Performing Arts Programs (formerly Cultural Arts/Visual and Performing Arts)

Meadows Performing Arts program provides 10-week dance & performing arts workshops to grades K-5 and is inspired by MBUSD districtwide initiatives. Each grade level workshop culminates with a performance where students demonstrate mastery of specific skills for parents and teachers. Workshops are taught by professional teaching artists and each grade is taught a different art form linked to their curriculum.

This program supports a long-standing Manhattan Beach Unified School District objective that all elementary school students be exposed to dance and theater disciplines which align with the CA State VAPA standards. Performing arts education also supports the mission of Meadows Elementary School by enriching students' educational experiences and encouraging connections between the arts, culture and academics.

Learning by experiencing movement, music, performance and visual storytelling brings classroom teaching to life and begins to lay the foundation for understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity, history and individual expression.

Meadows Performing Arts Program Workshops 2022-2023

Kindergarten: Theater

Objective: To introduce theatrical/musical terms, encourage performance voices.

Grade 1: Pantomime

Objective: To learn effective non-verbal communication and storytelling techniques through pantomime.

Grade 2: Irish Dance

Objective: To learn, practice, and perform Irish dance and learn about the culture and history of Ireland.

Grade 3: Bollywood

Objective: The possibility in learning Bollywood dance allows for the implementation of energetic self-expression, while developing skills that are building blocks of all movement and dance activities, such as proper alignment, patterns, tempo, and spatial awareness.

Grade 4: Breakdance

Objective: To learn the dance traditions of a (relatively) modern free-form dance style in a unique and engaging way, and explore the potential creativity and collaboration inherent in the genre.

Grade 5: Urban Contemporary Dance

Objective: To make connections between West African dance forms and Hip Hop, and learn rhythm, history and storytelling. To offer self-conscious, adolescent students an opportunity to express themselves in a constructive, healthy and artistic way.

The Meadows Performing Arts program is part of a rich arts program at Meadows Elementary School that includes:

• Performing Arts Workshops
• Young at Art (YAA)
• Choral Music (1st & 2nd Grade)
• Music (Band & String Instruments) & Choral Music (3rd, 4th and 5th grade)

Over their history, these workshops have been made possible by generous grants from Los Angeles County Supervisors Don Knabe and Janice Hahn, together with our Meadows Elementary School PTA and the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF).