Sign them up to dance the Silk Road this summer! Announcing Sahara Dance’s first-ever youth program: Kids World Dance!

Students will travel the world through music and dances from North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Asia.

Classes are offered on Wednesdays and Sundays in Tenleytown for two age groups: 6-8 years old and 9-12 years old.

This play-based class focuses on fun, creativity, and enjoying various cultural dances from the Silk Road. Designed as a perfect introduction for kids new to a formal dance setting, or dancers who have practiced other styles but would enjoy traveling to new lands through movement and music.

Children will learn:

• Cultural dances
• Kinesthetic skills
• Self confidence
• Spatial awareness
• Creative movement
• World rhythms & music
• All while dancing with props from around the globe

Similar to our adult classes, the youth program classes will be available as a 16-week series, or two 8-week sessions. This flexible schedule makes it easier for families with pre-planned vacations or other activities on the calendar. Classes follow the same class structure each week to provide young children a solid routine:

Class Structure:

• Etiquette Refresher + Follow the Leader (5 min)
• Stretch + Creative Movement (5 min)
• History Lesson/Video + Q&A (5 min)
• Movement Technique (10 min)
• Combination + Application to Music (10 min)
• Freestyle Song (3 min)
• Cool Down + Grounding Meditation (5 min)

Teacher Spotlight:

Sophianna will greet each student with her radiant smile and warm energy! Her love of dance comes primarily from her own Greek heritage. Her dance experience began informally from a young age at cultural festivals, birthday parties, and celebrations held by local churches, family, and friends.

Her earliest memories of family celebrations include her father lifting her up to dance on the chairs and tables while everyone sang and clapped along. Sophianna aims to create a safe space similar to the one she grew up with so that Kids World Dance students feel supported in experimenting with movement and self-expression!

Course Schedule:

We’ve outlined the full-term schedule below so you can get a sense of what will be covered each week, including any props. Feel free to share this with any interested little ones to help build their excitement leading up to class each week!

As a reminder, classes are also available in 8 week sessions. Classes will be held in-person at our Tenleytown studio located at 4433 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016.

Week 1-4: East Asia 

• Weeks 1+2: Dunhuang Chinese Ribbon Dance – Prop: Ribbon Streamers
• Weeks 3+4: Nihon Buyo Japanese Fan Dance – Prop: Dance Fans

Week 5-8: South Asia (Bhangra + Bollywood)

• Weeks 5+6: Bhangra Punjabi Dance
• Weeks 7+8: Bollywood Mumbai/Fusion Dance

Week 9-12: Middle East 

• Weeks 9+10: Raqs Sharqi Egyptian Dance – Props: Hip scarf
• Weeks 11+12: Veil Egyptian/Fusion Dance – Props: Veil

Weeks 13-14: Eurasia + Europe 

• Karsilamas Greek+Turkish Line Dance – Prop: None (hand holding- optional)
• Zeibekiko Greek+Turkish Eagle Dance – Prop: Plastic cup

Week 15-16: Review Day

• Review Day; Reviewing what we learned, freestyling with props, and dance party!

It is an honor to expand our loving, joyful community to include young children, and we look forward to celebrating our little ones’ creativity over the course of the summer. Please join us in spreading the word about Kids World Dance, whether on social media (Facebook, Instagram), by word of mouth, or by registering the little ones in your life!