Dance at PS 170

DANCE MENTORS

DANCE MENTORING: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Each of our second grade classes partners with a kindergarten class to help them to prepare for their December performance. The process begins with a few second grade representatives from each class coming in to speak to the kindergarten students about what it would be like to be in their first show. They answer questions, give insights, and offer advice on how to have a great performance. We then take their advice and use it to create a checklist for the kindergarten students that is posted in the studio and serves as a touchstone. The second graders then return as a whole class for the final rehearsal for the kindergarten performance. They use the checklist to assess the kindergarten students’ performance 1-1 and meet with them to give them additional feedback. The entire partnership is a great success, yielding both a feeling of pride in the older students and some excellent performances from the younger ones. We will repeat the process again later in the year for the next kindergarten performance.