Dance Dance Dance

Dance Education grant

Thanks to Martha Piscuskas for providing information for this blog post.She is the interim director for arts education, Maine Arts Commission.

Hunt and Allison Smith

Nearing the gym, through the corridor literally owned and decorated by the K-third grade Central School students in South Berwick, one could already hear the rhythmical claps of a class fully engaged in old-time dancing. Recently I paid a visit to Kate Smith’s music program, where the whole school was treated to a residency with Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artists Hunt and Allison Smith, who played and taught old English, Irish and even Russian dances throughout the  week.

Thanks to the leadership of Kate and the Physical Education Teacher, Kristan Tiede, the school received a Maine Arts Commission Dance Education Grant and funding from the Marshwood Education Fund to bring this duo to play their fiddle, accordion and teach traditional set dances in circles, squares, and lines over three days. The teaching artists held the attention well of the students, no matter which age group. Even parents, siblings and teachers got to join in with a community family contradance one evening. Says Kate, “I know the residency with the Smiths will renew my confidence in teaching units that embed dance in music units in a more thoughtful, appropriate and successful way.  

I love the opportunity to integrate other subjects and collaborate with peers deepening student learning while giving us the chance  to learn from each other.”

I invite you to learn more about the Maine Arts Commission grant opportunities and the Teaching Artist roster.

The dance education grant at the Maine Arts Commission was established in 2012 with the help of Thornton Academy dance educator Emma Campbell and several dance programs and studios in southern Maine. Through a fund raiser performance they have contributed thousands of dollars so students, school communities, and teaching artists  across the state could benefit from dance education learning opportunities.

If you have any questions about arts education programs at the Maine Arts Commission please contact Martha Piscuskas, Interim Director of Arts Education.

Maranacook Middle School

Dance Education grant

During the 2018-19 two schools in two different districts were the recipients of the Dance Education grant awarded by the Maine Arts Commission (MAC). Freeport High School and Maranacook Middle School created amazing units that impacted hundreds of students in Grades K-12. Freeport High School was highlighted in yesterday’s blog post with a description of the dance education opportunity that was provided during this school year.

G/T teacher Pat Godin, Teaching Artist Nancy Salmon, Visual Art Teacher Hope Lord

This blog post describes the dance education program that took place at Maranacook Middle School this school year. It is wonderful to see what occurred when teaching artist Nancy Salmon, art educator Hope Lord, and gifted and talented teacher Pat Godin collaborated! This is a great example of learning in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math).

Thank you to Hope and Pat for providing the plethora of information for this post – the story and resources!

DESCRIPTION FROM HOPE

My original idea was to have students create masks and then have them add lights with Little Bits electronics. However, after collaborating with Pat, we decided to teach the students about light circuits and how to soldier their own circuits. This allowed us to integrate science with the electricity and engineering with the design process. For math we introduced proportions as we discuss the features of the face and how to construct the masks and giving students the choice to increase the proportions of the face to make their mask more visible to the audience. We also provided students a variety of mask making materials, including a new medium called Thibra.  This is a thermoplastic sculptable material that costume designers and special affect artists use in designing masks and costumes. The students used the heat gun to soften the material and then molded it around sculptural pieces that were added to their masks.  

Students performing at the Arts Night Celebration

We showed the students examples of dance groups who performed in the dark with lights and the students wanted to incorporate black lights and glow in the dark paints in their masks and dance. As our dance choreography progressed, the students and Nancy determined which segment of the dance would be performed with lights on and which segment would be performed in the dark with black lights. 

The students started planning their masks with a group brainstorming activity called “brainwriting” where they all charted ideas of how they could represent themselves and their role in our school community. Students could add to other students’ ideas or write new ideas. Then students charted 12-15 ideas to help them plan their mask theme. 

