Arts
Programs / Arts / Dance
Dance at Grace invites students from junior kindergarten through twelfth grade to move, create, and perform. The program is grounded in the belief that dance is both an art form and a language—a means of self-discovery, personal expression, and artistic engagement with others. By developing physical skill, creative confidence, and artistic independence alongside social awareness and cultural understanding, students leave Grace with tools or movement and self-expression that extend well beyond the studio.
Dance in Early Childhood begins with self-exploration and creative movement. In junior kindergarten, students discover what their bodies can do through locomotor movement, circle games, and rhythm instruments. As they move through kindergarten and first grade, they encounter age-appropriate styles and techniques, including tap, classical Indian dance, square dance, and contra dance, developing confidence and expressiveness through performances that are process-oriented and joyful.
In the Lower School, students develop dance literacy by learning technique, choreographic tools, dance styles, and composition. Second graders build foundational technique through structured warm-ups and collaborative choreography. Third graders connect their dance studies to their social studies curriculum, exploring Indigenous American hoop dance and the Harlem Renaissance through tap. Fourth graders deepen their technical skills and expressive range across contemporary, jazz, and hip hop styles. These experiences provide the foundation for understanding and communicating through movement.
In the Middle School, students expand their understanding of dance as both an art form and a means of communication. Fifth graders explore ballet and contemporary movement, while sixth graders trace the history and technique of jazz dance from its African roots through hip hop. Seventh and eighth grade dancers may elect to join the Dance Company—a performance-based course that trains students across multiple styles while introducing them to the behind-the-scenes work of costuming, budgeting, and staging. Through composition projects, performance opportunities, and reflective practices, students develop artistic independence and a growing choreographic voice.
“There’s a power in dance that helps students discover their voice, embrace their individuality, and realize that they are capable of expressing and creating something uniquely their own.”
Kenneth Johnson, Lower and Middle School Dance Teacher
“The dance studio is a place where students learn to be both grounded and brave. They learn when to listen, when to lead, when to try again, and when to imagine a different possibility. They carry those lessons with them wherever they go.”
Jenny Pommiss, Dance Teacher and Performing Arts Chair, Grades 9-12
The dance program at the High School is home to dancers of all levels—from students stepping into a studio for the first time to those pursuing advanced technical and choreographic study. Grounded in the belief that everyone has something to offer as a mover, maker, collaborator, and critical thinker, the program invites students to engage deeply with dance as an artistic and cultural practice.
Rooted in contemporary dance practice, the curriculum combines physical training with improvisation, composition, and performance. Students study a range of movement traditions and styles, including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, African dance, capoeira, contemporary partnering, and swing. Technique classes are offered at multiple levels, allowing students to build confidence and versatility. Additional offerings include ChoreoLab, an advanced class where students develop their choreographic voices through sustained creative inquiry, and Movement and Media, which explores choreography created specifically for the camera and digital spaces.
Grace Dance Ensemble rehearses and performs in the annual Winter Dance Concert, with ensemble members creating original choreography, directing peers, and working alongside professional designers and artists to bring their creative visions to life. The program is further enriched by an ongoing Guest Artist Program, connecting students with leading voices in the dance field. Past collaborators have included David Dorfman Dance, Cameron McKinney/Kizuna Dance and Brian S. Davis (Mr. Taptastic).
The dance studio is a space for experimentation, risk-taking, and inquiry—where students wrestle with questions, process their place in the world, and prepare to step assuredly into it.
