Dance Education

Latest Information for Dance Education

Updated Family and Community Guides for Visual and Performing Arts

The recently updated standards in the visual and performing arts (dance, drama and theatre arts, music, and visual arts) have also updated the corresponding family and community guides. These guides are websites that are organized by grade level to summarize learning in these content areas.

2022 Revised Standards in Additional Format

The revised Colorado Academic Standards for visual and performing arts have been updated to additional formats for teachers to use in their planning and organization for standards-based instruction. The alternative formats include comma-separated values (CSV), Microsoft Excel, Markdown/plain text, and a highly-accessible, simplified Microsoft Word format. These updated files can be found on the Dance standards pages, linked below.

Family and Community Guides

Colorado Academic Standards: Dance

Graphic for academic standards for dance

Academic Standards

Dance as art represents creative self-expression through the medium of human movement. The essence of dance is to feel, create, compose, interpret, perform, and respond. Dance is the physical expression of an idea developed through a process of research, inquiry, and movement discovery. Our standards are written to support students in developing their understanding and skills in dance.

Graphic for curriculum support for dance

Curriculum Support

Article IX, Section 16 of Colorado's constitution states, "Neither the general assembly nor the state board of education shall have power to prescribe textbooks to be used in the public schools." However, CDE can still serve as an advisor to help districts and schools adopt, adapt, develop, or use the materials of their choice.

District Sample Curriculum Project

Graphic for instructional support for dance

Instructional Support

Instructional support is grounded in CDE's shared approach to Best, First Instruction as well as practices and strategies supported by professional organizations and scholars at the leading edge of Dance education.

Graphic for community for dance

Community

There are many opportunities to connect and grow as a professional educator with the larger Dance education community, including mailing lists, professional organizations, and events.

Keeping up with Dance in Colorado

For further assistance, please contact:

Carla Aguilar, Ph.D (Interim)
Dance Arts Consultant
Drama and Theatre Arts Consultant
Aguilar_C@cde.state.co.us