MISSOULA – We headed over to CS Porter Middle School for this Arts and Education report where kids here are taking a special class to help them swing into the new year.
Heather Adams is an instructor with SPARK! Missoula and has been awarded the task of teaching middle school students the art of dance — which is many times easier said than done.
“Trying to just get them to dance really — I mean bottom line just get middle schooler moving. But there is a lot we are working on. We work on introductions, shake hands, make eye contact, saying thank you after a dance. And also just the technique of East Coast Swing,” Adams said.
The kids were having fun and learning to dance when we stopped by but the lessons learned here go beyond just picking up some sweet moves they can use to impress their friends. These kids are also learning life lessons they can use well beyond the classroom.
“Really we are talking a lot about leadership skills, we are talking about communication, we are talking about empathy, and we are talking about nonverbal communication,” Adams said. So, there are a lot of things that they will take with them out of the classroom and into the world.”
