About CDC

Welcome to the Creative Dance Center! We are a unique non-profit organization that has been providing brain-compatible dance education to our community for over 25 years. Kaleidoscope Dance Company, CDC's performing company of young people, offers professional performance opportunities for children and, in so doing, provides powerful and playful dance performances accessible to people of all ages.

Artistic Director Anne Green Gilbert founded the Creative Dance Center in 1981. She teaches classes at the Creative Dance Center and mentors and works closely with the talented, creative faculty she has assembled. Anne is a pioneer in the field of dance education and the Creative Dance Center leads the way in applying the most current research on how the brain learns to the lesson-plans and teaching strategies used in our dance classes.

The Creative Dance Center offers classes for infants through adults.

Our Early Childhood Program specifically targets the critical years of zero to five. Research shows that movement, a multi-sensory environment, and a loving relationship with a caregiver are crucial to healthy and optimal brain development in these early years. CDC's specialized curriculum focuses on:

• developmentally appropriate movement and dance activities
• the opportunity for a child to engage all of their senses
• a playful, safe environment in which a parent/caregiver and child can bond and interact with one another as well as with other infants, children, and adults
• creating balance in body and mind through the contrasting elements of the dance concepts
• educating parents and caregivers on the importance of tummy time in the first year of life

As children grow older and participate in dance classes without a parent/caregiver, the curriculum supports the important need for:

• positive social interaction with peers
• time for self-reflection and sharing
• more challenging skill development as body awareness, balance, and coordination continue to develop

This brain-compatible approach allows children to explore and understand their own feelings and experiences, and those of others. Knowing who they are, how they feel, and the ability to feel empathy are important emotional skills CDC helps to nurture in even our youngest students. Physically, infants and young children develop a strong kinesthetic awareness of themselves creating a strong foundation for school readiness and life-long learning.

Our School-age and Adult Programs for older children and adults offer a variety of classes that appeal to the serious dance student as well as those who want fun, exercise, and the chance to develop dance and movement skills in a non-threatening and positive environment. CDC's curriculum for school-age children and adults continues to incorporate and build on the methodology and philosophy of the Early Childhood Program as more specialized classes are offered. Our School-age and Adult Programs offer:

• continued and more complex explorations of the dance concepts as they apply to dance technique and all areas of life
• classes that develop self-discipline and focus, balanced with positive social interaction with peers and teachers
• an emphasis on anatomically correct alignment and placement
• exercise, yoga, and movement filled classes for adults in a safe and welcoming environment
• classes that encourage and emphasize kinesthetic awareness, body and mind integration, stress reduction, flexibility, and core support
• a deeper understanding of how the BrainDance patterns apply to dance technique
• the opportunity to explore dance concepts, work on technique, and create improvisations, dance studies, and choreography in small groups, large groups, and as an individual
• a curriculum which allows dancers to achieve technical mastery, artistry, and nuance
• a curriculum that builds the compositional skills needed to create meaningful choreography
• an environment that challenges students to use their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities while rejoicing in their creative spirit

We believe that students who have the chance to experience dance in a joyful way will make it part of their lives. In this way CDC is more than a dance school. It is a place where a person can develop his or her dance technique and creative potential in a warm, positive, and non-competitive atmosphere. At CDC our students learn to dance and dance to learn!

Integration of Multiple Intelligences at CDC

Our classes are rich in multi-sensory experiences giving students of all ages the opportunity to use each of their multiple intelligences. We believe that strengthening cognitive, social, and emotional skills is just as important as developing strong, flexible, and healthy bodies.

At CDC, our students:

• are given the opportunity to explore and learn together, creating a special time for bonding and building social skills (Interpersonal Intelligence)
• practice fundamental movement patterns (BrainDance) and dance skills; learn names of body parts and anatomical structures, and develop correct alignment (Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence)
• respond to a variety of music in a joyful way while exploring musical concepts (Musical Intelligence)
• learn movement vocabulary; connect words with movements, and discuss and evaluate choreography (Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence)
• move through space with ease and safety; explore relationships between people and objects; copy movements and practice patterns that increase proprioception-the body's sense of itself in space (Visual-Spatial Intelligence)
• learn movement patterns and sequences; solve problems through movement; create and perform movement phrases and dances to metered music and counts (Mathematical-Logical Intelligence)
• explore opposing dance concepts that expand the emotional and physical repertoire; reflect on feelings generated through movement (Intrapersonal Intelligence)

We like to think of our dance classes as "serious fun." At CDC the emphasis is on education and enjoyment.