The individual and small group dances came about through the students exploration of dance movement as a means of communication. Nancy helped the students experiment with movement and determine which movements could help them express their role and what their mask was communicating. For example, one student had a camera on her mask because she spends a lot of time taking photographs. She incorporated gestures that communicated someone taking photos. Next, the students worked in small groups and collaborated to create a dance routine that incorporated each of the students individual dance movements.

Nancy, Pat, and I also wanted to have the students end the dance as a community with the group dance. Our goal was for the dance to communicate that even though we all have individual interests and perceived roles, we are one school community.

Nancy introduced the dance collaboration project before we performed our dance since Pat and I were back stage with the students waiting to dance. We did not provide an audience handout because our dance was part of our Arts Night Celebration and listed in the program given to parents. The focus of the entire night was to advocate, educate, support, and celebrate the arts. That is why we chose this event to have the students perform their collaborative mask/dance performance. We feel our project communicated the value of teacher collaboration across content areas, including the Arts.

DANCE, VISUAL ARTS, SCIENCE STANDARDS

MLR Dance standards: A.Dance Literacy, B.Creation/Performance/Expression, and E.Visual and Performing Arts

NCAS:CR2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

CR3: Refine and complete artistic work.

Pr5:Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.

Next Gen Science Stds. ETS:1, 2, 3, & 4 Engineering and Design

IMPACT OF SCHOOLING ON CREATIVITY

Research on this phenomenon is confirmed by Kyung Hee Kim. Kyung is a professor of Innovation & Creativity at the College of William & Mary.

“In the last 20 years, children have become less emotionally expressive, less energetic, less talkative and verbally expressive, less humorous, less imaginative, less unconventional, less lively and passionate, less perceptive, less apt to connect seemingly irrelevant things, less synthesizing, and less likely to see things from a different angle (Kim, 2011).

BIBLIOGRAPHY SOURCES

Located at THIS LINK.

RESOURCES

Gem Activity

Thinking Matrix

Design Plan Sheet 

VIDEOS

Learning to solder – I DID IT!

Dance Practice Take II

The Dance Education grant is the only MAC grant that is a grass-roots effort grant. Several dance studios and two high school dance programs have a fund raiser each November. The money raised is what funds the dance education grant at the Commission. Without the dedication and commitment of many educators, dancers, parents, and community members this grant would not be possible. Special thank you to Thornton Academy Dance Educator Emma Arenstam Campbell for her contributions to being instrumental in making the Dance Education grant possible.

Congrats Dance Ed Grant Recipients

Dancing in School

Congratulations to Central School in South Berwick and Mabel I Wilson School in Cumberland, recipient of dance education grants for the 2019-20 school year.

Hunt and Allison Smith

Central School music educator Kate Smith and physical education teacher Kristan Tiede will work with Teaching Artists Hunt and Allison Smith to introduce 489 grades PK-3 to traditional-style set dances.

Students in the ten kindergarten classes at the Mabel I Wilson School will have the opportunity to receive instruction from Teaching Artist and dancer Elly Lovin to learn movement and creative dance education.

The funding for this grant is provided by a group of dance studios and two high schools with dance education programs. Each year on a Friday night in November a fund raiser is held to raise the funds. This is the only grass-roots funding program that the Commission has in place. Thank you to all of these amazing dance instructors and students who are committed to this effort. To date they provided over $21,000 and hundreds of Maine students have benefited.

To learn more about about the dance education grant and the Maine Arts Commission other arts education funding opportunities please go to MACs Arts Education funding page.

Students with dance educator Elly Lovin at the East End Elementary School, Portland during a dance education funded residency

 

Dance Education Funding

Schools/districts apply by January 31, 2019

AUGUSTA-January 23, 2019—The power of dance is alive in Maine schools thanks to a Dance Education Grant offered by the Maine Arts Commission that is available to PK-12 schools and teaching artists until January 31, 2019. Applicants can apply for awards up to $2,500 to fund a dance residency in their school district.

Teaching Artist Nancy Salmon with students at Freeport High School

Dance education makes a difference in children’s lives and creativity. Yet only five percent of all schools in Maine offer opportunities in this artistic discipline, according to the Arts Education Census study conducted in 2016 by the Maine Arts Commission.

