MoDE: Montana's Model Dance Education Program

Today’s schools are deeply concerned with student achievement. We make natural connections with the curriculum (math, science, reading) through pushing back the desks and dancing it. Children are learning about artistic expression and academic areas through dance. When a child embodies a concept it becomes embedded, leading to long-term retention and application to other areas.

We use dance/creative movement as an educational tool to contribute to students’ artistic development, academic achievement, and quality of life. Through MoDE, our highly trained dance educators develop K-12 curriculum integrating dance with math, science, language arts, social studies, health, theatre, music, art, and physical education.

Children in Western Montana are dancing in school. Second-graders are demonstrating adverbs; fourth-graders are dancing place value. Seventh-graders perform hip-hop in PE, and high-school drama students choreograph movement-theatre performances. Three years ago, 99% of these students had never danced before. Through Montana’s Model Dance Education Project (MoDE), dance programs have begun through a combined school and grant-supported project. Grounded in standards-based, arts integration, the first two years of MoDE have been launched with great success.

 

2010-2011 Participating Schools

School
Location
Grades
Curricular areas
Dates
Arlee Elementary
Arlee, MT
K-6
Math & Science
October-December 2010
Bigfork Elementary
Bigfork, MT
K-5
All areas
January-June 2011
Bigfork Middle School
Bigfork, MT
7-8
Health/PE
January-June 2011
Big Sky High School
Missoula, MT
10-12
Theatre
January-April 2011
Hellgate High School
Missoula, MT
9-12
Theatre
October-November 2010 & April-May 2011
Paxson Elementary
Missoula, MT
K-2
Literacy & Math
January-March 2011
Rattlesnake Elementary
Missoula, MT
2
Math & Communication Arts
October 2010-May, 2011