LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A dance educator from BalletMet Columbus is pirouetting her way into the hearts of Liberty Arts Magnet School students. Our Madison Kenjura has the story.
BalletMet has been bringing incredible dance to theaters, studios, and classrooms in central Ohio and beyond since 1978. The dance company partners with many schools to integrate a dance curriculum into the students' general education, providing an interactive learning experience.
"We use dance as another method of learning to support what's happening in the classroom. For example at Liberty Arts, kindergarten and first grade are looking at dance as storytelling. We are looking at "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" for kindergarten and "Peter Pan" for first grade, and we're breaking down who are the characters, how do we portray them through movement, how do we know which movements go with each character describing them with adjectives," explained Megan Tedrick, education programs coordinator.
Megan Tedrick has been working with dozens of Liberty Arts students since September 6th. Her focus is to help them understand topics related to reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in a way that is enjoyable and easy for children between the ages of five and nine to understand.
"We all have bodies, we all can move them, and so therefore we all start off on a common playing field that they feel more confident in sharing ideas, participating in class, they're more willing to collaborate with students in a manner that is respectful and encouraging," added Tedrick.
The ballet residency not only helps students develop their comprehension and communication skills but also instills confidence and has become a favorite class among the children.
"I can, I can dance how I want and that dance is amazing," commented Nolani, a student.
"I like to go to ballet class because I get to do cartwheels and take my shoes off," said Ace, a student.
Liberty Arts' kindergartners, first, and third graders will continue attending the ballet class every Wednesday until October 18th to prepare for their capstone performance.
"Everything that is seen is going to be student made choreography so we'll show both the final product but then also talk and demonstrate a little bit through the process of how we got there," said Tedrick.
The capstone performance will be at Liberty's Fall Carnival on October 18th at 4 p.m.
