| We began a totally new dance program in 2001. DHS, being on a block schedule, not only offered Dance I from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, (NCSCOS) but also, a class called Dance Connections, an intro class, designed to tap into students' diverse interests and backgrounds in dance. We studied 4 weeks each of hip hop, jazz and modern dance, before embarking on the daunting task of producing the first (ever) formal performance at DHS! Approaching dance in this way enabled us to move much more quickly, philosophically as well as affectively, about what modern dance is and really can be! Learning from our successes with Dance Connections we merged the focus of the program with the goals and objectives of the NCSCOS to design a curriculum that could best serve the students in our community. The result has become the career track for high school students seeking to include dance as simply an experience of the art form and/or dance as a life choice and preparation for college! |
