Dancing Through Barriers® (DTB)
Dance Theatre of Harlem’s comprehensive arts education program empowers students K–12 to gain a broader worldview, cultivate a deeper sense of purpose, social responsibility, and self-expression through active engagement. Our “traveling dance classrooms” provide a variety of engaging, standards-based experiences including in-class study, after-school programs and DTH studio tours. The program is designed to foster creative literacy, social imagination, critical thinking, and reflection through dance.
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a registered vendor of the Department of Education.
Description of Curricula
Residencies can be designed with any combination of the described activities and may run the course of a few weeks or the entire school year.
- Residency: Dance Making (Grades K-12)
“Dance Making” is designed to strengthen key skills such as team building, critical thinking, and problem-solving to foster a deeper sense of creativity, self-awareness, and collaboration. As students work together, they learn to understand dance not just as a physical activity, but as a powerful means of expression to articulate their unique voices and share their stories through movement.
- Residency: Positive Community (Grades K-12)The “Positive Community” residency uses dance as a tool for personal and collective growth. The program explores the concept of being within a thriving, supportive environment while helping students connect with themselves and others to address possible challenges they may face in their community.
- Residency: Ballet Basics (Grades 3-12)
With this curriculum, students develop greater control over their bodies, while cultivating a deeper connection between mind and movement. “Ballet Basics” emphasizes skilled movements providing students with a powerful tool for self-expression, and physical and mental mastery.
- Diaspora (Grades 3-12)The “Diaspora” program allows students to delve into major events in African-American history, providing them with a rich understanding of the cultural pioneers and transformative time periods that have shaped innovation and change in the U.S. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students not only learn history but also experience it, through dance, choreography, music, poetry, and “salon” discussion groups.
Other Services
Site Visits (Grades 2-12)
Dance Theatre of Harlem offers students a unique opportunity to explore the rich history of our world-renowned dance company and school in a guided tour of our iconic Harlem location. The visits can be tailored to include a variety of engaging experiences, such as observation of the professional company and a master class.
For additional information to bring a DTB program to your school, contact:
Community Programs Department
Dance Theatre of Harlem | Everett Center for the Performing Arts
466 West 152nd Street, New York, NY 10031-1814
DTBinfo@dancetheatreofharlem.org
DOE Vendor #DAN023000