"Our kindergarten students are learning poise, self-esteem, following directions and sequencing through something that is fun. And that training is then transferred to skills like reading, which also uses sequencing skills," said Yolanda Williamson, assistant principal at Newberry.

Newberry's seven kindergarten classes are given 45 minutes of instruction a week in the fundamentals of classical dance through a partnership between the school and Memphis Dance Theatre. The program is the embodiment of an idea Williamson had last fall. Familiar with studies on the benefits of exposing children to the arts, Williamson was looking to eliminate obstacles between the students and such programs.

"I had a brainstorm: ballet during the school day where no one had to worry about having the time after school or the money for dance classes. We've wiped out any barriers to make this accessible for all students," Williamson said. Once she was certain of her idea, Williamson contacted numerous dance studios in the area. A partnership was formed between the school and the Memphis Dance Theatre, owned and operated by Tom Knowles and his wife, Julie, since 1991.

Knowles and Williamson had similar views on what was needed in the dance curriculum. "We designed a program for the kindergarten grade that the school immediately approved," Knowles said.

The Memphis Dance Theatre accepts students as young as 3 years old, Knowles said. Developing a program for students 5 to 6 years old was within the studio's experience. "The program (for Newberry) works on basic fundamentals of dance movement skills and a lot of the exercises are designed to work on their imagination, balance issues, grace in their movements, coordination and fine motor control," Knowles said.

Many of the activities have students using their imagination. "The girls will imagine themselves to be princesses and the boys princes, or they may imagine themselves as different animals to them to move their bodies in different ways," he said.

The students are also exposed to and begin to pick up dance terminology. "We don't expect any of the children in these classes to become professional dancers; that's not our goal," Knowles said. "Our goal is for them to find that part of themselves inside that is creative and they can express that in certain ways and dance movement is one of them. It's something that they don't have to rely on anyone else to do and that, in turn, can give them self-esteem and self-confidence in their own abilities."

Another aspect of the program Knowles especially likes is that it is an opportunity for boys to learn dance. Ballet and other forms of dance are primarily thought of as activities for girls, a belief that some Newberry parents shared. "At first, the parents didn't want their boys to participate, but after they saw the first class they were very supportive," Williamson said. At Memphis Dance Theatre, Knowles goes as far as offering free tuition to boys 7 years and older with a desire to learn more about dance.

Memphis Dance Theatre teacher Nicole Simkus travels to Newberry each Wednesday and Thursday to hold the classes. Simkus is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and holds a degree in dance. Williamson is not only impressed with the way Simkus not only teaches dance but incorporates the regular curriculum into the dance class. "If they are working on colors or numbers, she will write her lesson to use that in the dance program. She will pass out something yellow and have them recognizing the color," Williamson said.

In addition to the kindergarten grade, the program includes dance classes for the school's special needs class. "One of the kindergarten classes is a special ed class and she (Simkus) is also working with them and they are responding really well," Knowles said. With special needs children the curriculum is adapted to teach by example and some degree of movement. "If a child, no matter what age, thinks something is fun then they are going to learn it," Knowles said.

Williamson not only has seen an improvement in the students' performance at school but also in attendance. "When kids are excited about things going on, they want to come to school and they want to be on time," she said. Students late to dance classes are not permitted to participate in that day's class. "You can't come into a dance class unprepared, without your uniform, and you can't participate if you're late. So what's happening is the students are saying, 'Mom, I have to get to school' and 'Mom, I have to be prepared,' and when they start preparing little things like their uniform they are going to remember their homework, and that pattern would be set at a very young age," Williamson said.

Williamson chose to start the program with the kindergarten to be able to better measure the students' progress. "In kindergarten, there are no preconceived notions and we can chart the students' growth," Williamson said. Next year the program will expand to continue the dance education of the students, who will then be first-graders, and will also be taught to the new kindergartners. Williams said plans call for the program to grow with each new kindergarten class, so that by the time this year's kindergartners are in the fifth grade, dance will be a part of the curriculum in each grade.