OUR IMPACT
WHY THE WORK WE DO IS IMPORTANT
CULTIVATES KEY
BEHAVIORAL SKILLS
10 WEEKS TO
STRONG NEURAL
CONNECTIVITY
DEVELOPS SOCIAL
& COLLABORATIVE
SKILLS + RELATIONSHIPS
CONTRIBUTES
TO AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
Right now, students are facing obstacles to their success in school and in life. School and community leaders need creative ways to support their students’ well-being so that they are ready to learn, grow, and thrive.
IMPACT BY
THE NUMBERS
Each year, we ask the Teachers and Principals that we partner with to tell us how we did. Surveys measuring changes in students’ attitudes, relationship skills, knowledge, physical coordination/agility, cultural knowledge/awareness and general enjoyment are distributed to all school partners. Results from these surveys demonstrate the profound positive impact that the DMSTL program has on students.
​
100% of collaborating teachers and school staff reported their students LIKED participating in the DMSTL program, with 87% saying their students LIKED IT A LOT.
​
98% of collaborating teachers and school staff reported their students TALKED about their DMSTL residency experiences in/out of the classroom.
​
87% of collaborating teachers and school staff reported that the DMSTL program helped their students overcome social anxieties and improved their confidence and self-esteem.
​
92% of collaborating teachers and school staff observed improvements in students’ etiquette/social skills and cooperation/teamwork skills as a result of the DMSTL program.
​
83% of collaborating teachers and school staff reported that the DMSTL program increased students’ awareness of other cultures.
​
94% of collaborating teachers and school staff reported that the DMSTL program increased students’ physical coordination, bodily awareness, and agility.
TEACHER TESTIMONIALS
“Saint Gabriel the Archangel is always so excited to be able to participate in Dance Moves STL. It is such a community builder to be able to invite parents and relatives to see the students perform. It also gives students a chance to meet students from other schools. The students learn social skills and practice respectful interactions with others. It makes a person’s heart smile to see how proud the students are of their performance, too. Sometimes it is a shy student that blossoms in the dance and has all her/his classmates cheering for them. The look on the student’s face is priceless. I highly recommend Dance Moves STL for any school.”
​
- Deborah DaLay, Coordinator of Religious Education, St. Gabriel the Archangel School
ZACH SMELCER
​
PE TEACHER
HICKEY ELEMENTARY
“It was inspiring to see our scholars overcome anxiety and fear around their perceptions of dance. When they performed in front of our school you could see their hard work had paid off. They were confident in demonstrating what they’d learned. All while creating lasting memories with their classmates.”
TODD FAULKNER
PE TEACHER
WALBRIDGE ELEMENTARY
“In my 24 years of teaching, I’ve seen a number of outside programs implemented during my class, but none have had as great of success as Dance Moves STL.”
BILL WAMSER
MUSIC TEACHER
BUDER ELEMENTARY
“In my 20 years as a Music Teacher with St. Louis Public Schools, I have rarely seen or experienced a program that has so profoundly impacted so many young people in such a positive way.”
HEAR WHAT
TEACHERS HAVE
TO SAY
HEAR WHAT
STUDENTS HAVE
TO SAY
LETTERS FROM DMSTL ALUM
“Hey Dance Moves STL! This is a bit random, but I was in your program at St. Margaret of Scotland school YEARS ago and just wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude for everything that you do. Laura was our instructor back in 2017 and she coached our school to Gold Level and the Colors of the Rainbow Team Match finals (still proud of that). I loved working with her in the program. I had no prior dance experience and never danced competitively. Almost a decade later, I’m a freshman at Rice University and I just finished my first competition with the Rice Ballroom team last weekend (and medaled in six of my events!!) All this to say, you all are doing amazing work and it’s still impacting your students years later. Thanks for everything, and yes, I still make sure my arms are crispy chicken wings ;)”
- Ava
“I thought that Dance Moves STL was going to be embarrassing, hard, gross, and weird. I thought it was going to be annoying so whenever someone said ‘dance time’ I would be not happy and in a bad mood for it. But, it turns out that it’s actually fun and embarrassing. It’s also active and cool, still a bit weird, but also good for me. The teacher is kind, gentle, joyful, patient, and loving!”
- BRIDGET
“Dance Moves STL helps us grow. We have to help each other and we end up learning more about each other. Teamwork is better than being by yourself, and dancing with people can be awkward but two people make it better.”
- BRAYDEN