The Science of Dance

Over the past two weeks, Lower School students at St. Mary's have performed their annual Class Day recitals for parents, family, and friends. Audiences have seen costumes, music, and carefully rehearsed dance routines. But according to Lower School Creative Movement Teacher Mary Elizabeth Washburn, the real work started long before the girls learned the choreography.

“What some parents might see is a beautiful dance routine,” Mrs. Washburn said, “but really, there is a science of learning behind it.”

Mrs. Washburn believes movement and learning are connected from the very beginning of life.

“Movement is language,” she said. “It is the first language we all speak.”

Before children can read, write, or even talk, they communicate physically by reaching, pointing, crawling toward what they want, or reacting with their bodies. Mrs. Washburn says creative movement builds on those instincts and helps strengthen language development and readiness for learning.

In class, students move to rhythms, respond to musical changes, and organize movement into sequences and stories. Those exercises support much more than performance skills.

“When students follow the beat of the music, they are demonstrating the same pathways that indicate fluency in reading,” Mrs. Washburn explained. “Feeling the change in dynamics or tempo is the same as recognizing context clues and making inferences when reading a novel.”

She often reminds students that dance tells a story. A routine needs a beginning, middle, and end, just as writing does.

“So we take that language development skill and turn our movement into storytelling,” she said. “The girls become the authors.”

That sense of ownership is important in her classroom. Instead of only memorizing choreography, students are encouraged to make creative choices of their own. Younger students work with more guidance, while older students assume greater responsibility for building dances and presentations.

“By 5th grade, the girls move toward self-creating,” Mrs. Washburn said, “a more student-driven phase with less formal structure that results in completely original products.”

Mrs. Washburn also connects dance class with what students are learning in other subjects. Fourth graders study the United States and the symbols of each state in the classroom. In creative movement, they explore pathways and use the shapes and symbolism in state flags to inspire choreography.

“The dances always turn out beautifully,” she said, “and they walk away with more knowledge about the symbolism of their state.”

To get the students in the right headspace, at the beginning of each class, students participate in BrainDance, a structured warm-up based on developmental movement patterns introduced by educator Anne Green Gilbert. The exercises reinforce coordination, balance, and cross-body movement connected to reading, writing, and spatial thinking.

Mrs. Washburn says even simple movement activities can help students focus and retain information outside the dance studio.

“Try hopping on each letter as you practice spelling words,” she suggested. “Create a dance move for your times tables.”

She also recommends movement breaks before homework or reading time. “Skipping for one minute before sitting to read activates bilateral comprehension and improves focus,” she said.

While ballet technique is part of the curriculum, Mrs. Washburn says creative movement gives students the freedom to express ideas without worrying about perfection.

“Creative movement offers a more inclusive environment with no incorrect answers,” she said. “Creative movement allows the body to tell a story, regardless of whether a student has perfectly straight knees or pointed toes.”

And while the performances are special, Mrs. Washburn says the biggest goal is much simpler than putting on a polished show.

“The girls’ joy is my absolute favorite part,” she said. “In the end, I just want them to love coming to dance class.”