"The most important thing I learned is to keep trying things and to never give up."
–Naila 

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Curriculum
Take the Stage brings a highly energetic dance program directly into schools as part of the elementary curriculum. TTS classes teach children how to strive for their personal best, never give up, and be willing to take a chance. Each class is led by a trained instructor, assistant and musician. Every class employs live music. Classes are dynamic, rigorous, fun and success-oriented. All children in the grade level participate in one 45-minute class each week for 28 weeks. Lively and interactive assemblies are held in December at each school, showcasing the teaching methods and giving the dancers the opportunity to show what they have learned. The program culminates in a school-wide, theme-based performance where dancers gain positive reinforcement from peers, teachers, families, and community members.

​Not only do Take the Stage classes get kids moving, they also get them thinking.  Challenging children to approach tasks with maximum effort and energy helps them to learn that focus, concentration, tenacity, and determination can be fun and rewarding.  TTS instruction supports academic achievement with cross-curricular activities that translate into increased self-confidence in the classroom, positive risk-taking, and the discipline to achieve difficult goals.  Special needs students thrive in this environment, working alongside their grade level peers in an atmosphere of mutual support and teamwork.  Limited English Proficiency students also benefit from TTS, improving their language skills and confidence by counting and repeating instructions in English in a “call and response” setting.

"It helps me to be more active…to try harder."
–Khoa 

Theme
Each year, Take the Stage partners with Kansas City-based organizations to develop a theme. This theme is integrated into our lessons throughout the year and inspire the culminating Event-of-the-Year performance.
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Evaluation
Take the Stage programs are evaluated at the end of every session by student and classroom teacher surveys. Evaluation results are recorded and tallied, and changes are made to the program as needed based on outcomes of the evaluation. Children’s evaluations show that TTS instruction helps them feel better about themselves. They credit the program with learning how to support their classmates and create a team, to work hard while having fun, to never give up, and to have the confidence to try new things.  Classroom teachers report that their students learn discipline that allows them to focus.  They see improved social and behavioral skills, improved listening skills, positive risk taking in new learning situations, and improved grades in their students who participate.  Teachers also find that TTS instruction can help their monolingual students learn English. For more feedback from our students are school-workers, please visit our Testimonials page.