The Dance Education Grant emphasizes high quality learning experiences for students and educators through a series of residencies that are administrated by teaching artists from the Arts Commission’s Teaching Artist Roster. Each residency is designed to teach the art of movement, performance, creative expression, and teamwork.

Freeport High School students rehearsing their dance

During this past school year, the dance education grant funded residencies at Freeport High School and Maranacook Middle School. Nancy Salmon, a teaching artist listed on the Arts Commission’s teaching artist roster, provided the instruction.

“The students know that dance is more than memorized steps,” Salmon said, reflecting on her residency program at Freeport High School that collaborated with the theater program. “They know how dance movement can enhance meaning of words in a script and how all dance and movement have elements in common. I believe all of us, teacher, students and visiting artist, have honed our adaptation, flexibility, and focus skills.”

Freeport High School students rehearsing their dance

Applying what they learned in the dance residency program, the Freeport theater class wrote a play based on three thematic stories, and then performed the piece as an interactive workshop for all second graders in the Freeport school district.

“The dance education grant is intended as seed money to grow a dance program,” said Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education at the Maine Arts Commission. “This funding provides a unique opportunity, one that I hope all schools without dance ed curriculum in place will take advantage and apply.”

Collaborators – Teaching Artist Nancy Salmon and Freeport High School Theater teacher Natalie Safely

Funding for the grant is made possible through an annual dance performance presented by two schools and ten dance studios in collaboration with Thornton Academy dance educator and Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Teacher Leader Emma Arenstam Campbell.

Dance Education Grant guidelines application criterion is listed at www.MaineArts.com. Applications will be accepted until Thursday, January 31, 2019.The Commission encourages PK-12 educators or teaching artists to review the guidelines prior to applying. The funding cycle for the grant must take place September 1, 2019 through March 30, 2020.

For more information visit the grants and the teaching artist roster webpages at www.MaineArts.com.

For questions regarding the grants or current teaching roster, contact Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education at 207-287-2713 or email at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

Fall Into Dance

Community Dance Performance

One hundred and forty young dancers representing twelve schools and studios participated in the 4th annual Fall Into Dance performance at Thornton Academy on November 16. It was an amazing evening filled with energy, variety, and thought provoking dances. Students were confident, skilled, fun and serious. They danced with their hearts and it was clear that they were invested and passionate about their dancing. I was reminded over and over about how critical dance education is to the development of each young person. I was very impressed!

A great big THANK YOU to Emma Arnestam Campbell, Thornton Academy dance teacher, and Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Teacher Leader (MAL), for her time and energy behind helping to establish this yearly performance. And, thank you to the many dance educators, instructors, and parents who help make the performance possible. And, the students who have dance in their hearts!

The money raised goes directly to the Maine Arts Commission Dance Education Grant. This year, in spite of the snowy weather, the event raised $3,810.00. To date the dance education grant has awarded $17,421.00. Dancers Making a Difference contributing one year to this grant in addition to the funds raised by Fall Into Dance. All of this money goes directly to schools to create a dance education opportunity that works towards establishing dance education programs.

The grant will be available this winter, watch for the announcement in this blog and the weekly email to the arts education list-serv. (Consider subscribing to this blog on the right side of this page so you don’t miss the announcement).

To learn more about the Maine Arts Commission Dance Education grant please go to THIS LINK. 

Students from the following participated:

• Berwick Academy
• Brixham Danceworks
• Community Dance Project
• Dance Moves Maine
• Drouin Dance Center
• Exchange Street Studio
• Miss Annabelle’s Dance
• New England Dance Project
• Portland Youth Dance
• Steppin’ Out Dance Center
• Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex
• Thornton Academy

MAC Dance Education Grant Recipient

East End Community School 

Teaching Artist and dancer Elly (Elisabeth) Lovin worked with the Kindergarten students at the East End Community School in Portland during the spring of 2018. They received one of the Maine Arts Commission dance education grants. I had the opportunity of visiting and I was so impressed with Elly’s ability to connect with every student on multiple levels. She doesn’t miss a beat and she is full of positive energy!

