Dance for Schools is an art-educational project that we have been implementing for the 12th year running with the idea that dance and movement have a unique place in a child’s education. The project builds on the long-standing practice of Tanec Praha with the community work of artists among children. We started with a pilot year-long course already in 2006, and our artists have worked in 11 Prague schools. In 2017 we replaced the continuous lessons with shorter blocks, thanks to which several schools in Prague joined the project.

It is an alternative-educational art program based on the principles of Dance and Movement Education. It applies the specifics of dance creation to form a child’s personality, creates lasting ties between the child’s thoughts, emotions and physical aspects, harmonizes the child’s physical development and develops body intelligence. It teaches environmental awareness and promotes the development of social intelligence. It leads pupils from spontaneous movement to conscious use of their body and the cultivation of movement.

Short film about the Dance for Schools Project:

We provide the creative movement lessons directly at elementary schools. Lessons are conducted by professional dancers with teaching experience, with live musical accompaniment. The teaching is based on the natural movement of children; it does not require any special prerequisites and is therefore available to all elementary school pupils.

The main objective of Creative Movement Education is to extend the possibilities for active movement of children in elementary schools:

• Support the movement skills and creative self-expression of pupils
• Develop social skills – mutual cooperation of pupils
• Understanding the connection of body – space – music – rhythm

The creative movement classes take the form of 3 monthly blocks: - Spring block = 12 lessons / February – May - Autumn block = 10 lessons / October – December Ideally there is continuity between the autumn and spring blocks in one class. The timetable is individual, according to the possibilities of the school and the lecturers. The instructors usually teach multiple classes in school on a regular basis every week in 2–4 hour blocks.

The creative movement classes are a regular part of the curriculum. Schools can take a time grant (10–12 hours/block) for aesthetic education (complementary to Dance and Physical Education), but they often use it as part of a physical education lesson, due to the use of the gym. The program has a creative and artistic focus, with an intensive musical component, providing enrichment of aesthetic education. Dance and movement education is a complementary educational subject in the context of aesthetic education, which was incorporated into the Framework Education Program by the Minister of Education with effect from 1 September 2010 (section 5.10.5). It enables schools to enrich the educational content of elementary education in the field of Arts and Culture.

The creative movement classes are suitable for the first and second levels of ele-mentary school. It is optimal to introduce it gradually from the first grade, and it is al-so suitable for preparatory classes.

The space allotted for the course should correspond to the size of the group:
- For large groups (over 18 pupils), the school gym is a good space.
- For smaller groups (max. 18 pupils), the course can also be taught in other suitable spaces. (Note: Working with a smaller group allows a more individual approach, bet-ter concentration and mutual collaboration of children, and better results.)

As the organizer of the courses/project, Tanec Praha provides teaching and coordi-nation facilities for implementation in schools. This means experienced instructors and professional dance artists / teachers who have long been working with children. The teaching team consists of one dancer and one musician, and in the case of larger groups – one assistant.

The spring block of the course will be funded for a limited number of schools mainly from the grant allotted to the Dance for Schools project, but we also ask for a contri-bution from the school.

For schools that want to try Creative Movement Education, we offer a sample lesson free of charge. Teachers interested in implementing the course in their class are welcome to attend the experiential-methodological seminars that we hold before the block begins. The seminars introduce teachers to the work of the instructors, allow them to actively learn the principles of the education and, together, work synergistically on the thematic block for their class.

We look forward to seeing more dancing schools! 
If you are interested in the Dance for Schools project, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Martina Filinová, Manager of Activities for Children and Schools
E: martina.filinova@tanecpraha.eu
T: +420 776 319 505

The project was implemented with the financial participation of the EU through the National Recovery Plan and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.​