education

Zephyr’s Philosophy
Creativity is freedom and power. Belief in one’s ability to think creatively and find solutions to problems is an empowering and life-altering characteristic. People of all ages need opportunities to discover and nurture this characteristic. This is Zephyr’s educational philosophy, and through its exceptional arts education programming the company consistently reinforces these values. Zephyr engages students physically in the art of dance, and through the process of developing movement, students engage physically in the experience of learning.

Zephyr’s Experience
Zephyr has been teaching dance in Chicago, nationally and internationally since 1994. Zephyr Dance artists have developed numerous classes, workshops and residencies for early childhood, pre-school, grade school and high school age students, college and university students, as well as underserved populations including, at-risk youth and senior citizens.

Highlights of Zephyr’s renowned teaching history:

• In 2009, and again in 2010, Zephyr recently received national recognition for Zephyr Project M2: Math in Motion through a MetLife Partners in Arts Education Program grant funded by the MetLife Foundation and administered by the National Guild for Community Arts Education. One of 12 organizations nationally to receive such funding in 2010, Zephyr Project M2 epitomizes the Foundation's goal to "improve teaching and learning in the arts and promote exemplary partnerships between community arts education providers and public schools."
• Zephyr Dance received funding in 2009 (for the second year in a row) from the Illinois Arts Council to create and implement a series of assessment training workshops for teaching artists, arts educators and administrators across the state.
• Zephyr Dance was selected by, and received funding from, the Illinois Arts Council to create and facilitate a 2-day workshop based on its model of arts integrated education. The Arts Council’s annual statewide artist training was held in September 2008.
• Zephyr Dance created, and currently teaches, Zephyr Project M2: Math in Motion in partnership with Oscar Mayer Elementary School. Zephyr Project M2 uses dance to teach and enhance students’ understanding of math curriculum in grades 3-8.
• Zephyr Dance launched TAIL (Teaching Arts Integration Laboratory) in fall 2006, an after-school arts program at Audubon Elementary School for grades K-8. Zephyr artists teach dance classes as part of the program designed to integrate Spanish language with elements of dance and visual arts.
• Zephyr Dance has been the Arts Partner in Residence at Holstein Park since 1997. For almost 15 years the company has created and taught multi-disciplinary dance classes for all ages to the West Bucktown community.
• Zephyr Dance has been in partnership with Blaine Elementary School since 2000 teaching arts integrated curricular lessons in music and dance for Blaine’s pre-school program.
• From 1994-2007 Zephyr taught residencies in the Chicago Public School system through the Lakeview Education and Arts Partnership, one of nine Chicago Arts Partnership in Education projects.
• From 2000-2007 Zephyr Dance was a partner organization with Arts at the Center of Teaching and Learning at the Chicago Teacher’s Center of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. During that time the company was one of the organizations that received an Arts Impacting Achievement grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement to document and record its work in Chicago area elementary schools for arts organizations nationwide.