ClancyWorks Dance Company:
ASPIRE to be Superheroes
ASPIRE.
Acquire Knowledge. Solve Conflicts. Partner to accomplish greater goals. Improve academic achievement. Respect self, others, and the environment. Embrace community and diversity
This is the philosophy employed by ClancyWorks Dance Company in its facets of arts education work. Through the concept of ASPIRE, students learn about social consciousness and about becoming active, engaged citizens in their communities.
Students keep journals, write informal critiques, and learn not just dance steps, but job and life skills. Each student is given the opportunity to take on a leadership role.
"It's not just that whoever is loudest is the leader," said program coordinator Erin Tunbridge.
“(ClancyWorks) has helped to boost my confidence. I will forever remember this class because it has been educational, fun and very interesting.”
-8th grade student, Neelsville Middle School
“This is such a cool class! Before, I was a little nervous about dancing around others even though I previously took a dance class. They were people I didn’t know. I learned fast though that my friends and peers support me. I’ve learned many types of dance and it’s all so fun.” - 10th grade student, Watkins Middle School
Be Your Own Superhero:
Eleventh grade girls at West Potomac High School were challenged to create their own super heroines, using the dance process as a means of brainstorming. The goal was to create characters who could make a difference in the world around them. One student reflected:
"Although we may not have known it at first, the powers and characteristics that we chose for our superheroes deeply represented the inner traits that were hidden within ourselves -- the traits we knew we had but were too afraid to reveal; or the traits that we always had and never knew about. Interestingly enough we all had the same idea -- a female superhero that broke the stereotypes, and bettered our community and the world."