Student Matinees

Share the JOY of dance with your students!

The Washington Ballet’s Student Matinees are curated performances designed to give students and teachers access to professional, classical ballet, and contemporary dance performances. They include a Q&A with TWB dancers after the performance to deepen students’ understanding of dance and foster an appreciation for our athletic art form.

The Nutcracker Student Matinee Performance

Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 11AM – 1PM
Moderated Q&A, 1 – 1:30PM
The Warner Theater
513 13th St. NW, Washington DC 20004

All classes receive:

• $5 Reduced-price tickets
• A pre-recorded story-time and movement workshop to help prepare students to see the ballet and deepen their understanding of the production.
• A teacher resource guide to support in-classroom learning about the story ballet, classical ballet as a genre of dance, and reflection of the production.
• A post-show discussion with the cast immediately following the performance.

Click the link below to complete your ticket interest form and receive your ticket order link:
https://forms.gle/UHKZGUnYMfQRED2U6

Studies have shown seeing live performances increase student’s ability to:

• Playfully engage in learning
• See situations in new ways
• Relate past experiences to future events
• Overcome adversity
• Express original ideas

Excerpts from Children’s perceptions of live arts performances: A longitudinal study
Schiller, W. (2005). Children’s perceptions of live arts performances: A longitudinal study. Early Child Development and Care, 176(6), 543-552

Common Core English Language Arts Standards: Speaking & Listening

National Core Arts Standards

Contact DeMoya Watson Brown, Community Engagement Manager, for more information.

Dance DC

Dance DC is an arts integration program that provides in-school workshops and residencies to Pre-k – 12th grades. The program’s goal is to use creative movement and dance to improve students’ academic achievement. Guided by the National Core Arts Standards for Dance, the program can be integrated into core subject classes including reading & literacy, math, science, social studies, and physical education. All our residencies will introduce students to the cultural history, music, and fundamental movements of the dance genre you choose. The goals of the Dance DC program are to enable students to:

• Develop their knowledge and appreciation for dance
• Understand and retain core curriculum concepts
• Develop greater confidence and improve self-esteem
• Develop and strengthen collaboration skills
• Cultivate creativity
• Improve their focus and self-discipline
• Celebrate diverse cultures through dance and music 

Bring a Dance DC Residency to Your School!

Residency Descriptions

Residencies are customized to meet your curriculum goals and grade level standards. We recommend residencies meet twice a week for a minimum of seven weeks and culminate with a sharing or performance. However, we can design residencies to meet the needs of your students, curriculum, and budget.

Creative Movement Residency (Pre-K – 1st Grade)
This residency will bring the joy of dance to your school day. Students will exercise creativity, imagination, rhythm, and motion while reinforcing curriculum content such as letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals, environments, and social concepts like sharing and taking turns. Children will develop body awareness, increased strength, agility, and motor coordination while exploring characters and physical storytelling through guided improvisation.

Ballet Residency (2nd-12th Grade)

Students will be introduced to the foundation of classical ballet technique at a developmentally appropriate level. Class begins with stretch and strength exercises. Classical ballet postures, positions and movements are practiced in place, moving across the room and at a bar if available. Students will develop and strengthen gross-motor skills, coordination, balance, muscle strength and confidence. Students will learn to collaborate as they memorize and perform dance sequences to a mix of modern and classical music.

Arts Integration Residencies (2nd – 12th grade)
Infuse your curriculum with kinesthetic learning by incorporating dance into a core unit of study. Our lesson plans are customized to meet your unit learning standards and the National Core Arts Standards for Dance. The residency will culminate with a dance performance inspired by the unit content and demonstrating the students understanding of dance techniques and the unit’s concepts.

