My name is Debra Elias (she/her) and I am so excited to teach your students this year! Together we’ll explore theatre and dance from around the world – Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. (including Native American) – with a special emphasis on the diverse cultures of our GAP community including Mexican, Hmong, Karen, and Ethiopian. We will create characters and scenes from folktales and traditional stories, study and learn traditional dances, and create new works inspired by them. Every week students will create, perform, respond, and connect, which are the Artistic Processes outlined by the Minnesota State Arts Standards. We will be working on Artistic Foundations, which include the elements of Character, Plot, Setting, Voice, and Movement for Theatre, and Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy for Dance. We will spend half of our time focused on Dance and half on Drama.

Why Dance and Drama?

Dance and Drama use children’s natural sense of play and movement to provide opportunities for experiential learning and self-expression. I believe dance can help children better understand and control their bodies, leading to better self-regulation and more successful learning across subjects. Theatre has a powerful link to literacy and oral language development. Through Dance and Drama students develop creativity, problem solving, risk taking, and critical thinking skills. Plus, it's fun and brings students joy!

Visiting the Dance-Drama Room

Families are welcome to visit our classroom! Fridays are often a great day to visit because students in grades 2-4 share what they’ve created that week in class. The schedule below shows the class time for each grade level. Check with me or with your student’s classroom teacher to see whether it’s your student’s week for Dance-Drama. Or better yet, ask your student! Students are often eager to share.

Volunteering in the Dance-Drama Room

Do you have a cultural tradition you’d be willing to share with our students, such as dance or story telling? One of my goals is to make connections to students’ own experiences, home cultures, and home languages. Your skills and knowledge could help! You don’t need to be a professional. Please contact me if you have an interest in sharing, and we can find the right fit for your gifts.

Contact me

Please contact me any time with questions, concerns, or ideas. I look forward to working with your student this year!