Dance in the Schools

An innovative resource committed to bringing dance-based education to Cambridge Public Elementary School classrooms

The Legacy and History of Dance in the Schools

Dance in the Schools was founded in 1995. It was born as an element of DanceMonth, a local celebration of dancers, choreographers, dance teachers, and movement arts run by Rozann Kraus of The Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. When DanceMonth ended in 2009, Erica Sigal became the coordinator of the school element, Dance in the Schools. The program continued to bring dance and movement-based education to the Cambridge Elementary Public Schools [CPS] each year. By 2015, Dance in the Schools had grown substantially. The team of fifteen professional Dance Teaching Artists visited CPS classrooms and reached an estimated 1,000 students. Since 2019, Kate Bresee serves as Managing Director of Dance in the Schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was reimagined to suit the needs of students learning remotely.

1993

Rozann Kraus, founder of The Dance Complex in Central Square, Cambridge, creates DanceMonth: a local celebration of dancers, choreographers, dance teachers, and movement arts which runs for 15 years. Rozann Kraus won the Boston Dance Alliance Recognition Award in 2021.

1994

DanceMonth in the Schools, an element of DanceMonth, brings dance education to the Cambridge Public Elementary Schools for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

2001

Erica Sigal becomes the Coordinator of Dance in the Schools.

2002

In collaboration with classroom teachers, Dance Teaching Artists begin creating sessions based on academic themes associated with the Massachusetts Dance Standards as set out in the “Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework”.

2005

Junior-Kindergarten classrooms begin participating in Dance in the Schools.

2008

Dr. Elaine Koury becomes the new Coordinator of Visual and Performing Arts in Cambridge Public Schools, replacing Judith Contrucci. An ardent supporter of Dance in the Schools, she agrees to continue funding the program.

2009

When DanceMonth ends after 15 successful years, Erica Sigal continues to coordinate the school element. In discussion with Elaine Koury, Sigal changes the name of the program from DanceMonth in the Schools to Dance in the Schools.

2009

The program’s dates move from May to March, a long winter month with few holidays during which the program would benefit childrens’ well-being.

2009

Dance in the Schools identifies their focus as junior-kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms.

2013

MADEO,

Massachusetts Dance Education Organization, agrees to act as fiscal agent for Dance in the Schools for the 2013-2014 school year. This agreement is renewed each year through the 2019-2020 school year.

2013

Sarah Shoffner, a student from Boston University Graduate School of Arts and Administration, interns for Dance in the Schools through 2015.

2015

Raeann Vuona, an Intern from Harvard Graduate School of Education, studies the efficacy of Dance in the Schools programming in participating students.

2015

Over time, annual participation increases from 10 to 51 classrooms. The program reaches over 1000 Cambridge Public School students.

2016

The team of Dance Teaching Artists grows to 15 professional dance educators.

2016

Dance in the Schools receives the “Outstanding Community Education Collaborative Award” from Arts|Learning for outstanding support of arts education and for providing artistic and educational leadership in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2017

Janet Forte,
Special Start educator at the Peabody School, begins participating with her classroom in Dance in the Schools.

2019

Erica moves

Erica Sigal becomes the Executive Director and relocates to California.

2019

Kate

Kate Bresee, a seasoned Dance Teaching Artist, becomes Managing Director of Dance in the Schools and allows for Dance Teaching Artists to do more intensive work with classrooms by offering more sessions.

2020

All Special Start classrooms are invited to participate in Dance in the Schools programming. Janet Forte assists staff to increase Special Start classroom participation.

2020

BDA

Boston Dance Alliance becomes the fiscal sponsor for Dance in the Schools.
Fiscal Sponsorship – BDA

2020

Hannah interns

Hannah Lieberman, a student studying Dance and English at UMass Amherst, interns for Dance in the Schools from November 2020 through May 2021.

2021

Remote sessions

Due to COVID-19, hybrid and remote programming are offered in 2021; the program is extended from March through May for 2021 to accommodate flexible scheduling. Both Dance Teaching Artists and classroom teachers find the remote model to be exceptionally successful.

2021

Sessions are for classrooms ages Special Start through Second Grade.

2021

Erica Sigal becomes the
Executive Director Emeritus for
Dance in the Schools in mid May; she continues to work as a Dance Teaching Artist remotely and as a Consultant.

2021

Dance in the Schools legally becomes a not-for-profit Limited Liability Company [LLC] in May.

2021

Web-site!

With the help of smallfish-design, Dance in the Schools enters the digital age with the launch of this, our first website.

2022

Dance in the Schools 25th

We celebrated our 25th year of partnership with the Cambridge Public School Department with the Impact of 25

2023

Managing director Kate Bresee becomes the full time Director, providing Dance in the Schools new stability for strategic planning, program growth, and success.

2023

Paper collections are digitally transcribed for historic preservation and to improve the collaborative process for all participating educators.

2024

Growth

Largest participation since before the pandemic

2024

Special Start – Third grade

Two fourth grade classrooms reached out to participate as well, signaling it was time to include fourth graders going forward.

2024

Fall into Dance 2024

Dance teaching artist Eve Costarelli presented Dance in the School at the grand celebration for professional dance in Greater Boston, hosted by the Dance Complex and Boston Dance Alliance.

May 2025

Bookkeeper

Sarah Paysnick, joins the Dance in the Schools team.

2025-2026

From 12 to 11

Cambridge School Committee votes to reassign all Kennedy-Longfellow School students, effective the 2025 – 2026 School Year; eleven public elementary schools remain in Cambridge, MA.

2026

Pilot Program Launch!

Designed for classroom teachers seeking a more in-depth engagement. This new initiative offers twice the number Dance in the Schools sessions to four classrooms and will extend into May 2026.