K-5 Dance
In dance class, we always do our B.E.S.T. The four big ideas in dance are Body, Energy, Space, and Time. We practice these big ideas in our warm-up, including stretching, strength exercises, and isolation of different body parts. We focus on them when we move safely through space, exploring movement and working together to create dances for our shows. We discover that the more control we have of our bodies, the more fun we have. Dance can be an exhilarating experience, releasing endorphins and adrenaline that help us all feel better. It can be mentally challenging as well, with the demands of connecting to the music, recognizing and remembering patterns, and always working together to meet our goals. 
 
Middle School Dance
The goal of middle school dance is to encourage the students to explore personal embodiment through movement. The class is designed using Creative Movement dance in education concepts and structure. Class begins with a conditioning warmup that focuses the student inward on how the body is feeling and functioning. Next, class takes the movement focus to the general space of the classroom to integrate the individual’s movement into the shared general space of the group. The remaining time is spent on choreography and performance preparation. Middle school students are expected to participate in two performances; Fall Fest, and Holiday Fest. Performance pieces rely heavily upon students’ choreographic input. Giving each student an opportunity to create and share his/her unique movement style and composition.

Elementary Drama Program
In this enrichment, students K-5 become familiar with the basic elements of theater: voice, imagination, body, ensemble, and story. All students play theater games that strengthen mental & physical focus. They create small works of theater in partners and small groups to strengthen collaboration & storytelling skills. Grades 2-5 experience rehearsing and performing a skit in front of the entire Carden community in either the Fall fest Assembly or Holiday Show. Later in the year, students contribute their creative ideas to help create an original Earth Day Assembly. All activities help develop student imagination and creative confidence.

Middle School Theater Arts
In this enrichment, middle school students review and deepen their understanding of the basic elements of theater: voice, imagination, body, ensemble, and story. Some grades perform written skits, others devise and perform original theater pieces. Depending on the interests of the students, the class may focus more on practicing public speaking skills rather than dramatization. All students continue to play theater games that strengthen collaboration skills as well as mental and physical focus. In the second half of the year, focus switches to the middle school play. All students choose to be either an actor, backstage crew, and/or creator of props & set pieces for the play. This final production has multiple performances and is open to the general public to attend. All activities help develop student creativity, confidence, and understanding of theater as an art form.