Elly’s Reflections… I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the East End kindergarteners for ten weeks this past spring. Not only was it a joyful, memorable and necessary experience for the children, but it changed me as a dance educator and taught me so much about the power of of movement.

I was able to see each of East End’s four kindergarten classes once a week. We had a large community room to meet in, with a tile floor and big windows overlooking the Back Cove. The children would remove their shoes and socks and join me in a circle. Spending time barefoot is so important, and I wanted to make sure the kids could feel the floor and improve their proprioception by moving without the hindrance of shoes. We always started class in a circle, because I believe this shape is equalizing and empowering. We could all see each other’s faces, and were all equidistant from the center. In each class we started by reviewing our Agreements (my expectations for a successful class). These were: Keeping our bodies within our kinosphere (space bubbles), Using Movement as our language (voices off) and No Running (though we can dance really fast!). We often began with a sensorial warm-up using different types of touch from head to toe–brushing, tapping, squeezing, rubbing–to get into our bodies and prepare for movement.

In each session, I introduced a different element of movement, loosely based on Rudolf Von Laban’s movement themes. I explained that dance is like a recipe, and there are many different ingredients we can think of adding to our dances to make them more “flavorful.” In the ten weeks, we were able to study the following dance “ingredients:” space, an awareness of body parts & whole, time/tempo, locomotion, levels, weight, flow, shapes, and relationships.

“My favorite part was moving my body.”

After introducing the day’s theme, we would move into a locomotive dance. Beginning with walking, we would pay close attention our pathways on the floor, moving in the general space without bumping into one another, and really seeingthe other dancers in the room. The walking dance would build into other forms of locomotive movement–marching, skipping, sliding, galloping, bear crawling, etc.

We practiced dance skills like leaps, hops and jumps, and then explored the movement theme of the day with dance games and explorations. At the end of each class I tried to allow a brief moment of “settling” back into stillness, for reflection and sharing standout moments from the class, and to honor our bodies for all they can do for us.

I saw so many little moments of change in the students. From week to week, confidence blossomed around both physical skills and creative expression. For those 45 minutes, children with little or no English were able to participate on a level equal to their peers, as everyone worked to communicate through movement, watching, mirroring, and generating physical responses to the movement messages around the room. I honestly couldn’t always predict which children could not understand a lot of English–until the classroom teachers told me.

“My favorite part was when Miss Elly made our dance space small.”

A moment that really stood out to me happened during the sixth or seventh week of class. One student always came to class with a manipulative to work with. I assume he was experiencing difficulties with anxiety and attention. He would join us, but with his manipulative, and it seemed that for the first month or so of classes, he could not stay for the full class. At some point, he would become disinterested and leave the space with an aide. Gradually, he was able to stay for the full class, with a few breaks to use his manipulative. Then one day, I noticed that he had brought his manipulative into our opening circle but as we got up to begin locomotion, the object had been pushed to the side wall, where it remained for the rest of class. And then, the next week, he came to class without his object. He was able to stay engaged for the full class, and every time I looked at him, he was smiling and joyful in his moving body.

As a culmination to the project, we hosted an evening “open class” in East End’s beautiful cafeteria space, with floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the sun setting over the Back Cove. About 20 children came, and approximately 45 parents and grandparents. We demonstrated a full class, with several of the children’s favorite dance explorations from the past ten weeks. We finished with a game called “Art Museum,” but instead of dividing the children into groups to play, we invited the parents to be the museum-goers. The children spread out and made shapes with their bodies, staying still as statues or sculptures. As soft jazz played, the parents were invited to come to the museum, but in our museum, you don’t just look at the art. As the parents looked at each sculpture, they had to mimic the same shape with their bodies, from head to toes to facial expressions. The exploration lasted ten minutes or so, and it was really beautiful to watch. In children’s interactions with adults in their community, how often are they being talked at or guided or expected to follow the adults? What an opportunity to be truly seen by so many grownups–and be the one that all of the grownups must follow! I love this movement game because of the empathy sparked by the simple act of looking at another human being, studying the shape they are making, and mirroring what you see with your own body.

“My favorite part was jumping and eating the air.”

After the “performance,” many parents expressed their gratitude for the project. One little boy’s father came up to me excitedly and said “This has been so great… now we have dance parties at home!” Another dad asked “Who do we have to talk to? All kids should have this experience in school.” I wholeheartedly agree. Who do we talk to?

I don’t know what the future outcomes from this project will be. Will Maine schools begin to integrate dance into their educational philosophies–just as music and art hold a place in public education? Will my students continue to move through their lives with agency over their kinospheres and respect for others’ space boundaries, and enjoy creating dances to express themselves? All I can do is plant the seeds. This teaching experience has furthered my confidence in my philosophy: I believe movement is a human right, and as such am committed to furthering dance education for children in my community.

Teacher PD with Elly

Elly collaborated with kindergarten teacher Kathy Gray to plan, write and implement the Dance Education grant that they received from the Maine Arts Commission.

In Kathy’s words…

When I first responded to Elly’s invitation to work with her to apply for the Dance Education grant, I was excited about the possibilities, but really had no real background or knowledge of what that might look like! As we began the process of writing the grant, I began to learn about the many ways dance would support the youngest learners in our school not only to creatively express themselves, but to also listen in many ways, develop motorically, become aware of their body in space and develop many basic concepts through movement. All of these are basic Kindergarten foundational learning skills.

Parent night performance

Two thirds of the children in my class are English language learners and several have little or no ability to communicate in English. But oh how fluent they were in communicating through dance! They were all totally engaged and danced with smiling and joyful faces! I had especially hoped that dance would allow all the children, regardless of language or motor abilities, opportunities to be creative and competent
and it DID!

Dance classes supported core development and strength as well as balance. I had great concerns about one child’s development – fine motor as well as gross motor and
awareness of body in space. By the end of the dance education sessions, this child had made remarkable progress. He is no longer bumping into children or furniture.
He is no longer needing daily reminders about giving space to the peers sitting beside him. His focus and overall fine motor control has greatly improved.

Children saying good-bye to Elly

Another facet of this grant was on-going PD for our K staff. I have learned so much and have begun to use some of the dance strategies in our classroom. Creating our bubble of space, calming our body from toe to fingertips, traveling at different speeds and zones. District professional development was offered by Elly and staff came from 4 other schools and included pre-K and K teachers, an OT therapist and an OT intern and a grade 3-4 teacher.

This has been such a valuable element of our K students’ learning that I can’t imagine not having it as a permanent part of our curriculum! I think our administrative staff is looking to find ways to make this happen at least for our K students if not for others as well.

The MAC Dance Education grant funds are provided by a performance held each November at Thornton Academy by a collaborative group of school dance programs and community dance programs from southern Maine. The grant will be available again during the winter of 2019. If you’re interested in applying please read the guidelines posted on the MAC site from last year. 

Dance Grant Recipient: Prescott School

MAC Dance Education Grant – Chrissy Fowler

The Maine Arts Commission (MAC) established the Dance Education grant in 2015 to provide funding for schools to provide a learning opportunity for students in grades PK-12. Four schools, hundreds of learners, and four dance teaching artists from the MAC teaching artist roster have benefited from the funding. This funding is made possible through a dance performance sponsored by several community dance studios and school dance education programs in Maine.

Traditional social dance artist, Chrissy Fowler has been working in Prescott School, Washington this year providing instruction for the school’s K-6 students and staff. This dance residency is made possible from the Dance Education grant.

