Kicking Off the Decade of Dance Education - National Dance Education Organization

Behind the Curtain

Kicking Off the Decade of Dance Education

By Susan McGreevy-Nichols

Posted on 9/28/2016 10:14 AM

At our National Conference this October, NDEO will be inviting our membership to join us in our special campaign,The Decade of Dance Education (2015-2025). The Decade of Dance Education is a ten-year campaign designed to raise the profile of the National Dance Education Organization and the field of dance education centered in the arts, while simultaneously ensuring the growth and development of NDEO for years to come. The mission of this campaign is to raise the awareness and funds needed to build and sustain NDEO in our next era of growth.

As part of the Decade of Dance Education, NDEO has spent the last two years investing in our staff and programming, to help us provide you with the best possible membership experience. We've added new staff, revamped some of our signature programs, increased our web and social media presence, and added new resources such as Dance Education in Practice. At the 2016 National Conference, we will be launching the program publicly with new special events and twists on some Conference favorites.

Membership Town Hall

New for 2016 - join us for our revamped annual meeting (formerly Membership Breakfast). This year, all conference attendees are invited to join us on Saturday, October 8th, at 3:00pm for our Membership Town Hall. Enjoy afternoon tea and snacks while you learn more about the current state of the organization and hear about our new programs and initiatives. This year, we will be featuring a keynote speaker as part of the meeting. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Monique Chism from the U.S. Department of Education as the keynote speaker for this event.

Social Media Blitz

During the Membership Town Hall, we are inviting the membership to join us in a social media blitz to help us kick off the Decade of Dance Education and spread awareness of the benefits of dance arts education. Everyone - whether you are attending conference or not - is invited to participate! Here's how:

On the social media platform of your choosing, share a photo, video, or story about the impact of dance education in your life along with the hashtag #ItAllStartsWithADanceTeacher.
Follow NDEO (Facebook - National Dance Education Organization Official Page, Twitter @ndeodance) and tag us in the your post!
Tag your friends, students, or colleagues and challenge them to do the same! Help us to make this hashtag go viral in support of dance education!

Meet & Greets and Staff Office Hours

As part of the Decade of Dance Education, NDEO is seeking new ways to provide the best quality membership experience. At Conference this year, we are providing special opportunities for our membership to connect with us personally. We want to hear from you!

Meet & Greets

Have you ever wondered what it is like to serve on the NDEO Board of Directors? Have you ever wanted to learn how to become more involved with NDEO? Do you have ideas that you would like to share with NDEO's decision makers?

Have you ever had questions about the standards? How were they created? Who developed them? How can you better implement them into your classroom?

This year at conference we will be offering Meet and Greet Sessions with both NDEO Board Members and National Dance Standards writers. These sessions will allow you to ask questions in an exclusive setting, limited to just a few attendees per session. To sign up for sessions, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/NDEOMeetAndGreet

Staff Office Hours

Do you have questions, concerns, or ideas about a specific NDEO program? Staff members will be available to talk with you one-on-one or in small groups during Staff Office Hours. Be sure to check the Conference Schedule for the times and locations of Office Hours related to the DELRdi, OPDI, NHSDA, and more!

Advocacy Sessions

The theme of this year's conference is "Speaking with Our Feet: Advocating, Analyzing, and Advancing Dance Education," with a special focus on dance education advocacy. This theme is a perfect complement to the public launch of the Decade of Dance Education, during which NDEO will place a special emphasis on raising awareness of and advocating for dance education on local, state, and national levels. We are hosting several special advocacy sessions as part of the Conference this year, including Speaking with Our Feet Advocacy Day, a pre-Conference intensive on Thursday 10/6 that will include an advocacy workshop and an afternoon visit to Capitol Hill to speak directly to lawmakers about the importance of dance education, and NDEO Sponsored Sessions Dance Research is Dance Advocacy: Your Study Could Make a Difference!, Advocating for You and Your Legacy, Advocating for Yourself: How to Interview, and Research: Art Works, an opportunity to learn about grant opportunities from the National Endowment for the Arts’s Office of Research and Analysis.

Special Funding for the High School Day of Dance

This year, we are pleased to present the third annual High School Day of Dance program to students in the Washington, D.C. metro area. During the High School Day of Dance, students from the local metro area where Conference is being held to come together and study under a master teacher from the NDEO membership. On Saturday, October 8, 2016, students will participate in a workshop on vernacular and urban vernacular dance styles with Emily Oleson of Davis & Elkins College and Rizqi Rachmat from Urban Artistry. As part of the Decade of Dance Education, NDEO secured funding for this year's High School Day of Dance from the Capital One, Silver Spring, MD district. Because of their sponsorship, we were able to reduce the workshop fees for all participants, and offer special partial scholarships to students at dance outreach programs in the area. Capital One's sponsorship of this program allowed for us to reach more dancers in the local community, helping to raise the profile of the High School Day of Dance and NDEO as an organization. We are very grateful to Capital One for their support!

Early Bird Warm-ups and Evening Cool Downs

Responding to attendee feedback, we are happy to offer new movement sessions at Conference this year. The Early Bird Warm-ups will provide attendees with the opportunity to wake up their minds and bodies in a gentle, holistic way before participating in Conference sessions. Alexander technique, Pilates, and BodyMind Dancing are just a few of the warm-up sessions that will be offered. After the last regular Conference sessions of the day, join us for cool down sessions to help you relax and rejuvenate before enjoying the evening social events and special sessions.

Stay on top of all of our Conference programming and special events by downloading the NDEO Conference App today! Check it out at https://crowd.cc/s/fSOw

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