Dance in Missouri
Dance in Missouri
Embedded Files
A Dance Education helps students gain skills that guide them toward success. An education in Dance
Builds Artistic Skills Strength, Flexibility, Emotion, Connections to History, Story and Culture
Cultivates Life skills Responsibility, persistence, communication skills, grit, accountability, collaboration
Enriches the quality of life for all. Promotes physical movement, improves mobility, health and well-being, is fun, engaging, leads to positive social interaction and serves as an outlet for human expression.
Tap to learn more about dance in Missouri schools here
Missouri has a wealth of dance and movement educators. Most serve their students offering instruction that occurs outside of K-12 public schools. According to data from the Arts Education Data Project, Dance courses are only offered in 21 Missouri Schools in 2024.
In comparison, more than 2,000 Missouri schools offer courses in music and visual arts.
More about Dance in Missouri Schools as of Feb. 2025:
Six institutions of higher education offer degree programs in dance.
Dance Education K-12 is a certification area recognized by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE.)
DESE has Missouri Learning Standards in Fine Arts for Dance.
Elements and principles related to dance education occur as a part of the curriculum in many music and physical education classes.
Dance and movement is an integral part of many aspects of school life including marching band auxiliary corp, dance teams, cheer squads, drill teams, step teams, as well as social dance.
Dance, like other art forms, reflect a time, place and culture. Missouri has a wealth of cultural dance traditions who provide dance educational experiences. Examples include Classical and Contemporary Indian Dance, Flamenco, West African Dance, ballroom, circle, round, country, folk, square and more.
MAAE Dance Focused Programming
MAAE- sponsored Dance workshops at the annual MOSHAPE (MO Society for Health and Physical Education) Conference (2022: MADCO; 2023: Summer Beasley and Lieschen Fink - "Brain Dance" and "Rhythm & Blues"and Rock 'n' Roll"; 2024: St. Louis Dancing Classrooms; 2025 "Footsteps to Fitness")
Regional workshops for Music, PE and Classroom Educators
Stewardship of the legacy funds for the Fauman Dance Education Scholarship
Other initiatives to promote and strengthen dance education in Missouri.
Help us unify Missouri's dance community and maintain a statewide presence for Dance Education Advocacy. All are welcome! Any genre. Any Style. Any level of skill or expertise. No membership dues.
Questions: dance@moaae.org.
Help us unify Missouri's dance community and maintain a statewide presence for Dance Education Advocacy. All are welcome! Any genre. Any Style. Any level of skill or expertise. No membership dues.
Questions: dance@moaae.org.
MDO's Fauman Dance Education Scholarship
MDO's Fauman Dance Education Scholarship
Make a designated donation to support the next round of applications!
MAAE is honored to be stewards of the Fauman Scholarship, a legacy gift in honor of Lilo Fauman, the first secretary of the Missouri Dance Organization (dissolved 2024.) This scholarship is designed to support dance education in Missouri.
Tap to learn more
Eligibility: Missouri resident age 18 and over - for learning experiences in Dance taking place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Grant Awards: Range $250-$1,250
What funds can be used for: tuition, travel, living expenses
Timeline: (Round 2)
Application Opens April 1, 2025
Applications Due May 30, 2025
Awards Announced July 1, 2025 for learning experiences in Dance taking place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Previous Fauman Scholarship Recipients
Tap to learn more
A message from Scholarship Recipient - Anna Boehm
"Thank you to the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education in awarding me the Fauman Dance Education Scholarship. This opportunity has allowed me to invest in resources which further my contemporary dance training in order to grow my technique as an artist, and my knowledge as a dancer. I am using this scholarship to fund a subscription to Ground Grooves Tv, an online platform with educational videos and classes pertaining to safe floorwork practices. This is a resource I will use while undertaking my residency at Charlotte Street Foundation, in order to grow my practice, and in turn, will be able to share with other artists and students through teaching."
A message from Scholarship Recipient - Lena Trotier
"I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to continue my education through the Jacob's Pillow CIM Institute. This grant allows me to travel to present my work at the historic festival and receive my certification in The Pillow's community dance education methods, and bring these new skills back to my hometown of St. Louis to share with the community."
Round One - Fall 2024 - Administered by Missouri Dance Organization (awards ranged from $525-$1,250)
Carly Vanderheyden
Olivia Barnard
Logan Guerra
Leia Riehl
Marah Surdyke
A message from Scholarship Recipient - Carly Vanderheyden
"Receiving the Fauman Scholarship allowed me the opportunity to pursue professional development certifications from Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). By earning this certification, I have been able to implement new ideas and exercises into my work as a dance educator at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) both in teaching private lessons and conditioning classes for dancers in the Pre-Professional Division at COCA. The Fauman Scholarship made it financially feasible to pursue opportunities that have otherwise been stuck on my "to-do" list because of budget constraints. Thank you to the Missouri Dance Organization and now Missouri Alliance for Arts Education for making this scholarship for dance educators a priority! Please let me know if you need anything else from me! Thank you again for this opportunity."
