The Dance Centre has launched a new, free dance program for Lower Mainland elementary school students as part of its education and outreach initiative The Power of Dance.

The program offers schools a series of six workshops led by professional dance artists. The sessions are available to students in kindergarten through to Grade 7.

The idea is to introduce students to dance and movement, sparking creativity as well as increasing physical activity levels and wellness.

Last spring, two pilot workshops took place at Florence Nightingale Elementary School and Charles Dickens Elementary School in Vancouver. They were led by OURO Collective, known for its unique meld of hip-hop, street dance, and contemporary dance.

The Dance Centre’s Power of Dance program already includes workshops for immigrant and refugee youth, as well as high-school students.

The elementary-schools program has been made possible via a donation from the Charles and Eve Chang Foundation. Eve Chang, a member of the Dance Centre’s Board of Directors, said in a press statement today: “I wanted to support this program because I have personally experienced and witnessed how magical dance and movement can be as a creative, non-verbal outlet for young children. They feel confident to express themselves in a non-threatening form that allows for the emotional release of feelings that perhaps they didn’t know they had inside. When this happens, they become open to learn, feel and grow as individuals.”