You can find Chrissy’s teaching artist profile on the Maine Arts Commission roster. The dance education grant is available right now for those interested in obtaining funds for the 2018-19 school year. For more information please go to the blog post called DANCE EDUCATION FUNDING. The deadline is Wednesday, May 2. 

Here’s the story from this year’s grant recipient… Thank you Chrissy for providing it.

Chrissy earned her M.Ed. in 1996 and started calling both community and contra dances in 1999. She has led school residencies for about a decade, and has been an educator for aeons. Leading contra dance residencies lets her combine PK-12 teaching and traditional New England social dance, the dance form which lets her identify as a “dancer” even though she doesn’t feel physically graceful. In this tradition, you work with a partner as well as everyone else in your set. Although there are sometimes roles which can be danced by anyone (e.g. “lady” or “gent”), there is no designated leader or follower. All dancers have equal agency in making the dance work—and we’re all in it together. Chrissy loves that! She’s also on the board of a local non-profit, Belfast Flying Shoes, which has a comprehensive outreach program including support for school dance residencies, such as the one at Prescott School.

RESIDENCY DESCRIPTION

All of my residencies have common goals: everyone participates in the dancing, exhibits pro-social behaviors, and makes connections across grade levels, and the residency culminates with a community dance for students, staff, and families.

At Prescott, we’re trying a few new things. First, my visits are structured in three mini-residencies, each comprised of four weekly visits and a culminating dance. Spreading it out over three seasons (fall, late winter, and late spring) has allowed me to integrate a bit more into the school community.

The residency also specifically connects to local history. Charlie Overlock, who fiddled and called for dances for 66 years, was born in Washington. He led dances all over his hometown and nearby. I’ve shared some of Charlie’s story with the students and I’ve taught dances I don’t usually use in schools – such as the foxtrot, which featured prominently in his program for the Washington High School Class of 1921’s graduation dance.

Finally, I was privileged to meet with the staff before the start of school, to find out what they wanted from the residency. Based on their input, I have made a special effort to articulate ways they can use the dances in their own classrooms (e.g. adapting them for movement breaks) and I’m putting together an annotated bibliography of children’s literature related to dance, especially various forms of traditional social dance. (When complete, the bibliography will be available to others via chrissyfowler.com and belfastflyingshoes.org)

GREATEST BENEFITS 

I lead dance residencies in many schools; some have me back every year. I think students, staff, and families value the chance to connect in a fun and active way… with eye contact, broad smiles, cooperation for all ages, and a lot of moving to music. And I think that’s the same at Prescott. We’ve witnessed a lot of joy and delight, and the best part is that contra dancing is something that they can do in their community for the rest of their lives. Maybe even with their own children.

LANGUAGE

Rather than any specific vocabulary words, I hope the learners take with them the kinesthetic language of moving their bodies through space in particular patterns. Contra dance figures such as “do-si-do” or “allemande left” are very positional, and there is also a tremendously strong left:right, clockwise:counter-clockwise dimension. We know that movement builds cognitive pathways, and contra dance can be a great way to learn, concretely, about equal and opposite forces, patterns, or directionality. The various figures also can support strong proprioceptive and vestibular systems, although that’s certainly not something I’d expect learners to articulate!

I also hope that they experience some social-emotional learning, such as the thrill of positively connecting with someone by dancing with them. Or doing the hard work of getting through a dance that’s challenging—either because the figures are complex or because you have to muster the inner strength to be kind and respectful to someone who’s not your favorite dance partner.

FUTURE REMEMBRANCE

It would be a thrill if anyone remembered the ways that contra dance is part of their own local history in Washington. Beyond that, I hope they internalize that moving – together – to songs and fiddle tunes can be both social and fun for all ages… and at any level of gracefulness!

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

When students were asked for their response to the opportunity to learn with and from Chrissy, 6th graders said:

• It is fun to learn to social dance.
• It’s really different than I thought it would be.
• I think it kind of feels like country but also feels a little like Scottish dancing.

Grade 6 teacher, Jim Freyenhagen:

I have been amazed at how quickly the students picked up the rhythm and the steps. The dancing makes them interact (in a positive way) with kids they don’t normally interact with.

Not only are they learning to dance but they are practicing their social skills with their peers and younger students.

Principal, Nancy Stover:

I think one of the highlights of this residency has been watching (through Chrissy’s magical techniques) how the students and staff have been able to abandon their inhibitions and try something out of their comfort zone. It has been amazing to observe students who struggle with peer relationships walk up to someone from another grade and ask if they could be their partner. It’s also heartwarming to see how well the older and younger students work together. They help each other learn the dance steps with patience and kindness, laughing and smiling all the way.

The community dance was a huge success! Parents and community members participated and those that initially observed from the audience, joined in and before the evening had ended, everyone was on the dance floor. The word spread throughout the community and we’ve had many people ask when the next community dance is scheduled. This residency has been one of the most rewarding I’ve experienced. It gives everyone a sense of belonging and inclusion while having fun! 

COMMUNITY MEMBER, HAZEL KOPISHKE, HISTORY

Charles E. Overlock was born in Washington in 1870.  His father Samuel played fiddle for kitchen dances. At the age of 6 or 7 Charles was sneaking his father’s fiddle and learning to play.  He played for his first kitchen dance at the age of 11 and continued playing for dances for 66 years. For the first years, most of the fiddle playing was for dances in homes in the neighborhood that could be  walked to. Later he would travel by horse and buggy, and in 1916 in his first automobile, to play at the many grange halls and dance halls in the area often traveling from 5 to 20 miles. Through the years the Overlock Orchestra included his wife Clara and daughter Josephine playing organ and piano and his son E. Burnell  on drums along with local cornet players. His orchestra usually consisted of 2 or 3 people but did grow to 4, 5 and once 6 members. He played for more than 300 dances at Light’s Pavillion located within sight of his home on Rt 220 between Washington village and So. Liberty.

Charles Overlock was a country fiddler that could not read music but kept people dancing for many, many years.

This information was taken from the book Sixty-Six Years A Country Fiddler, Charles E. Overlock  by E. Burnell Overlock, published 1984.

Dance Education Funding

Grant deadline: Wednesday, May 2

AUGUSTA-April 12, 2017—Dance education changes lives, yet only 5 percent of all schools in Maine offer it. The Maine Arts Commission is offering a grant program for schools and teaching artists that seek to bridge this gap and bring the power of dance to more schools. Applicants may apply for awards up to $2,250. The deadline for this new program is Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

John Morris leading a session at the MALI Mega conference, spring 2017

This program was launched in 2016 and has successfully funded 4 dance education residency’s. Each will have a story included on this blog during this school year.

The first teaching artist to provide the residency with the assistance of these funds was veteran dance educator John Morris. “Creative movement is meant to allow students the ownership of their own uniqueness,” Morris said. “I give students the foundational movement to invent and explore their own movement, and I guide them through the process of making their own dances.”

John is also a member of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) Design Team and works with the teaching artist leaders.

Funding for the dance education grant was made possible this year by several dance studios and two high schools who came together for a benefit performance in November, 2017.

Karen Montanaro leading a session at Hampden Academy, December 2017

The Maine Arts Commission is pairing eligible PK-12 school districts with teaching artists from the Arts Commission roster. The roster includes 16 dancers.

“We are extremely appreciative of these contributions and the impact they will have on dance education in Maine,” said Julie Richard the Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission. “There are so few dance education programs in our state and this is one important way we can make a difference to the students that we serve.”

If you’re a PK-12 educator or teaching artist looking to introduce students to the power of dance education, the Arts Commission encourages reviewing the grant guidelines and application criteria before applying for the May 2 deadline. The top qualifying schools selected will be eligible for the next funding cycle from September 1, 2018 through March 30, 2019.

For information visit the the grants and the teaching artist roster webpages at www.MaineArts.com

For questions regarding the grants or current teaching roster, contact Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education, argy.nestor@maine.gov.

