Program Quality

There are more than 300 practicing Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artists who have been trained by Pierre Dulaine. The training is rigorous and systematic. Each of the Dancing Classrooms sites has a Quality Control program and the Dancing Classrooms staff make annual quality control visits to each site to ensure that what you see in the award-winning documentary Mad Hot Ballroom happens at every Dancing Classrooms site.

Curriculum Integration

Dancing Classrooms isn’t simply a ballroom dancing program. Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artists collaborate with the school teachers to connect the program to the rest of the school curriculum. Listed below are some examples of curriculum integration.

Reading & Writing
        • Poetry, essays, diaries, short stories from other countries

Social Studies
        • Customs & Costumes
        • Family History
        • Community Studies

Visual Arts
        • Dance Art
        • Bookmaking
        • Dance In Art

Math
        • Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
        • Introductory geometry: shapes and patterns
        • Skills-based problem solving
        • Fractions, rhythm, and musical tempo

Physical Education
        • Body Awareness
        • Exercise
        • Nutrition
        • Sportsmanship

Program Validity

The Dancing Classrooms curriculum has been reviewed in New York, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and meets or exceeds:

  • New York State Standards for the Arts

  • New York Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts

  • California Visual and Performing Arts Framework

  • Ohio's Academic Content Standards

  • Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. In this talk, Pierre teaches the art of respect through ballroom dancing in a world of technology, isolation, and human interaction. Pierre Dulaine has transformed his life and others through sharing the art of ballroom dancing with the world.
“They loved it and I felt like it brought out confidence and an inner strength they didn’t know they had.”
— 5th Grade Teacher

"For me ballroom dancing has been an unforgettable experience because aside from it being a discipline and sport, it is also a fun activity." 
                                 -Jerlissa, 8th Grade