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Dance

2001 Addison Rd S
District Heights, MD 20747
Phone No.
Fax No.
301-760-3661

Dance

Temisha K. Richardson
Instructional Supervisor for Dance
Jaclyn Martin
Dance Resource Teacher
Jennifer Eggleston
Mentor Dance Teacher
Lauran Rush
Dance Office Secretary

About the Program

Prince George’s County Public Schools offers Dance Education courses K-12.  In Elementary schools, students are introduced to dance through arts integration in their academic classes through the integration of movement where there are natural connections to the standards.  The Elementary Dance Curriculum is written to support the general education teacher in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies content. The Middle School Dance curriculum is similar with a more in-depth focus on Dance and Arts Integration which provides students with the opportunity to experiment with dance concepts while making connections to the other contents. The High School Dance curriculum is designed to enhance the overall experience dance with a more traditional focus on Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Dance Composition and World Dance.  At both the Middle and High School levels, Dance for Athletes is offered to support the athlete that desires to improve in their chosen sport. The Dance for Athletes course is more so focused on teaching aspects of: balance, conditioning, stamina, stretching and muscle memory.  This course is designed to help athletes find a greater appreciation for movement and dance in general. For the comprehensive Elementary, Middle and HIgh School dance programs, no previous dance training is required. The CPA and CVPA Dance Programs offer a rigorous and intense model of traditional dance including techniques in: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, World Dance, Dance Composition, Pointe (CVPA only), Dance Production and Dance Repertory.  These dance courses aid students who have a focused interest in pursuing dance beyond high school in a college, conservatory and or professional level environment. Both the CPA and CVPA Dance programs are audition based and previous training is encouraged.

Students at each level have opportunities to perform at the annual PGCPS Dance Showcase events and participate in the PGCPS Student Choreography Showcase. Middle and High School students have the opportunity in October to audition for the PGCPS Honors Dance Ensembles to represent their school dance program.  Opportunities are available for Middle and High School students to perform locally, at the state level, regionally and nationally.  

Professional development opportunities are available for school staff (whole group and by departmental teams) to assist teachers on how to incorporate movement into their daily instruction.  Professional Development requests can be made through the PGCPS Dance Supervisor or PGCPS Dance Resource Teacher.

Highlights of the Dance Program:

  • 2018 marked the Inaugural PGCPS Student Choreography Showcase this year representing 14 PGCPS High School Choreographers. 

  • PGCPS Dance Program has a partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park to provide our students the opportunity to see and experience dance on the collegiate level. 

  • New Dance textbooks have been adopted for SY 2018-2019

  • Partnerships with local Dance organizations (Dance Exchange, Joy of Motion, and Joe's Movement Emporium) have provided our students the opportunities to take master classes.

  • The annual Dance workshop and Showcase day has gotten so big that is will now have to be multiple days in multiple locations. 

  • PGCPS distinguished dances have additional performance opportunities as part of the Middle and High School Honors Dance Ensembles.