This spring, BalletX’s Dance eXchange program partnered with Springside Chestnut Hill Academy for a special three-week residency with their 5th grade students, using dance to inspire creativity, confidence, collaboration, and self-expression. We are so grateful to SCH for welcoming BalletX into their community and for their commitment to arts education. Read SCH’s blog post below to learn more about the experience and the impact of the program!
“Wipe the table, wipe the ceiling! Roll, heartbeat, roll, heartbeat.” Are these instructions for a deep clean, or choreography? Ask any SCH 5th grader, and they’ll grin as they recognize just a few of the movements from their recent performance of “One Dance, One Philly,” part of BalletX Dance eXchange’s citywide celebration of dance in honor of America 250.
In early May, a series of workshop-style lessons culminated in a vibrant performance for peers, teachers, families, and special guests from the Springside Class of 1957. Following an earlier, widely praised “Inside the Mind of a Dancer” assembly, BalletX returned to campus with teaching artists and musicians from their Dance eXchange program to work with 5th graders. Thanks to generous support from SCH’s Innovation Grant program, every 5th-grade student participated in five sessions focused on learning, connecting, and growing through dance’s artistry and athleticism. Their final performance highlighted warm-ups, Dance eXchange teaching practices, and students across Philadelphia learning and performing choreography.
Dance eXchange is an in-school outreach program that uses dance to build self-confidence, develop essential life skills, and inspire personal excellence. Students gain foundational dance vocabulary, a deeper appreciation for dance as a performing art, often for the first time, and a chance to succeed in a completely new arena alongside their peers. What began as a group of hesitant, sometimes skeptical participants evolved into a cohort defined by full engagement, joyful expression, and impressively strong dancing. By all accounts, the program was a resounding success among students, parents, and teachers alike.
The Innovation Grant, which supports creative ideas across the school community, whether high-tech, low-tech, or no-tech, played a pivotal role in bringing this partnership with BalletX and Artistic & Executive Director Christine Cox to life. That early investment made it possible for our Middle School students to experience the transformative power of dance firsthand. As a 5th grader, True Golden-Brown said, “When you dance, you’re actually showing yourself, instead of watching people do it and just copying.”
The impact has extended beyond the classroom, with parents sharing reflections such as, “That was an awesome show. They had a blast up there. Will this become part of our 5th-grade curriculum? I hope so. It was so special.”
Most importantly, the experience broadened perspectives, broke down barriers, and opened the door to dance for every student, an outcome that will continue to resonate long after the final bow.
“I learned that dancing is more than just a thing. I can’t explain it,” said 5th grader Aly Kunz. “It was better than what I thought.”
