Arts-in Education

"The research is pretty clear that those students who are involved in arts education and music perform better on standardized tests. So here’s a little secret: If you want to improve your standardized test performance, provide more arts and music education."
– U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige

Footworks is a leader in the field of Arts-In-Education and has been dedicated to youth and family audiences since the inception of the Company.

ASSEMBLY PROGRAM
Keeping the Beat: Contemporary American Traditional Dance

Footworks presents live music and authentic American traditional dance in an energetic, engaging performance with plenty of audience participation. Footworks has an exceptional ability to convey the joy of dance to every student while illuminating the historical and multicultural perspectives of different American percussive dances. For over twenty eight years, Footworks has specialized in performing and teaching the music and dance that developed up and down the East Coast and across the continent form origins in African-American, Celtic, and Native American cultural traditions still found in Southern Appalachia. Footworks presents live fiddle music, American clogging and hambone along with call-and-answer songs, rhythms, and other related dances such as French Canadian stepdance and South African bootdance. [A wooden performing surface is preferred if available]
Grade Level: K-5, 6-8, 9-12
Curriculum Connectors: Multi-Cultural, History/Social Studies, Music, Dance, and Physical Education

PROGRAM PLUS WORKSHOP
Follow the assembly program “Keeping the Beat” with up to four 45-minute workshops, giving classes a chance to try out the dance steps they've just seen. Classes will work with Footworks dancers on age-appropriate dance steps. This is a wonderful activity for P.E. or dance classes. (2 artists)
Grade Level: K-12
Curriculum Connectors: Multi-Cultural, History/Social Studies, Music, Dance, and Physical Education

RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Roots and Rhythm

Traditional music and dance is an activity that Footworks presents in a way that makes participation accessible and fun with an approach that brings students together in a positive, constructive, and participatory way, building community and connecting the participants to each other and to their culture. The learning sequences develop motor skills and communication skills, teaching how to focus, follow directions, and work with others. Every individual understands that they are an important part of the whole. Workshops include percussive dance, singing, “hamboning” and improvisational exercises. (2-3 artists)
Grade Level: K-12
Curriculum Connectors: Multi-Cultural, History/Social Studies, Music, Dance, and Physical Education

Incredible Feets

ARTS INTEGRATION
Footworks’ founding director Eileen Carson Schatz is a Certified Teaching Artist in Maryland. Her arts integrated residencies include working closely with the classroom teacher to custom design a series of classes that use music and dance to help teach the social studies and dance units of the Maryland State Curriculum. Click the links below for details on her current offerings:
Exploring Cultural Diversity through Dance (PDF)
Understanding the Star Spangled Banner through Dance (PDF)


YAMD Video: