Pones is committed to providing trauma-informed arts education to youth of all ages and experience levels. Students participating in our hands-on, active, and creative classes have the opportunity to absorb and retain knowledge in a new and exciting way. Through arts education, students can improve their presentation abilities, increase collaboration with others, develop creative problem-solving capabilities, and gain confidence in themselves. Also, non-performers and experienced dancers alike will benefit from the physical fitness of dance and learn how to productively focus their energy. Furthermore, Pones’ youth focused programs include trauma informed care, social emotional learning (SEL) outcomes, such as setting and achieving positive goals, and feeling and showing empathy to each other, which benefit every participant in the program.
We offer a rich variety of programs, such as in-school artist residencies, after-school enrichment, assembly presentations, and unique arts integration classes. These classes are excellent choices for small or large groups, clubs, community centers, library events, in-school field trips, indoor or outdoor activities, and special events.
Stories in Motion Residency
Curriculum: Creative Writing, Dance, English/Language Arts, Theatre
We all have stories – good, bad, and everything in between – but the common thread with our stories is that they define us. Through storytelling and movement, we will explore what it is to bring our stories to life. No writing or dance experience necessary—just a willingness to share and explore movement. Over the course of 8 weeks, students will write their own stories, fiction or nonfiction, and turn those stories into movement storytelling.
Example: Week 1: Brainstorm about story potentials through movement and writing. Week 2: Solidify story ideas and begin crafting an outline. Week 3: Write out the story. Week 4: Finalize stories and share with other students. Weeks 5-7: Start putting together the movement version of the stories. Week 8: Review stories and perform for the class, and potentially family and friends.
Recommended Grades: 4-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes each workshop
Cost: $1040 for 8 weeks
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Party Animals Residency
Curriculum: Dance, STEM
In this class, we will investigate animals based on how they move. This program can be one to 10 sessions long. We’ll explore the different animal classifications in a dance performance of the animal kingdom. Students will explore and learn about each set of animals. From the page to the stage, the students will understand each grouping both mentally and physically. The class will culminate in a group created dance inspired by the animals within each classification.
Example: Using the principles of dance students will explore movements of animals such as Protozoa/Flatworms, Echinoderms/Mollusks, Arthropods, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians, Birds, and Mammals. Students may create choreography based on the animal movements and even perform for family and friends!
Recommended Grades: K-6
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes each workshop
Cost: $130 per session, $1,300 for 10 weeks
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Hip Hop and Collaboration
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning
We use hip hop as a tool to discuss and discover how empowerment and collaboration are valuable parts of being a young person. How do these ideas go together? Hip hop thrives on collaboration and our focus will be on celebrating and uplifting one another.
Hip Hop and Collaboration will help students:
- Empower themselves and others
- Collaborate and communicate with others
- Creatively express themselves
- Build self confidence Discover a fun way to stay healthy
Example: Each week we will focus on building up our peers through dance. We will discuss supporting one another and its importance. Then we will start to build a dance about these compliments. Using the tools of dance and collaborative skills, we will create original choreography as a group.
Recommended Grades: 4-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130 per workshop (recommended 2 workshops minimum)
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Dance 101: Explore Your Expression
Curriculum: Cultural Connections, Dance, Social Studies, STEM, English/Language Arts, Social Emotional Learning
Dance 101 is a workshop for everyone – from novice to advanced – and no special shoes are required. Dance 101 teaches the foundations of dance and can be integrated with any theme, curriculum, educational standards, and/or social emotional learning tie-in.
Ideal for kinesthetic learners, this workshop integrates concepts through physical movement, ensuring retention. Through arts integration, this workshop can be aligned and tailored to any grade level and content. Workshops offer students the opportunity to experience grade-appropriate curriculum in a fun, kinesthetic, and engaging way. Students can explore various styles of recreational, cultural, and social dance with this introductory course to the basic terms, steps, and concepts of each style. This workshop familiarizes students with key dance elements while igniting their imagination, and interacting through activities involving critical thinking and movement.
Dance 101 will help students:
- Absorb and retain curriculum content
- Communicate with others
- Gain critical thinking skills
- Participate in collaborative activities
- Foster creative expression
- Build self-confidence and a positive body image
- Discover a fun way to stay healthy with physical fitness
Example: Students could physically experience what it might feel like to become the water cycle and see what evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, and collection might look like if it were a dance. Once students feel these movements in their own bodies, they may better understand how the water cycle works and remember this information for years to come.
Example: Students learn the tools of dance including Body, Energy, Space, and Time through interactive activities. Students could then use dance tools to abstract an 8-count and create collaborative choreography. This workshop can be a sample of different dance styles or focus on any style of dance, such as hip hop, ballet, salsa, or African. *Please let us know your integration preferences when ordering this program.
Recommended Grades: K-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130/class, $260/2 classes, $390/3 sessions, $520/4 sessions, etc.
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Dancing On The Globe
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, STEM
Students will learn about different cultures and the dances from those places. They will look at the world in a new way through the lens of dance in cultures from around the globe through original and learned choreography. This interactive and hands-on approach to learning will bolster student’s understanding and retention about different cultures. Learn dances such as the Kakilambe, Salsa, and Bollywood.
