National Standards-Based Hip Hop Dance Curriculum
The Everybody Dance Now! team recently worked with Curriculum Specialist and Executive Director of NDEO, Susan McGreevy, to develop a twelve-week National Standards-based hip hop dance curriculum. Our curriculum covers topics such as understanding basic dance vocabulary, hip hop dance history, embodying hip hop grooves, cultural dance classes, teamwork building exercises, and more. We imbue both our curriculum and teacher training in meeting the Social and Emotional Learning Standards so that our team may best transform our students through our dance programming.
To be literate in the arts, students need specific knowledge and and skills in a particular arts discipline to a degree that allows for fluency and deep understanding. In dance, this means discovering the expressive elements of dance; knowing the terminology that is used to comprehend dance; having a clear sense of embodying dance; and being able to reflect, critique, and connect personal experience to dance.
Four artistic processes organize the National Standards across the arts disciplines: Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting. Each artistic process includes a set of overarching anchor standards. The anchor standards are consistent among the arts disciplines represented in the National Core Arts Standards and demonstrate the breadth of the work.
Intergrating Dance and Social and Emotional Learning
Everybody Dance Now! develop social and emotional learning competencies through its hip hop dance curriculum. By targeting these areas of growth, we assure that students are better equipped to tackle real-life challenges and prepared for the next stages in their education and careers.
Learn to use dance as a tool for expressing emotional states. By analyzing and interpreting various qualities of movement, they learn feelings can be effectively demonstrated through body language.
Perceive personal growth through the process of learning. They reflect on their progression from not knowing, to understanding, and finally executing. They are able to gauge where they still need practice, ask for help and put in the work necessary to achieve success.
Foster self-confidence through performance. By showcasing their talents to their peers, family and community, students learn to believe in their own abilities.
Meet deadlines and goals in preparation for a performance. Working with a teacher, they are given agency to create a routine to be demonstrated at the end of each term. In addition to classroom hours, students work between sessions on their own time to review and rehearse.
Learn appropriate forms of behavior while on the dance floor. Teachers review with students proper ways to express their ideas, create personal space, and interact with their peers.
Social Awareness & Relationship Skills
Working in harmony with others to learn and create choreography. Students are grouped together with their classmates, learning to interact with others with different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures.
Learning to receive and give feedback. Students assess performances and learn to give constructive advice to their peers.
Creating the culture of the classroom. Students work with teachers to set and maintain the rules for the class. They define and agree on a code of conduct for the term (i.e. how to show respect to their peers and instructors, when it is proper to speak up, and how they would like to be treated)
Learning to approach challenges with enthusiasm. They learn to work within given restraints or guidelines to create and innovate on the dance vocabulary taught.
Everybody Dance Now! does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.
Everybody Dance Now! is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.