Through partnerships with schools and community spaces, Design Dance brings SEL-based dance education to over 6,000 PreK-12th grade students annually. We focus on making an impact on our students through curriculum that centers racial equity, classroom community and individual student voice. 

All of our programs can be customized to meet your school, classroom and individual student interests. Classes can take place during the day, plugging into a specials block, elective period, prep hour or classroom subject area OR in the out-of-school time (OST) setting as well.

Just pick the program type you’d like to explore and we’ll collaborate together to customize a partnership that reflects your school needs and brings joy to your classroom spaces.

Design Dance brings traditional dance styles of your choice to your school, leveraging the creative art of dance to promote self-awareness, empathy, creative confidence and a sense of belonging. Our professional dance educators are skilled in a variety of dance forms with our most popular programs spanning Hip Hop, Ballet, Jazz/Tap, Modern, Creative Movement, Musical Theatre + Open Style Dance.  In each program, students will study the history, musicality, technique and choreography of the dance form all while practicing the core elements of dance: body, action, space, time and energy. All dance residencies can be customized to meet your school’s scheduling needs and student interests. Each program will culminate in final presentation where students showcase their learnings for peers and family members.

• Suggestion Grade Bands: PreK - 12th Grade

• Scheduling Notes: These programs typically take place in daytime or OST settings for part- or full-year terms

• Curriculum Alignment: This residency is aligned with ISBE’s State Learning Standards in Arts and SEL.

The Moving Literature + Storytime Dance programs expose students to character, emotion and plot within literary texts that inspire movement exploration. Using a piece of literature of the classroom teacher's choice, our educators will journey your students through an experience of self-exploration and collaboration within the arts, connecting story components to movement choices. Students will gain exposure to traditional dance styles, such as ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap + creative movement while exploring the dance elements of Body, Action, Space, Time and Energy. Through this, they’ll discover connections to literary elements such as theme, tone, action, and word choice within various stories and pieces of literature. All of our programs culminate in final presentation where students showcase their learnings for peers and family members.

• Suggestion Grade Bands: PreK - 5th Grade

• Scheduling Notes: This residency can be implemented between 6-14 sessions or adapted into a full year program

• Curriculum Alignment: This residency is aligned with ISBE’s State Learning Standards in SEL and Common Core standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening & History/Social Studies.

Poetry in Motion pairs poetry writing and dance to create real change in elementary and high school students by empowering them to create dances based on their own poetic writing. Combining poetic and choreographic structures and devices, students will experience collaboration within the arts. They will identify their personal values and build empathy as they connect their personal poetry to movement choices. Students will explore the modern and creative dance elements of Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy, as they find connections in quality, theme, tone, action, and word choice within their poetry as they work alongside renowned poets and professional choreographers. All of our programs culminate in final presentation in which the students will showcase their curated work for peers and families.

• Suggestion Grade Bands: 3rd - 12th Grade

• Scheduling Notes: This residency can be implemented between 10-16 sessions or adapted into a full year program

• Curriculum Alignment: This residency is aligned with ISBE’s State Learning Standards in SEL and Common Core standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening

Design Dance's Cultural Dance programs integrate social studies, history and cross-cultural exploration with dance and movement. Through African Cultural Dance, Latin Cultural Dance, Evolution of African American Dance and Afro-Latin Fusion Programs, students will gain exposure to the origins and cultural-historic significance of each dance style. Along the way, students will also study prominent figures who’ve made significant contributions to dance and arts culture, while exploring how cultures have influenced trends in art and music we see in society today. In each lesson, students will build social and empathy skills, as they embark on new movement journeys together. They will also build and appreciation and respect for new cultures. All of our programs culminate in final presentation in which the students will showcase their curated work for peers and families.

• Suggestion Grade Bands: PreK-12th Grade

• Scheduling Notes: This residency can be implemented between 8-16 sessions or adapted into a full year program

• Curriculum Alignment: This residency is aligned with ISBE’s State Learning Standards in SEL and Common Core standards in History/Social Studies.

Our Science + Dance Programs use Creative Movement dance technique to reinforce learnings in any science classroom. Schools can pre-select our Dancing through the Solar System Program, Dinosaurs + Dance Residency, our Biological Life Cycle Boogie Program OR customize a program that blends with any science unit. In each program, students gain a deeper understanding of scientific concepts, as they translate science learnings through full-body movement choices. These courses address all of the age appropriate science and dance standards through fun, engaging activities that increase academic performance as students explore psychomotor and cognitive connections. All of our programs culminate in final presentation in which the students will showcase their learnings for peers and families.

• Suggestion Grade Bands: PreK-5th Grade

• Scheduling Notes: This residency can be implemented between 6-16 sessions or adapted into a full year program

• Curriculum Alignment: This residency is aligned with ISBE’s State Learning Standards in Art, SEL, Science and Common Core standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening