Shahrzad Dance School Residencies

 Shahrzad has two decades of experience working with local schools. She often works with Youth In Art (YIA) and Young Imaginations (YI) to bring 9-13 week residencies to elementary schools in the Bay Area, CA. Shahrzad’s goal is to promote dialogue and foster understanding between cultures and to present Middle Eastern culture through the beauty of its dance and music, in order to provide a more positive view than the political picture presented by the media.

The residencies begin with an assembly performance, giving the students a glimpse of the dance style they will be learning. This is immediately followed by an eight-thirteen-week session of 30-45-minute dance classes during school hours. The classes are held once a week for K-5 grades. In each class, the students learn a Persian dance which they can perform at a school assembly at the end of the residency.

Main Objectives:

• Develop the artistic abilities, creativity, and self-confidence of students through sequential, hands-on arts Learning

• Promote life skills such as problem-solving, collaboration and positive self-expression through the arts

• Create mutually beneficial relationships between classroom teachers and teaching Artists, and contribute to overall arts-rich school environments.

•  Promote culturally responsive learning through the arts, using cultural knowledge to support the cultural assets of the local community and to support students’ positive self-identification and respect for diverse cultures.