Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC
A Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) Curriculum
INTRODUCTION
The DEL Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC remote learning curriculum was created in response to the need to develop high-quality, standards-based dance curricula for during educational transition caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with the NYC DOE, DEL’s Tracing Footsteps Curriculum provides critical dance learning for NYC public school students in grades K-12. The curriculum explores embodied dance history through the examination of the rich dance contributions of three distinct cultural groups who have often been marginalized, ignored, and underrepresented in history. These groups inhabited and continue to inhabit different areas of NYC throughout history until today.
Funded by a grant from the NY Community Trust and the Arnhold Foundation, the Tracing Footsteps Curriculum includes three student facing remote learning curricular modules which was disseminated over the course of the 2020-21 school year:
- Module 1: Native American Dance History in NYC – Roots to Branches
- Module 2: History of Tap Dance – Soul Rhythms
- Module 3: Into the Heart of Chinatown – Hidden Voices
Each module includes the following:
- K-2 5 Lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources
- 3-5 10 Lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources
- 6-8 10 Lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources
- 9-12 10 Lesson Dance Unit with accompanying google slides and resources
Additionally, DEL created a Family Guide for K-5 and an Arts Enhancement Guide for K-12 to support each module.
Download the complete curricular overview and acknowledgements for modules 1-3 here to learn more.
To read the complete curriculum overview, please click here.