Wingman for Dance inspires empathy, compassion, kindness and most importantly, acceptance of all children regardless of any perceived differences. Each month in the studio we will be incorporating Wingman for Dance activities within all of our dance  classes. This month we were excited to create our “Us Lists” in the dance studio!

November’s Wingman Week: The US List

During November, each dance class created an “Us List”. Our staff expressed to the dancers that their attitude and behavior will determine the type of dance year they will have here at our dance studio. Each dance class created their own unique list of behaviors and boundaries. These ideas were things that the dancers will work on in order to make our dance classes more accepting, supportive and inclusive and ultimately more successful.

Our dancers were posed questions like….

“What kind of dancers do you like to take class with?”

“What characteristics do we value in our very best friends?”

We were blown-away by the thoughtfulness of our dancers. From our tiny Twirling Tulips to our Senior students. All of our dancers had meaningful contributions to their Us Lists.

Some of the great contributions to the Us List included:

  • Share our Space
  • Keep each other safe
  • Speak kindly to one another
  • Respect the space
  • Be on time
  • Have a growth mindset
  • Be kind
  • Stay focused in class
  • Practice our dance moves at home
  • Share our dancing with our friends and families

Our Us Lists covered our whole shoe room wall! It was a great experience being able to enter the studio and be able to see all of the great ideas and contributions of our students.

Parents and dancers even got together to discuss some of the things that they had written down on their Us Lists and kept the conversation going past the dance studio. We were so excited to see this kind of involvement from our Footprints Family!

How Can Parents Help?

The Wingman for Dance core values emphasize the following and are great topics of discussion at home. Ask your dancers what real actions they think represent the five Core Values below:

Winning isn’t everything

Include everyone

Never shut someone down

Go above and beyond

Step up and take the lead

 

What is Wingman for Dance?

Wingman for Dance is a program from Dylan’s Wings of Change, a foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan Hockley. Dylan was one of the first grade victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Dylan was six years old and had autism. He could be his best when those around him would be his Wingman. You can find out more at www.wingmanleague.org. Also, find Wingman for Dance on Facebook and on Instagram.