Black Box lead teaching artist Natalie Morton. “That’s why we do what we do … to see that kind of transformation.”
“This is just an incredible experience,” exclaimed a substitute teacher who joined in the audience. “The Chatham Arts Council is truly making a difference in the lives of these children.”
Autumn & the Arts in Chapel Ridge powered the Virginia Cross residency, and “a neighbor, a former educator, and a lover of the arts” made the Perry Harrison residency happen.
Arts for Resilient Kids programming is made possible by partnerships with Chatham County Schools, Chatham County, the North CarolinaArts Council, and many individual, foundation, business donors.
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