92NY Announces PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION Documentary Screening
The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) announced a highly anticipated free screening of the new documentary PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION followed by a talkback with filmmakers Jody Gottfried Arnhold and esteemed guests on Friday, September 30, 2022 at 5pm at Kaufmann Concert Hall. Bringing together the entire dance community – from choreographers and dancers to educators and aficionados – the evening is a don’t-miss event that explores the future of dance education in America and beyond.
“It has been an honor to create PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION,” said Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) founder and 92NY Board Chair. “Our newest documentary showcases the DEL model and the power of dance education in public schools. The film follows middle and high school students who have been immersed in DEL and are empowered to plan, design, and teach dance to classrooms of elementary students. Everyone is choreographing and performing dances. As the process unfolds, transformational changes occur. Students learn meaningful life skills, educators find inspiration, school administrators benefit from a renewed sense of energy in the halls, and families watch their children grow and thrive in phenomenal and unexpected ways. We see how the DEL model can be adapted for every educational and artistic environment. When dance is integrated into curriculum, inspiring stories like these are possible in every school. We are thrilled to share this film with the NYC dance community this September.”
The makers of New York Emmy Award-nominated documentary PS DANCE! (2015) are back to prove that with ingenuity and commitment, every school can be a dance school. PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION shows what happens when students become the teachers. When Ann Biddle, founding faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), moved to Northampton, MA, she was determined to bring dance education to the schools in her new town. She turned to her students to make it happen. High school and middle school dance students were immersed in the DEL teaching methods to teach elementary school students dance. Students emerged inspired and empowered to become the next generation of dance educators.
Created by Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Nel Shelby, PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION follows the journey of Ann and her students as they build confidence, learn responsibility, and find their passion through the DEL model.
Each year, DEL dance mentors from Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Public Charter School in South Hadley, MA put into practice what they’ve learned by leading students at Leeds Elementary School in Northampton, MA in a three-week dance intensive. The program’s unique combination of community service, mentoring, collaborative teaching, and high-level training is nothing short of transformational, all beautifully captured in PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION.
DEL started in New York at 92NY, and since the onset of the pandemic, teachers across the nation and the world have received support from virtual learning with DEL. Now, there is tremendous opportunity for expansion of this powerful method. Currently, there are close to 400 dance teachers serving New York City’s 1,800 public schools, 192 of whom hold a New York State dance teacher license. With a significant new education budget allocation to support arts in schools, this is a definitive moment in New York City arts education history. Dance teachers are now listed as a high-need subject area, and this film shows us why.
“PS DANCE! is awe-inspiring! To see these children receive encouragement and confidence through meaningful storytelling through dance should be an integral part of all learning. As evidenced in this film, dance opens minds and creates leaders, and this is why it’s so vital to our education system,” said Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre.
Watch a trailer for the film here, and register for free at 92ny.org/event/ps-dance-the-next-generation. PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION is also available now for free streaming through All Arts, as well as on WNET. For air times and more information, visit thirteen.org.