The World of Dance Residency (2nd-12th grade)

Enhance your classroom curriculum with kinesthetic learning by incorporating dance into a core unit of study as students explore world cultures through music and dance. Students will be introduced to the history, people, location, rhythms, and dance genres throughout the world with customized lessons meeting academic standards and the National Core Arts Standards for Dance. The residency will culminate with a dance performance inspired by the unit content and demonstrating the students understanding of dance techniques and the unit’s concepts.

Dance genres you may choose from include:

• • Afro-Cuban
  • Classical Ballet
  • Contemporary
  • Flamenco
  • Indian Dance
  • Latin Dance
  • Middle Eastern Dance
  • Modern Dance
  • Musical Theatre
  • Tap Dance
  • Urban Dance
  • West-African

Let’s Move! Residency

Inspired by former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, TWB’s Let’s Move! Residency aims to improve the physical well- being of students in our community by infusing dance and fitness workouts into their daily. Let’s Move students train in a variety of strength and conditioning techniques. The residency is physically vigorous in an accepting and encouraging environment. Students will also learn about nutrition, making healthy eating choices and the importance of moving every day.

Residency Requirements

• We require a teacher, administrator, or program coordinator to partner with and to always be present during the residency.
• We require a large, open space free of desks or tables for our classes.

Investment

Dance DC In-school Residency Fee:

$1750 per class, plus a 20% administrative fee. *Rate quoted is for a 7-week/ 14 class residency.

Digital Dance DC Live! Fee:

$1600 per class, plus a 20% administrative fee. *Rate quoted is for a 8-week/ 16 class residency.

All program fees are based on a 1-hour class, and may vary depending on the duration of the residency.

Payment Schedule: 50% of the fee is due in advance to secure the dates and commit the Teaching Artists/Dancers. This deposit must be received no later than two weeks before the first scheduled workshop. The remainder is due with two weeks of the final workshop, lecture demonstration, or culminating performance.

Dance DC Merit Scholarships

The Washington ballet awards the Dance DC Merit Scholarship to Dance DC students in 2nd – 4th grades who demonstrate exceptional talent and potential for ballet. We do this to identify dancers from our community and invest in the development of their talent and love for ballet. Recipients of the Dance DC Merit Scholarship receive tuition credit up to a full year of training at The Washington School of Ballet.

Dance DC School Partnerships:

• Aiton Elementary
• Beers Elementary
• Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School
• Bishop Walker School for Boys
• Bruce Monroe Elementary
• C.W. Harris Elementary
• Episcopal High School
• John Eaton Elementary
• J.O. Wilson Elementary
• KIPP DC
• Lee Montessori Public Charter School
• Maury Elementary
• Moten Elementary
• Malcolm X Elementary
• Prince George’s County Public Schools
• Randle Highlands Elementary
• Sitar Arts Center
• Smothers Elementary
• The Washington School for Girls
• Two Rivers Public Charter School
• Turner Elementary
• Van Ness Elementary

If you would like to bring Dance DC to your school, please contact DeMoya Watson Brown, Director of Community Engagement 

“Meet a Dancer” Lecture-Demonstrations

The Washington Ballet’s “Meet A Dancer” lecture-demonstrations are an opportunity for students to meet two professional ballet dancers in costume, see a short performance, and demystify the art form without leaving their school. These can be programmed as classroom visits or as an assembly, allowing for as many students to participate as your space allows. Students will discover what classical ballet is, what it’s like to train and work as a professional dancer, why they wear tutus, how those shoes work, and how they can learn to dance too.

Our Teaching Philosophy

The Washington Ballet Teaching Artists are professional dancers and educators who create positive, dance education experiences and foster a love for dance by:

• Believing everyone can learn to dance.
• Creating inclusive learning environments wherein everyone is welcomed and accepted.
• Demonstrating how dance is an athletic art form.
• Imparting the knowledge and proper technique of our dance form.
• Respecting and acknowledging the culture every dance form originates from.
• Empowering students to discover their own artistic expression.
• Developing greater confidence in students.
• Giving students the opportunity to create, lead and perform.