DanzKool empowers youth (teens & pre-teens) to break down barriers that stand in the way of learning & growth by teaching entire classrooms, during regular school hours, how to connect & dance Partner Dancing.

Partner dancing provides a fun & engaging setting in which to challenge one's own physical & spatial awareness, while having to communicate & cooperate with a partner to achieve a common goal -- learning to dance. In this way, students share in a journey & develop empathy for one another.

Working with schools & youth development groups, DanzKool programs have reached nearly 8,000 students ranging in age from 11 to 18 yrs old to teach the joy & challenges of learning to dance the Jive, Salsa, Waltz, Cha Cha, Tango, and other dances. In the Metro Vancouver region, over-30 schools have hosted the DanzKool programs.

More schools want the program but declining budgets for arts education stands in the way. Sponsorship can make a difference.

The DanzKool seeks individuals, businesses & non-profit organizations interested in sponsoring schools to host DanzKool's proven, highly regarded, genuinely empowering dance programs.

Problema

Schools look for ways to engage students in cooperative, group learning that fosters communications skills, respect for others, and team work. The rush toward computers & techno-centric learning & activities (both scholastic & recreational) leave in their wake a social poverty -- a generation of youth unaccustomed to physical exercise, and unfamiliar with the subtleties of verbal & non-verbal communications that come from having worked closely with others toward a common goal. Many youth enter their early-adult years under-equipped & ill-practiced in the emotional, psychological, cultural, and arguably, rational strategies needed to decipher, filter and respond to, the social cues that make up adult interactions, whether in business, recreation, or personal relations.

Solución

Put students (pre-teens & early-teens) in a safe environment with their peers and teach them to connect with each other using dances like the Jive, Salsa, Tango, Merengue and others. Partner dancing provides a fun & engaging setting in which to challenge one's own physical & spatial awareness, while having to communicate & collaborate with a partner to achieve a common goal -- the performance of increasingly complicated movements & steps done to music. In this way, students share in a journey develop empathy for one another -- they learn first hand what it is to respect others. Students develop cultural & inter-generational empathy too. Partner dancing draws on music traditions rich in culture & history. This becomes the context in which students learn to dance -- i.e., the Jive is danced to Rock & Roll music, a music tradition that arose because young people needed to break from their parent's generation & tastes. Learning outcome: Your parents were once young like you are.

Ejemplo

The program is designed for Grades 6 to 12 (ages 11 to 18) lasting between 6 & 10 classroom hours. One cohort consists of up to 60 pre-teens, or 120 teens. Pre-teens are most likely to be anxious & resistant to engage with an unfamiliar student -- especially from the opposite sex. The instructor starts by building trust & curiosity. Using familiar actions like marching, shuffling & walking, students are shown how dance steps relate to common movements. A quick dance demonstration helps set the bar for what students can achieve, and draws "early adopters" out of their comfort zone. Then, 1 by 1, and 2 by 2, the instructor chisels away at their anxieties, like a sculptor would to the rock, empowering each learner one foot-fall at a time to reveal a radiant & confident person underneath. The learning then spreads to others. Along the way, students pick up on subtleties & cues that combine to become non-verbal communications. Their actions, or inactions, give rise to teaching points about what is considered respectful or disrespectful behavior. They learn differing degrees of assertiveness, self expression, and appropriate conflict resolution strategies. In the safety of their own cohort, students test their newfound skills -- communication, goal-setting, and music & dance literacy, while holding each other accountable for their actions -- showing respect for oneself & the partner, assisting/enabling the other to succeed. Confidence spreads like a flood tide on the beach. By the 6th lesson, anxiety, fear & awkwardness give way to unfettered joy, dancing & learning.

Mercado

PEERS Retired teachers w/ background in dance -- Understand the value of partner dance learning; are inclined to refer my program to working colleagues. Working teachers & teachers of human kinetics (a.k.a., physical education) who need help to fulfill the curriculum requirement for in-class dance learning. COMPETITORS Other-sports coaches, or other-dance artists -- The curriculum requires dancing be taught in class. Sports coaches lack dance literacy. Other-dance artists lack the theory base & experience (that I have) to interpret, perform & explain partner dancing steps. Instructors of partner dancing -- Many lack classroom management skills or knowledge to engage/motivate challenged learners. I do -- and testimonials to this fact.