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Specialty Programs and The Arts
Dance

Dance

Isaac Gourdine
8700 Allentown Rd
Fort Washington, MD 20744
Phone No.
Fax No.
301-760-3661
Division:
Chief Academic Officer
Reports To:
Specialty Programs and The Arts

Dance

Temisha K. Richardson
Instructional Supervisor for Dance
Jaclyn Martin
Dance Resource Teacher

About the Program

Prince George’s County Public Schools offers Dance Education courses K-12. In Elementary schools, students are introduced to dance through arts integration in their academic classes through the integration of movement where there are natural connections to the standards. The Elementary Dance Curriculum is written to support the general education teacher in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies content. The Middle School Dance curriculum is similar with a more in-depth focus on Dance from a global cultural perspective. This provides middle school students the opportunity to explore and experiment with dance concepts through learning the foundations and history of traditional dance genres: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Dance Composition and World Dance. The High School Dance curriculum is designed to enhance the overall experience dance with a more traditional focus on Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Dance Composition and World Dance to provide students an appreciation for concert dance as well as expose them to dance pathways beyond their PreK-12 experience. At both the Middle and High School levels, Dance for Athletes is offered to support the athlete that desires to improve in their chosen sport. The Dance for Athletes course is more so focused on teaching aspects of: balance, conditioning, discipline, flexibility, stamina, stretching and muscle memory. This course is designed to help athletes find a greater appreciation for movement and dance in general. For the comprehensive Elementary, Middle and HIgh School dance programs, no previous dance training is required. The CPA and CVPA Dance Pre-Professional Programs offer a rigorous and intense model of traditional dance including techniques in: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, World Dance, Dance Composition, Pointe (CVPA only), Dance Production and Dance Repertory. These dance courses aid students who have a focused interest in pursuing dance beyond high school in a college, conservatory and or in a professional environment. Both the CPA and CVPA Dance programs are audition based and previous training is highly encouraged.

Students at each level have opportunities to perform at their schools for a summative performance assessment as well as at the annual PGCPS Dance Showcase events. Middle and High School students have the opportunity in October to audition for the PGCPS Honors Dance Ensembles to represent their school dance program. Opportunities are available for Middle and High School students to perform locally, at the state level, regionally and nationally.

Professional development opportunities are available for school staff (whole group and by departmental teams) to assist teachers on how to incorporate movement into their daily instruction. Professional Development requests can be made through the PGCPS Dance Supervisor or PGCPS Dance Resource Teacher.

PGCPS Dance Concerts

Upcoming PGCPS Dance Performances

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Highlights of the Dance Program:

  • PGCPS Dance Alumni has pursued collegiate degrees in Dance Performance, Dance Education and have been seen on Broadway, in various renown Dance companies and are making an impact in the Dance world at large.
  • PGCPS Dance Program has partnered with the University of Maryland, College Park, Coppin State University, Towson University, etc. for teacher recruitment.
  • :There are Dance Textbooks to support every genre taught and dance course offered in PGCPS
  • Partnerships with local Dance organizations (The Kennedy Center, Joe's Movement Emporium and the Washington Ballet) have provided our students the opportunities to take master classes.
  • The Dance Office hosts the Northern and Southern Dance Showcase events annually in March providing schools with Dance Education programs the opportunity to take master dance classes with local teaching artists/choreographers as well as perform for the community in an evening performance.
  • PGCPS distinguished dancers have the opportunity to audition for the Middle and High School Honors Dance Ensembles which perform a the annual Dance Showcase events.
  • PGCPS Middle and High School Dance programs have represented our school system at the annual International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference, Maryland Middle School Dance Showcase, Maryland Dance Alliance, Maryland Public High School Dance Showcase (Baltimore, MD) , Regional High School Dance Festival (Norfolk, VA) and the National High School Dance Festival (Pittsburgh, PA).