Fifth grade students from four schools introduced Heart of Dance to  tpt Almanac viewers 
May 13, 2016 -- Photo by C.J. Hurst
Welcome, 2016-17 School Partners! 
This week over 600 fifth-graders in 26 classrooms in 10 Twin Cities schools start  Dancing Classrooms , as Heart of Dance launches the second year of this fast- growing program in Minnesota. We are  delighted to welcome five returning schools and five new schools to this 10-week in-school residency:

Returning Schools
Athlos Leadership Academy, Brooklyn Park
Benjamin E. Mays IB World School, St. Paul
Four Seasons A+ Elementary School, St. Paul
Friendship Academy of the Arts, Minneapolis
Stonebridge World School, Minneapolis

New Schools
Excell Academy for Higher Learning, Brooklyn Park
Field School, Minneapolis
LIFE Prep School, St. Paul
LoveWorks Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Golden Valley
Linwood Monroe Arts Plus, St. Paul

New York-trained Teaching Artists teach students the Merengue, Tango, Rumba, Foxtrot, Waltz, Swing and other dances twice per week. They help classroom teachers coordinate dances with other subjects, like writing essays, researching cultural origins, learning math fractions, or creating art projects.

 Fifth graders from Harambee Elementary School perform at their school Culminating Event last May. -- Photo by Katie Sheridan
Survey Results are In!

Surveys from the 2015-2016 school year show strong results and support for Dancing Classrooms from our Twin Cities parents and educators:


81% of PARENTS  saw increased  self-esteem  in their child  

9  of  10 TEACHERS  saw improved  student relationships

7 of 10 PARENTS reported increased academic performance in their child

70% of PARENTS  saw improved relationships with their child
 
Help Heart of Dance Grow!

Do you want to bring Heart of Dance to your school or your child's school?  We have room for a few more classrooms for spring semester, 2017.   Or do you want to sponsor a Classroom in your community?  Contact Director of Development Ember Reichgott Junge, at  emberrj@heartofdancemn.org .  

Heart of Dance will conduct auditions for new Teaching Artists in October for training in November.  Do you love teaching children?  Candidates are encouraged to apply now! See the career page at our website for more details.  We especially encourage candidates of color or multilingual speakers. Contact Creative Director Andrea Mirenda, at  andream@heartofdancemn.org . 
Thank you!

We could not do this without your amazing support.  
Thank you for joining Heart of Dance on this journey!
 
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund .  We are also grateful for the support of the Emerald Foundation, the Mardag Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation, and many generous individual donors and volunteers.

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