Featured on PBS and other streaming platforms, PS Dance! The Next Generation is a feature-length film that archives the importance of bringing dance education into the public school system, demonstrated in the film by Ann Biddle, Founding Faculty of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL 92Y).
As another DEL faculty member, Shakia is featured in this film. In a reflection on the film as shared in Dance Teacher Magazine, Shakia notes: ““Teaching the DEL model amplifies community building and brings leadership and growth to the dancers. I learn just as much from them as they learn from me, and seeing how this has manifested over the years is so magical.”
After many years of being involved in DEL at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts, Barron created the ABC’s of Hip-Hop, informed by the DEL model. In Black social-dance forms where freestyling and improvisation are critical, Barron uses choreographic frameworks from the DEL model to help students organize and structure their dancemaking and express themselves fully and freely. “I felt it was crucial for the dancers to understand the historical, political, cultural and social contexts that influences the creation of the dance forms they are learning,” she says. “Embodied dance history exists in all my classes as I help students understand their own cultural and artistic identities, and encourage them to find their own voice.”” -Reanne Rodrigues FULL ARTICLE HERE
You can watch the full feature film linked here!