DanceVersity Mission

The DanceVersity mission is to promote a positive experience of different cultures at a formative age through an innovative curriculum of multicultural dance, music, costuming, folklore, and cultural studies

Who We Are

DANCEVERSITY is an exciting multicultural dance education program boasting an innovative, integrated curriculum of dance, music, folk arts, costuming, and cultural studies; providing the youth with a positive experience of different cultures at a formative age. Danceversity students are artists and researchers in their own right; strengthening their bodies, learning about themselves and others, and broadening their understanding of dance, music, and culture.

Founded in the summer of 2005, Danceversity World Dance is a multifaceted organization offering weekly classes, school programs, workshops, performances, and a comprehensive summer day camp. The Danceversity program offers youth access to alternative dance forms from around the world, creating an atmosphere where artistic expression is fostered, competitiveness discouraged, and diversity celebrated. By using dance as a platform for understanding culture and community, Danceversity teaches youth to respect different cultures and their unique ways of relating to the world.

In an era of increasing global interdependence, it is essential that we provide opportunities for youth to develop cross-cultural competency. Danceversity World Dance is one such opportunity. The program serves as an important and unique resource for emerging Bay Area dancers, while providing appealing physical fitness alternatives to young people. One of the strongest elements of the Danceversity program is its inclusion of diverse forms of the greater Middle East, allowing young people a personal experience that honors the complexities and differences amongst a cultural group that is often narrowly defined. Rather than being limited to any particular area of the world however, the Danceversity program is inclusive. The curriculum encompasses regions as diverse as Southeast Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

What Students Gain

• Enhanced multi-cultural understanding that comes from in-depth exploration of cultural dances and the folk tales and traditions they arise from.
• Communication and leadership skills such as listening, sharing, working together, and giving and receiving feedback. A shared sense of purpose and common bond that emerges from working closely with a diverse group of people.
• Self-worth and empowerment that is achieved through performance and enhances participants’ ability to be leaders in their community.
• Increased technical dance skills such as alignment, strength, flexibility, presence, and musicality.
• An understanding of the role dance plays in cultures from all over the globe, aesthetically, communally, and spiritually.
  

The Results Are In

DANCEVERSITY WORKS! In our fourth summer, we surveyed campers, parents and faculty in order to evaluate Danceversity and help us move forward. Below are a few statistics that emerged:

• 70% of campers reported feeling shy about dancing before camp started, while 63% stated they felt less shy about dancing after just one week of camp.
• 88% of campers report knowing more about world cultures than they did before Danceversity.
• 100% of campers agree with the statement "I feel like I succeeded and I am proud of myself."
• 60% of parents and 100% of faculty agree that one of the major strengths of the Danceversity program is the diversity of dance forms taught. Parents also list "the amazing faculty", "an embracing of diverse body types" and "the positive atmosphere" as strengths of the program.

For more information

Please follow links on this site, or send email to info@danceversity.com