This semester I committed to creating a final project that focused on serving the dear neighbor.  The first week of November, I assigned the Christmas Choreography Service Project to both my Musical Theatre Dance class and my Intermediate Dance class.  The project was broken down into three distinct sections:  choreography, teaching and performing.  The students were broken into small groups and each selected a Christmas song for their project.  They then decided how many performers would be needed for their piece (between 3 and 6 dancers).  The students spent a week and a half choreographing their dances.  After the choreography was complete, the students spent two and a half weeks teaching their composition to the dancers who were assigned to their group.    Each student in the class participated in two dances.   On Tuesday, December 4th,  I took both classes to Sunrise Senior Living for a performance that included six dances.   After the students danced for the residents, they spent time visiting with them and then they went to the Memory Care Unit where they sang Christmas Carols. 

Upon leaving Sunrise, one of my students turned to me and asked if they could do it again…..I have never had a student ask to do an assignment a second time because the first time was so meaningful for them!  I immediately know that this was, without a doubt, the most successful assignment I have ever given. 

The day after the performance I had my students journal about the experience and then we shared our thoughts about the event.  My students wrote over a page each and when they shared their feelings, two of them broke down in tears, one of them even stating that the “experience meant more to her than any grade could ever mean.”  I was overwhelmed by their responses and how much the experience meant to them. 

I have always believed in the healing power of movement, and I feel blessed that my students were able to experience it firsthand.