Taylor Hawkins: Dance is Essential to Childhood Education
Taylor Hawkins on stage with member of the CMI Kidz dance group
Growing up in the nation’s capital, Taylor Hawkins lacked access to the one thing that would shape her life: dance. “My family did not have the time, flexibility, or finances to enroll me in formal classes.”
Now an accomplished D.C.-based dancer and Company Director of CMI Kidz for Capitol Movement, Hawkins’ story is one of many. Millions of students, across the country, remain excluded from dance and creative movement programs, especially those from low-to-moderate income communities.
Educating the Whole Child
Dance being taught alongside math, English, and science shouldn’t be something that remains highly controversial, one of its biggest champions, Sir Ken Robinson, along with Lou Aronica, argues that dance is essential to “the equity of educating the whole child” in “Why dance is just as important as math in school.” The article builds upon the 2006 TEDtalk “Do schools kill creativity?” featuring the personal journey of British dancer and choreographer Gillian Lynnn, who discovered that movement unlocked her creative and intellectual potential.
A growing body of evidence has established that creative movement leads to stronger academic performance, including higher test scores and GPAs. Dance helps strengthen students’ adaptability. Dance education research shows integrating movement-based activities within K-12 reading and language arts classes significantly improved students’ skill levels and test scores.
For Hawkins, becoming an apprentice dancer under the guidance of the founding members of Capitol Movement — a non-profit performing arts group in Washington, DC offering no-cost programs—transformed her. “[The experience] completely shaped my character as a young woman. I learned how to be a good student and later how to navigate college admissions and job interviews.”
Squeeze Your Seat: Promoting Student Wellbeing
Dance is a positive disruptor to promote physical, mental, and social wellbeing for students of all ages. It requires youth to connect with and live in their own bodies, synchronizing movement with music — and with each other. Weekly classes and workshops foster physical health, social awareness, and coping skills, while performances instill self-confidence and perseverance.
At Payne Elementary School in southeast DC, instructors Vihky Smith, Ebony Tuzon, and Leila Stehlik-Barry engage more than 120 students, from Pre-K to second grade, in weekly after-school dance instruction. Our Pre-K students often experience great joy in mastering new poses, such as learning the relevé (i.e. on the tippy toes). "Squeeze your seat," they chanted in unison to celebrate the accomplishment.
In fact, the greatest benefits of dance may be intangible and, therefore, unquantifiable. Hawkins sees her CMI Kidz company dancers — ages 5-12— grow through practice, persistence, and teamwork. From season to season, they develop relationships with instructors and choreographers from DC, New York City, and Los Angeles, and gain visibility within the dance world. Students realize they are capable of accomplishing anything they want and also receive the support they need to “apply pressure” to achieve their goals.
Centering Youth Voice for Justice
Founded by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ dancers, Capitol Movement’s unique approach to creative movement centers a racial and social justice ethos. We use dance as a universal expression to tell authentic community stories transcending linguistic, cultural, and multi-generational divides.
Therefore, our programs not only expand students’ understanding of the social justice issues impacting their own lives, but integrate youth voices directly into the process of creating justice-driven performance art. One-on-one mentorship by professional and apprentice dancers plays a key role to uplift the voice of the youth.
First commissioned 17 years ago with choreographer Eddie Garcia, the piece “Listen,” gives space for youth to confront gun violence in US schools. With no end in sight to the violence, CMI Kidz re-staged the piece for Capitol Movement’s first post-pandemic concert, “Awakened,” in March 2022.
Apprentice-level dancers — ages 11-17 — from the CMI GenerationNext company served as “buddies” and mentors training together to bring their vision for a better world to life. Our CMI Kidz dancers stepped out of their comfort zone, accepted a new challenge, and when necessary asked for help from their peers and mentors.
The relationships cultivated and nurtured inside the studio and on the stage are a source of lasting support, Hawkins shared. “After 10 years away this homecoming feels unbelievably special, I was immediately welcomed back by my Capitol Movement family and the genuine care and community reminds me that this will always be home.”