 

Dance Education Grant Deadline Today

Funding available

Just in case you missed the information earlier….. The Thornton Academy dance education program collaborated with seven schools and studios with a culminating performance on November 18, 2016 and raised $3575. On March 4, 2017 Dancers Making a Difference, a non-profit organization held their fifth annual benefit performance with fourteen schools and studios performing to raise $6730. The total, $10,305.00, has been generously provided for the funding of this dance education grant program. This opportunity provides funding to support high-quality dance education for PreK-12 students and/or educators of this population in schools where dance education is not currently in place. This funding is meant to inspire and to exhibit the value of dance education.

Deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Total funding available to be divided: $10,305.00 (maximum award of $3,500)

The funding cycle for this program: September 1, 2017 through March 30, 2018

Dance Education Grant

Funding available

For the second year the dance world in Maine has provided funding for a dance education grant program that the Maine Arts Commission is administering. I am so impressed with the commitment to dance education and the grassroots efforts of individuals and collaborative groups. I encourage you to apply for these dance education funds. Application deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Please note: Funding is only available to school districts presently with no dance education. Extra points will be given to those applications from schools with less opportunities in arts education. This information was learned in the statewide arts education data collection conducted during the last school year.

The Maine Arts Commission is offering dance education grants to schools/districts interested in providing dance education by teaching artists who are part of the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist Roster located at http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Teaching-Artist-Roster.

The Thornton Academy dance education program collaborated with seven schools and studios with a culminating performance on November 18, 2016 and raised $3575. On March 4, 2017 Dancers Making a Difference, a non-profit organization held their fifth annual benefit performance with fourteen schools and studios performing to raise $6730. The total, $10,305.00, has been generously provided for the funding of this dance education grant program. This opportunity provides funding to support high-quality dance education for PreK-12 students and/or educators of this population in schools where dance education is not currently in place. This funding is meant to inspire and to exhibit the value of dance education.

Deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Total funding available to be divided: $10,305.00 (maximum award of $3,500)

The funding cycle for this program: September 1, 2017 through March 30, 2018

REVIEW CRITERIA

• Demonstration of high quality teaching and learning for all learners.
• Clear description of the idea and its impact.
• Description of the learning opportunity including objectives, outcomes (including performance information), and assessment methodology.
• Alignment with dance standards.
• Evidence of collaborative planning among the school educator(s) and the Teaching Artist(s) and evidence on how you will sustain this program.

NARRATIVE

1. Provide a brief overview of your dance education project.
2. Describe in detail your project. Include the following:
   1. Who will be served? Describe the school community.
   2. Who is involved? Teaching artist(s) from the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster, and professional teacher(s) from the school. Describe their collaborative/involvement in the planning and implementation?
   3. Time line. When will each component of this project take place? Who are the Teaching Artists and teachers involved. Who are the professional teacher(s) from the school, and teaching artist(s) from the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster and describe their collaborative/involvement in the planning and implementation of this project.
3. Clearly state the objectives and outcomes for the idea, plan for the culminating performance and for evaluating the success.
4. How does your proposal align with the State of Maine Learning Results for Visual and Performing Arts? If relevant, speak to the National Core Arts and/or the Common Core Standards.
5. What are your plans to sustain this work?

APPLICATION PACKAGE REQUIREMENTS

A completed application in the Grants Management System (GMS) for the Arts Learning Grant contains:

• Completed answers to all narrative prompts
• Project budget
• Two letters of support. One from a teacher from the school and one from teaching artist on the MAC roster who will provide the residency.

Applicants will be notified of the review outcome by June 19, 2017.

CONSIDERATION

Evidence of long-term impact.

The school/district awarded funds for dance education will be expected to document the teaching artist residency so others can learn about the work.

TO APPLY

To start a dance education grant application please go to https://mainearts-grants.maine.gov/account/login?ReturnUrl=%2fapplicant%2fgran and establish an account if you do not already have one. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.