Dancing on the Globe will help students:
- Think globally and enhance cultural empathy
- Experience basic to advanced dance choreography
- Discover a fun way to stay healthy with physical fitness Foster creative expression
- Absorb and retain curriculum content
Recommended Grades: 3-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130/class, $260/2 classes, $390/3 sessions, $520/4 sessions, etc.
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Dancing Through The Ages
Curriculum: Dance, Social Studies, Visual Arts
While Dancing through the Ages, students will explore various styles of recreational, cultural, and social dance from 1920s swing, 1950s sock hop, 1970s disco, and 1990s hip hop. Students will learn choreography and make connections from past dance styles to present dance trends.
Dancing through the Ages will help students:
- Learn about historical events in a new and fun way
- Think critically about different perspectives and develop empathy
- Communicate with others
- Build confidence through self expression
- Discover a fun way to stay healthy
NOTE: This workshop can be a survey of different dance styles or focus on any time period or ideas. We recommend 1 dance style per session. Please let us know preference when ordering the program.
Recommended Grades: 3-10
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes (3-4 day workshop)
Cost: $130/class, $260/2 classes, $390/3 sessions, $520/4 sessions, etc.
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Arts and Advocacy
Curriculum: Dance, English/Language Arts, Social Emotional Learning, Theatre
Students will use the art of movement to advocate for changes they want to make in their lives and communities. Students are transformed into performance artists through a fun and exciting workshop led by professional dancers. They will engage their creative sides and think critically about issues and topics relevant to their own lives while creating, rehearsing, and performing an original piece all their own.
By the end of the program students will have learned:
- Basic theatre and dance concepts
- Effective communication
- Collaboration
- How to stand up for what they believe in / become an activist
- Catharsis through expressing their beliefs and ownership of their convictions
- A creative modality through which to communicate, different from lecture
Students will perform their work as empowered individuals, and create something completely unique, meaningful, and fun.
Example: A class of eighth grade students voices a list of issues that are significant to them: acceptance, recycling, college, sports, and school uniforms. Collectively, they select ‘sports’ as the topic to focus on for their production. Specifically, they have noticed that extracurricular sports are too expensive to participate in once travel costs, uniforms, equipment, and fees have been calculated. They investigate ideas that will make sports more affordable so that everyone who wants to participate is able to do so. In small groups they utilize provided composition worksheets to guide their examination of how to create positive change in sports. The students are challenged to funnel their discussion into action by creating a piece that uses multiple art forms – theatre, dance, spoken word, visual arts – to express their ideas. Students perform their original work for their peers at the end of the workshop.
Recommended Grades: 6-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Cost: $130/workshop
Moving with the Movies
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, STEM
Students will learn dances from movies across the globe and through history. Dances include Bollywood dances from Indian movies, modern choreography from Disney musicals, and golden era dancing from old Hollywood. Students will think critically about new perspectives as they experience different dances from film.
Moving with the Movies will help students:
- Think critically about different perspectives and encourage empathy
- Communicate with others
- Express themselves
- Build self confidence
- Discover a fun way to stay healthy
Recommended Grades: 3-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130/class, $260/2 classes, $390/3 sessions, $520/4 sessions, etc.
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Music Video Maker
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning
Star in your own Music Video! First learn the basics of dance and vote on a theme and song. Then create a storyboard and film original choreography to be edited into an original music video.
Example: Start by learning the basics of dance and abstracting an 8 count. Then vote on a theme for the music video such as community change, a specific curriculum topic, or spreading joy. Each session participants will create and film original choreography, which will be edited into a music video.
Recommended Grades: 4-12
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60-120 minutes
Cost: $130 per hour (required 1.5 hours minimum, recommended 2-8 sessions) + $50 video editing fee
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
¡Vamos a Bailar!
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies
This dance program is designed for Spanish-speakers and non-Spanish speakers alike. 90% of instruction will be in Spanish with the ability to adapt for how many speakers are in the room. This class will focus on: Empathy-building for non-Spanish speakers and increased inclusion, accessibility, and comfort for Spanish speakers. Physical activity to integrate language learning with cultural, physical, and social aspects.
Excellent for Kinesthetic learners, who prefer to learn by doing, with plenty of hands-on experience and the ability to become more connected to the information through infusing tactile experience. Cultures around the world, introducing students to different dance styles, cultures, stories, and rhythms. We will ‘visit’ Spanish-speaking countries via our dance journey.
Recommended Grades: K-6
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130 per hour, $1,300 for 10 weeks
Max #Sessions per Day: 5
Music and Emotions
Curriculum: Dance, Social Emotional Learning
How are you feeling today? Let’s dance it out! In this class, we will explore different emotions through music and dance. Students will first learn basic dance principals, and then use those concepts to express themselves, inspired by a variety of musical genres.
MUSIC AND EMOTIONS will help students:
- Communicate with others, express themselves
- Discover healthy ways to explore emotions
- Learn the importance of empathy
- Recognize emotional themes through music
- Use creative movement and dance skills
Recommended Grades: PreK-5
Maximum Audience: 30
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $130 per session
Max Sessions per day: 5
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