Well, obviously the disclaimer reads: my child danced in the show. So here's the review:
If you're wondering what children can do to learn social studies, why not look to the arts? At Dearborn Park Elementary School in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, the music and dance teacher, Helen Zhou (a/k/a "Miss Jo"), teaches the children songs and dances from different countries, cultures, and religions. The children learn about these different countries and peoples through artistic expression.
Before you think, "oh, isn't that quaint", check out some of the costumes and props (like the dragon below) that the teacher makes to go along with the learning experience. These are top notch artistic endeavors. And doing an intricate Chinese Fan Dance while snapping a couple of fans in and out in sync with other dancers takes a fair amount of skill and concentration if you watch closely.
The kids (and their teacher) amazed us all again with the high quality of their performance. Watching the big kids help the little ones backstage and afterward made my heart thump a little happy dance of its own.
This year the children performed native dances from China, Taiwan, Tibet, and Japan. (I may have missed a country, but think that's the list.) Over the next three days our little crew will perform at 3 other local elementary schools. We have reason to be proud. The schools they will visit will benefit from the cultural experience as well.
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