Sarasota Contemporary Dance provides various K-12 outreach and educational dance programs for all ages and abilities including in-school workshops, k-12 special needs, Arts Integration, and after-school programs.

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SCD consists of a diverse group of teaching artists with training ranging from social dance forms to western codified forms. These teaching artists are available for performances, master classes, and one-day workshops. These offerings can be designed to best serve the interest and needs of the teacher, school, and students. If SCD is asked to present a dance performance we would allocate time to offer a question and answer session with students and company members.

SCD enjoys working with the classroom teacher and administrators to provide various outreach and educational programs to populations of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds through specialized workshops, school residency opportunities, and in-school performances.

Current offerings include:

“Triangle” Three in One Dance Experience for Elementary & Middle School

Sarasota Contemporary Dance (SCD) is a unique dance company in that its performers and choreographers are also certified teaching artists. SCD recognizes that every student learns differently and that using movement as a vehicle to explore curriculum, encourage self-expression, and activate creativity in a school setting is important for learning and retaining information.

This kind of exploration can be designed for students with varying levels of dance experience. The “Triangle” program is SCD’s most requested exploration, as it allows teaching artists to reach a large number of students in one session while offering a diverse learning experience.

In the “Triangle” exploration, students of all ages and abilities will have the opportunity to meet and dance with the dancers of SCD while they perform a short intro called “When I Dance.” The goal of the intro “When I Dance” is to share the basic elements of dance (what we call BEST): Body, Energy, Space, and Time. SCD has found that including the “When I Dance” introduction is an effective way for students to enter into a community together and feel engaged from the start. Afterwards, students will be split into three groups, and will transition into the “Triangle” program where they will experience three 15-minute rotations of dance genres, allowing an opportunity to learn from different teaching artists, and embody three different styles of movement and dance.

This exploration will end with all students coming back together for a group sharing of the dance phrases taught in each rotation. This closing activity is an exciting experience for students to get to move in unison with the entire group.

Choose 3 styles for your exploration:

• Jazz
• Contemporary
• Creative Movement
• Hip-hop
• Afro-Modern

Length of session: 1 hour and 15 min

Number of students: 20-60

Session includes:

• 10 minute “When I Dance” Intro performance by SCD Dancers
• Three 20 minute mini classes (students are split into 3 groups and rotate)
• 10 minute reflection and sharing

Sarasota Contemporary Dance “Behind the Curtain”

Elementary, Middle, & High school (grades 3-12)

Attending a Sarasota Contemporary Dance dress rehearsal allows students a behind the scenes experience with a professional level dance company. This offering takes place in the Asolo’s Jane B Cook Theatre during one of Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s full dress rehearsals. We have three opportunities this season, (see available dates below).
Along with seeing a professional dance concert, the students will also be given the opportunity to meet some of the dancers and/or choreographers and to ask questions in a Q & A following the dress rehearsal. We would love to have you and your students come experience dance with us!

Available dates:

• Evolving/Revolving – Wednesday, January 17th 11:30am
• Dance Makers 2024- Wednesday, March 13th 11:30am
• Voices – Rising Choreographers 2024- Wednesday, May 1st 11:30am
• Length of session: 1 hour – 1.5 hours (depending on length of chosen show)

Afro-Cuban Dance and Drumming

Elementary, Middle, Highschool(grades k-12)

This exploration teaches students to understand and appreciate the mixture of movement and music from the African Diaspora, specifically from Cuba.The exploration is led by two teaching artists (a dancer and drummer) and is most popular during Hispanic heritage month in October or Black History month in February but is available year-round.

In this exploration, students will be taught key Spanish words in relation to the dance, rhythms of Afro-Cuban music with the live drummer, and the essence of this particular Cuban dance.  

Prior to the exploration, the classroom teacher would be encouraged to work with students using texts and classroom discussions. Then, students would work with the teaching artists to learn dance(s) and rhythms from the culture being studied and explore them in creative ways. Further, they could extend research of the subject and write introductions or narrations to the dance(s).

For more information, please contact Education Lead, Elisha Byerly at education@sarasotacontemporarydance.org