A Feasibility Study of Creating a Model for a Dance Outreach Program in Chesterfield County Public Schools

Exposure to dance at a young age has many proven benefits for children and their communities, including healthier brain development, deeper cultural understandings, and higher rates of supporting the arts in the future. Unfortunately, most dance education options are costly, greatly limiting which families have access to the opportunity to allow their children to experience training in dance. Dance outreach programs, which focus on introducing dance to communities and children that may otherwise never have access to dance education, are one way the arts community is working to dismantle this elitism. Partnering with public schools is the most common way for dance outreach programs to reach children, yet many localities across the country do not have sustained dance outreach programs in their public-school systems. Chesterfield County in Virginia is one such locality, despite being surrounded by a thriving dance scene. This thesis analyzes and compares the models of different dance outreach programs currently finding success in other localities, including Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion and Kids Dance Outreach in Indianapolis. After considering the specific needs of Chesterfield County Public Schools, a dance outreach program model, that could be feasibly and sustainably incorporated into elementary schools in Chesterfield County, is presented.