In the 2022-2023 school year, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) continues its partnership with the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) in this our third year of Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC, with funding from the New York Community Trust and the Arnhold Foundation.

Journey into Jazz Dance: Let’s Swing! K-12 curriculum explores the roots of jazz dance from an African American perspective and acknowledges the lineage of key dance, music, and cultural traditions that informed the emergence of vernacular dance forms such as the Lindy Hop and Big Apple which developed in the 1920s-1940s in the ballrooms of Harlem, New York. 

The curriculum includes detailed lesson plans appropriate for in-person or remote learning, activities with step-by-step instruction for students, and dance video tutorials featuring professional dance artists. Informed by guidance from expert dance history consultants in the field of dance, as well as expertise from dance artists who are specialists in the dance forms featured in the curriculum.

Each lesson is designed for approximately 45 minutes of instruction, yet can be expanded upon and adapted in multiple ways. The K-2 dance unit includes 6 lessons; the 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 dance units include 8 lessons and 3 D75 lessons in grade band 3-5. In addition, student-facing Google slide decks accompany each lesson plan and include speaker notes.  The Tracing Footsteps curriculum uses a multi-modal and interdisciplinary approach to embody dance history and culturally inclusive learning. The curriculum is ADA-compliant and includes accommodations for diverse learners.

Journey Into Jazz Dance: Let's Swing!

Overview and Acknowledgement 

Guest Artists Tutorial Videos

In 2021-2022, The Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC curriculum continued to respond to the need to develop high-quality, standards-based dance curricula. Initially funded by a grant from the NY Community Trust and the Arnhold Foundation, this 2nd year of the Tracing Footsteps Curriculum was created in partnership with the OASP Dance Division and includes two new curricular modules which were disseminated over the course of the 2021-22 school year.

Each dance unit provides teachers with detailed and high-quality lesson plans with embedded links to resources including numerous worksheets, assessments, and extension ideas for furthering the lessons. In addition, teachers can explore and experience online resources and supplemental support materials, including instructional dance videos, developed by the DEL team and dance artists who are experts in the field. 

The K-2 module contains a 4 lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources. Modules for grade bands 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 contain a 6-Lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources. Included are D75 lessons for grade band 3-5 Salsa Stories and D75 lessons for grade band 9-12 lessons for Hip Hop.

Module 1: Salsa Stories

Guest Artists Tutorial Videos

Module 2: A Hip-Hop Experience

Guest Artists Tutorial Videos

In the 2020-2021 school year, the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC remote learning curriculum was created in response to the need to develop high-quality, standards-based dance curricula in collaboration with the NYCDOE to provide critical dance learning for NYC public school students during the challenging time when arts learning had been restricted. Funded by a grant from the NY Community Trust and the Arnhold Foundation, the Tracing Footsteps Curriculum includes three student-facing remote learning curricular modules.

Each lesson is designed for approximately 30 minutes of synchronous remote instruction yet can be expanded upon and adapted in multiple ways. Modules are meant to be delivered synchronously though can be adapted for asynchronous learning. In addition, teachers can explore and experience online resources and supplemental support materials, including instructional dance videos, developed by the DEL team and dance artists who are experts in the field. 

Module 1: Native American Dance History in NYC

Overview and Acknowledgement

Guest Artists Tutorial Videos

Module 2: History of Tap Dance: Soul Rhythms

Overview and Acknowledgment

Guest Artists Tutorial Videos

Module 3: Into The Heart of Chinatown: Hidden Voices

Overview and Acknowledgement

Guest Artist Tutorial Videos