Dance

Maybe you have a thing for the salsa. Or perhaps it's ballroom dancing that gets your feet going. Whatever it is that excites you our dance program will get you moving, allowing you to exercise your body as well as your brain.

Dance at Dublin offers a range of experiences for students at any level of dance training. From technique classes, to choreographic exploration, to performance opportunities, the program seeks to offer students multiple ways of experiencing the art and craft of dance. We seek to impart self-discipline and self-awareness through these studies – tools that will no doubt serve our students regardless of the career-path they choose.

The National Standards for Dance Education state: “the byproducts of learning dance include the instrumental benefits of physical health, emotional maturation, social awareness, cognitive development, and academic achievement.” Our program is certainly designed to touch upon every aspect of these byproducts – to offer rigorous physical exercise that builds stamina and core strength, to give students the sense of pride and purpose that come from being a part of a group, to hone critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and to encourage creative risk-taking in a supportive environment. Not to mention it is just plain FUN to move our bodies and express ourselves through movement!

Dance fulfills the Fall Athletic requirement. Students participate in classes in Hip Hop/Street Jazz, Modern, Choreography/Improvisation, as well as Performance Styles, which may include Theater Dance, Ballet and Social Dance forms depending on the range of student interest.

Dublin Dance Ensemble performs annually for the Fall Family Weekend, The Festival of Light Celebration and Mayfair Weekend, as well as in local area schools and more informal showings for the Dublin School community. We are committed to showcasing student work, linking their artistic work to their social and academic pursuits, and collaborating across disciplines whenever possible.

While the majority of dance training is offered in the fall, the program's proudest moment comes in the spring at our Mayfair celebration, when the Ensemble, joined by as many fellow students as are interested, performs its own original, choreographed piece. Past performances have ranged from an African dance piece to a tribute to the Beatles. Each production is a lot of work, but a lot of fun, giving students valuable stage exposure and hands-on experience on being part of a team and putting together a demanding creative project.

Dance-related electives may also be offered, depending on the term, including:

History of Dance – an overview of the development of concert dance in its myriad cultural and historical contexts through three distinct units: (1)Origins: The emergence of dance in society as ritual, cultural expression, and community-building activity; (2) On Stage: Ballet, Broadway/Theatre Dance, and Modern Dance forms; and (3) Mid-20th Century Dance to Today: Rebellion, Technology, Fusion of Forms. Through each unit, we strive to connect how the dances and dancers of the time express IDENTITY through movement, and what that movement reveals as a tool toward knowing the social, political, and cultural contexts from which it has arisen.

Social Dance and US History – From Flappers to Rappers: How Historical Events and Cultural Trends Shape the Way we Move our Bodies. Students will study social dance throughout the decades of the twentieth century to today through reading, viewing, and practicing dance forms. We investigate the cultural, political and social factors that influence the way people moved, attitudes toward the body, especially the female body, and the role of dance in social settings over time. 

Independent Studies may also be proposed based on individual students’ interests