According to the latest findings in brain research, dance is not an elite add-on to education, but an essential tool for cognitive, social and emotional learning. As babies move through the movement patterns of infancy, their brains "light up"-- they engage, explore and play, and in these simple moments, they build the neural connections of a lifetime. Toddlers and preschoolers also learn from movement exploration. They shape their social skills, teeter off-balance, recover, and reorganize their body awareness, their emerging sense of self.

Rachael Carnes, Executive Director and Founder of Sparkplug Dance, will tell us what tools we can use to define, explore and create best practices in dance education for students. She'll also describe the social and emotional benefits of an arts-based learning program and how the arts affect the community and culture of a school. We'll hear about new ideas in education.

Come learn the Brain Dance, and experience what little kids already know: Dance feels good!

This program was coordinated by Pat Skipper.

Douglas Beauchamp, Executive Director of Lane Arts Council, will ask the first question.