Screening Of PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION Documentary A Success At 92NY

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) held a highly anticipated free screening of the new documentary PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION on Friday, September 30, 2022 at Kaufmann Concert Hall.

The event was an exploration of the future of dance education in America and beyond, and included a panel discussion with filmmakers Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Nel Shelby, featured faculty member Ann Biddle, and other esteemed guests.

Bringing together the entire dance community - from choreographers and dancers to educators and aficionados - the evening was attended by over 350 people, including NYC Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks and and Paul Thompson, Executive Director of the NYC DOE Office of Arts and Special Projects.

The event commenced with a reception at 92NY's Weill Art Gallery followed by opening remarks from Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Chancellor Banks and a dance performance by members from the Brooklyn High School of the Arts senior class. The film is available online to for all to view at https://www.allarts.org/programs/all-arts-documentary-selects/ps-dance-next-generation-dance-education-in-public-schools-faardf/.

"It has been an honor to create PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION," said Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) founder and 92NY Board Chair. "Our newest documentary showcases the DEL model and the power of dance education in public schools. The film follows middle and high school students who have been immersed in DEL and are empowered to plan, design, and teach dance to classrooms of elementary students. Everyone is choreographing and performing dances. As the process unfolds, transformational changes occur. Students learn meaningful life skills, educators find inspiration, school administrators benefit from a renewed sense of energy in the halls, and families watch their children grow and thrive in phenomenal and unexpected ways. We see how the DEL model can be adapted for every educational and artistic environment. When dance is integrated into curriculum, inspiring stories like these are possible in every school. We were thrilled to have shared this film with the NYC dance community and look forward to more advancements in dance education."

About PSDANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION: The makers of New York Emmy Award-nominated documentary PS DANCE! (2015) are back to prove that with ingenuity and commitment, every school can be a dance school. PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION shows what happens when students become the teachers. When Ann Biddle, founding faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), moved to Northampton, MA, she was determined to bring dance education to the schools in her new town. She turned to her students to make it happen. High school and middle school dance students were immersed in the DEL teaching methods to teach elementary school students dance. Students emerged inspired and empowered to become the next generation of dance educators.

Created by Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Nel Shelby, PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION follows the journey of Ann and her students as they build confidence, learn responsibility, and find their passion through the DEL model.

DEL started in New York at 92NY, and since the onset of the pandemic, teachers across the nation and the world have received support from virtual learning with DEL. Now, there is tremendous opportunity for expansion of this powerful method. Currently, there are close to 400 dance teachers serving New York City's 1,800 public schools, 192 of whom hold a New York State dance teacher license. With a significant new education budget allocation to support arts in schools, this is a definitive moment in New York City arts education history. Dance is now listed as a high-need subject area, and this film shows us why.

What people are saying about PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION:

"PS DANCE! is awe-inspiring! To see these children receive encouragement and confidence through meaningful storytelling through dance should be an integral part of all learning. As evidenced in this film, dance opens minds and creates leaders, and this is why it's so vital to our education system." - Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre

"There are everyday unseen miracles that occur in our world. DEL unveils the power of the miracle of dance passed from leader to teacher to student to create dance leaders. This film is inspiring! It provides a joyous path to what is possible through dance education. What is wondrous is that DEL exists. What the world needs is this miracle of dance education. We really need this!" - Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Urban Bush Women

"PS DANCE! The Next Generation helps us to understand the importance of Dance. Dance allows for us to express our emotions and increase our awareness of ourselves and others through creative movement, DEL is the light that we need for our children of the next generation!" - Linda Celeste Sims, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

"I absolutely loved PS DANCE! and learned so much from it myself. There are tons of things the DEL program has that I can adapt to my own creative process in storytelling. PS DANCE! showed me that not all kids are the same or learn the same. So when teaching in a way where they can learn what they need to learn but also express themselves in a unique way at the same time is very important for everyone's unique process of learning." - Lil Buck