'Spinaroonies' in School?

The Boston Parents' Magazine

By Alison O’Leary Murray

A group of kids gather in their school gymnasium after classes have ended for the day. Some are goofing off, others are shooting baskets, when a hip older guy in baggy pants enters the gym and turn on a boombox. So, they’re popping and sliding, busting some serious dance moves just a short time after their classroom.

This month, kids at Jamaica Plain’s Curley School, Dorchester’s Sarah Greenwood School and Lincoln-Hancock School in Quincy will complete a program of dance instruction and cooperation called D.A.R.E. Dance.

Yes, dance is also part of the police-taught Drug Abuse Resistance Education program that’s trickled out of schools in recent years because of budget cuts. But this 5-year-old program is D.A.R.E. with a twist: kids learn hip-hop dance moves along with self-control, cooperation and teamwork. And one lucky kid from each class gets a scholarship to further his or her dance career with a local troupe, such as Boston’s OrigiNation.

Although it is offered at just three Boston-area schools, the program could be expanded if funding allows.  “The best thing is their journey and what they go through,” says Christine Dhimos, regional coordinator of the program. “In the beginning, there’s always a kid in the back of the room with no confidence; they’re afraid to do anything. Then they blossom and find something for themselves. For some, it takes tremendous courage because they may not get a lot of support at home to be in this dance program.”

At the graduation ceremony for this 10-week after-school program, long speeches and certificates will be replace by kids strutting their stuff in a show for parents and teachers.

At Curley, dance instructor Henry Kasdon, 26 from the Rainbow Tribe dance troupe, reminds the kids how good they’re going to look when they perform. Along with a smattering of positive reinforcement and anti-drug information, Kasdon starts the year by helping the kids set the rules for the class. Then, he teaches them that they have to have self-control and focus before they can relax and enjoy themselves.

“If they’re stressed out, they’re not going to have fun or do well,” he says. “If they’re loose and relaxed, we’ll continue to dance.”

Another rule is that no music with sexual or violent lyrics is allowed n this program. That severely limits the popular rap that can be played but opens the class to old-school break-dancing songs and other music that the kids wouldn’t normally hear, Kasdon says. The kids don’t mind, because professional instructors such as Kasdon don’t walk into elementary schools every day.

“He’s teaching me a move, windmills,” says Eddie, an enthusiastic 11-year-old fifth-grader with a long braid. “Before, I only knew spinaroonies.”

Parents love the program, too, says Beth O’Neill, a Curley School arts team volunteer. “This class brings out something in some kids that you just wouldn’t see when they’re sitting in a classroom for six hours,” she says.         

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