English Students Learn How to Read—With Dance
by Hilary Hersh
After students in my English 7-1 finished reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, they brought one scene from the book to life with the help of the dance and drama departments. Dance instructor Lance Martin and drama teacher John Viscardi directed the students in a dance re-enactment of the rumble scene in which the two gangs—the Greasers and the Socials—settle scores. Martin and Viscardi guided the students through various movements in sync with music from the fight scene in West Side Story.
After students in my English 7-1 finished reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, they brought one scene from the book to life with the help of the dance and drama departments. Dance instructor Lance Martin and drama teacher John Viscardi directed the students in a dance re-enactment of the rumble scene in which the two gangs—the Greasers and the Socials—settle scores. Martin and Viscardi guided the students through various movements in sync with music from the fight scene in West Side Story.
During the class, held in the dance studio, students were able to experience the tension in the encounter as they circled, crouched, lunged, and shouted to simulate the clash. It was a great lesson that literature can literally leap off the page.
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