BRIEF HISTORY & OVERVIEWMark DeGarmo & Dancers/Dynamic Forms Inc. (MDDF) has, since 1987, established itself as an arts education institute committed to making dance and the arts a permanent part of an improved public education system. Through its Schools Partnership Program: Comprehensive Arts Education in Art, Dance, & Creativity, MDDF aims to change lives by working through the arts and dance with underserved and at-risk students in New York City's public schools. MDDF develops, implements, and sustains comprehensive yearlong and multiyear interdisciplinary arts education partnership programs for all members of various NYC public school communities. The excellence, innovation and effectiveness of MDDF's Schools Partnership Programs has been recognized by public and private support from The Center for Arts Education, The Dana Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York Foundation for the Arts, and New York State Council on the Arts.
MDDF currently provides direct instruction during the regular school day for 2,025 students and their classroom and certified arts teachers. Through annual Parents as Arts Partners programs MDDF offers adult and family education programs that integrate dance with literacy and other areas of the school curricula. MDDF's programs provide dance skills-based; arts-integrated (interdisciplinary); and aesthetic education (reflection, analysis, and interpretation) teaching and learning. In some schools, MDDF is an arts partner-in-residence for up to 32 weeks per year. MDDF serves over 12,000 individuals annually through its Schools Partnership Program. EDUCATIONAL MISSION & PURPOSE
MDDF's educational mission is to provide a comprehensive arts education and transform the lives of students, teachers, and their school communities through the arts and dance.
Educational Vision
MDDF's educational vision is to inspire social responsibility through the arts and dance.
Philosophy Supporting MDDF's Activities
The arts and dance release the imagination, freeing the individual to recognize and become who s/he is.
Core Values
We believe that:
- Access to the arts and dance in public education is a basic human right.
- Equity and access to multidimensional excellence through public education are principles promoted by broad and deep engagement with arts and dance education.
- Research shows that the arts and dance help level the playing field for learners who are considered underserved and at-risk by increasing self-esteem and motivation.
- Different learning styles require different teaching approaches, including arts and dance-based methodologies.
SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
MDDF's Schools Partnership Program connects and promotes:
- Skills-based arts and dance teaching and learning
- Creativity and creative process studies
- Interdisciplinary dance and arts (music, theater, and visual arts) teaching and learning integrated with other curricular areas (such as, English language arts, social studies, math, science, technology, health and physical education)
- Aesthetic education exploration of imagination, observation, reflection, analysis, and interpretation
- Reflective self-assessment by the individual learner of her/his learning style, challenges, and accomplishments.
Each Schools Partnership Program includes:
- regular meetings with steering committee and project team
- arts instruction as part of the core curriculum
- co-development and co-teaching of curricula with certified classroom and arts teachers
- open classroom and auditorium events, sharings, and performances to celebrate the active learning of all learners
- professional development for partnership teachers, administrators, and staff, including paraprofessionals, social workers, guidance counselors, psychologists, and therapists
- multiple opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate as active observers and learners
- collaborative assessment and evaluation.