November 8, 2023
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
Jamie Noon began dancing at the age of 3, but taking classes during the school day wasn’t an option for her.
It is for the students she teaches at Blackman High.
Blackman is home to one of three dance programs offered by Rutherford County Schools, with Thurman Francis Arts Academy and Smyrna High being the two others.
“Dance was the place I could always leave whatever I was dealing with at the door,” said Noon, in her second year of teaching dance at the school. “I want it to be the same for them, to have a break to let out whatever they are feeling.”
BHS offers two classes as part of its fine arts curriculum. Dance I starts with overall technical training, with much of the first quarter focused on flexibility and safety. Students are trained in several styles, including Broadway, ballet and lyrical.
“I try to give them a little taste of everything,” Noon said. “Dance II builds on Dance I. It’s a little more advanced moves. Performance is turned up and technique is a little higher.”
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, Dance I students prepared for a filmed performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
“I centered it around the dance curriculum with the technical history and the background. A lot of my students are interested in hip hop dance, so we talked about MJ and his moves, what steps they recognize from dances today,” Noon said. “They picked it apart and learned the terms.”
Some of the dance students have taken dance lessons for years and some simply wanted to try something new this year.Sophomore Brooklyn Bennett worked with Noon on the “Shrek” musical last year and said there’s one thing she noticed soon after classes began in August.
“You do have to be selective with your music and moves dancing in class,” Bennett said.
Grace Laney, also a sophomore, has been dancing since age 2 as her mother has a dance studio. Though her background is in ballet, she’s enjoyed the class so far this year.
“Dancing in class during the day is a little more interactive,” Laney said.
As Noon gave instructors to dancers on stage, about a dozen or students from Johnathan Sutton’s Audio Visual Production II class were placing microphones on the stage and setting up cameras. The dance class was unable to have a fall show, but parents wanted to see the final product.
“It was a cool collaboration,” Noon said.
Sutton said his students are capturing school events such as the homecoming parade and annual variety show. Filming “Thriller,” he said, got them especially excited.
“They want to show off what they’ve been doing, too. Kids all over school have been buzzing about it,” Sutton said, adding that the final version was broadcast on monitors throughout the school.
The state standards tied to K-12 dance courses are designed to focus on positive self-expression and self-confidence, productive communication, teamwork and collaboration. Students are also expected to self-assess rehearsals or performances.
To self-assess, Noon’s students use their hands to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10.
“My facial expressions were not the best,” one student answered.
“I just messed up all those steps,” another responded.
Noon acknowledged the responses and gave positive feedback on what she saw from the floor of the auditorium.
“Now let’s do it again like the real thing,” she instructed.
See the final version of the performance below.