Citydance

Established in 1991, our renowned Citydance program provides a tuition free explorative platform for over 1,500 Boston Public School third grade students. Our approach cultivates an appreciation of movement, enhances cultural awareness, and fosters creativity and self-expression through two distinct phases.

ACT I: Fall for Dance Workshop (September-December)

Boston Ballet School faculty members travel to public school classrooms and lead students in a 60-minute interactive movement workshop. Students learn about various movement styles and elements of dance and performance, including:

• Shapes
• Levels
• Pathways
• Pantomime
• Musicality
• Costumes
• Choreography
• Expression through movement

All curriculums are aligned with city, state, and national dance education standards and developed to help integrate the arts with core academic curriculum and learning standards.

ACT II: Dance Discovery (January-April)

One day a week, selected students from Act 1: Fall for Dance receive 70 minutes of dance instruction including a 35 minute “Dance Discovery” class and a 35 minute “Introduction to Ballet” class.

“Dance Discovery” offers exposure to a variety of movement forms and elements of dance including Chinese fan dance, hip hop, a costume workshop, and more. Our “Introduction to Ballet” class provides students with an overview of ballet technique and vocabulary and is meant to prepare students to continue their dance education journey during our BBS School Year programming.

Bring Citydance to Your School!

Registration for Act I: Fall for Dance Workshops must be completed by each third-grade classroom teacher and begins in August.

Boston Public School Principals, School Site Coordinators, and teachers interested in participating in Citydance should contact COMMUNITY@BOSTONBALLET.ORG.

Citydance is a free program available to Boston Public Schools’ third grade classrooms.

Watch Now: BOSTON BALLET CITYDANCE: 30 YEARS OF MOVEMENT