Dancing past the discomfort

When fifth grade wrote their reflections after week two of ballroom dancing, the three words they used most often were “uncomfortable,” “awkward” and “fun."
 

Sounds about right for week two. 
 

With instructor Rodney López, dancing is always more than just learning a move. It's about confidence, social skills and teambuilding.
 

In the coming weeks, their hands will steady, their posture will improve, and their smiles will broaden.
 

Their steps will come more easily, and so will their laughs.
 

Even today, halfway through week three, the fun was giving the awkward some strong competition.
 

Fifth grade’s ten-week ballroom dancing workshop is just one part of a social and emotional curriculum that runs throughout every grade at Gordon. Through academic collaboration, games, arts projects, team challenges and, in Middle School, overnight adventures, Gordon students learn resilience and leadership, and form personal connections that help fuel classroom work.
 

A closer look, from 2019
More photos from today