A message from Scholarship Recipient - Leia Riehl
"I used this scholarship to help pay my tuition at the St. Louis Dance Theater. This scholarship allowed me to have the opportunity to enhance my technique, grow in artistic expression, learn more about what it means to be a professional dance artist, get involved with the community through various performances and learn from artists with different approaches to movement. I have learned so much about myself as a person and as an artist from this program. This scholarship helped with the financial aspect of being in a rigorous program."
A message from Scholarship Recipient - Logann Guerra
"This grant allowed me to participate in St. Louis Dance Theatre’s trainee program for the 2024–2025 season. Throughout the program, I received training in multiple dance styles and had the opportunity to perform in three main stage productions, as well as two additional productions alongside the main company. This year, I have grown exponentially as a dancer thanks to the support and guidance of St. Louis Dance Theatre. None of this would have been possible without the Faumann Scholarship."
Missouri Dance Committee
NEXT MEETINGS - July 2025 and October 2025
SURVEY LINK
Please complete this 1-min. survey
to help us select the most preferred date/time
Meet the Missouri Dance Education Committee
Tap to learn more
Missouri Dance Education Committee Members
Chair: Alice Bloch - has a dance history EdD from Temple University and a choreographic MA from UCLA. She is a 5th generation Isadora Duncan dancer. Her lecture-performances include Dancing the Supermom: Isadora and Contemporary Models of Motherhood, Dance and American Art, at the Crystal Bridges Museum, and The Physics of Duncan Dance. She teaches Duncan and Move for Your Life/Dance for Your Spirit at Central Studio, St Louis. Professional development/arts integration workshops include How to Dance a Painting, and Dancing the Solar System. She currently serves on the board of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education and Duncan Legacy Project, and is completing a certification in Body/Mind Dancing.
Vice Chair: Abigal Lind - serves as executive director of the Springfield Ballet and her passion for dance and the performing arts is evident in all she does. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Missouri State University. Abigail gained valuable experience in dance and business administration through studio, collegiate and professional experiences from a list that includes places such as Kansas, New York, South Carolina and Dublin, Ireland. In Dublin at the Dance Theatre of Ireland. Abigail brings this more than 15 years of experience with various profit and nonprofit organizations managing logistics, marketing and research and is a leading advocate for current and future dance and ballet students and artists, their families, the patrons, supporters and the community, showing them the difference the art form of dance can make in the world for generations to come!
Alice Bloch
Winston Dynamite Brown
Christina Cody
Melissa Cooper
Amanda Crosby
Kaetlin Davis
Vonntanice Dent
John Devos
Lieschen Fink
Linda Green
Alyssa Jones
Dawn Karlovsky
Prasanna Kasthuri
Anjuli Kroon
Abigail Lind
Andrea Michel
Ashley Miller-Scully
Lydia Moreno
Madeline Morris
Barbara Mustoe
Jennifer Owen
Jade Ransom
Suzanne Ryanstrati
David Shafer
Toinette Evelyn Tamayo
Madeleine "Lena" Trotier
Kimberly Trudell
Jill Tutt
Victoria VanderPlas
Jennifer Winkelman
Jeane Woodward
Note: The term of office for elected leaders of the committee has not been finalized. Current leaders will serve (at least) until July 2026.
Responsibilities of the Committee Chair
Serve as representative to the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) Board of Directors.
Attend/vote three (3) annual meetings of the (MAAE) Board of Directors
August via ZOOM (Saturday am, 10-noon)
January via ZOOM (Saturday am, 10-noon)
June -in-person/hybrid - attend either in-person or via ZOOM (Saturday am, 10-noon 10-2pm)
Attend/vote ten (10) meetings of the MAAE Executive Committee
seven via ZOOM on Sunday evenings 7-8:30pm (in Feb. Mar, April, July, Sept, Oct. Dec.)
two via ZOOM Saturday 9am prior to the MAAE Board meetings in January and August,
in-person/hybrid at a June retreat (Friday-Saturday)
Consult with MAAE Staff to fulfill professional learning goals for Dance
Preside over any meetings of the Missouri Dance Education Committee
Help recruit committee members for work on specific tasks or initiatives.
Responsibilities of the Committee Vice-Chair
Fulfill responsibilities in the absence of the Chair.
MO DANCE EDUCATION COMMITTEE ANNUAL CONVENING - May 15, 2025
About Missouri Dance Committee
Tap to learn more
Purpose:
- Uniting and convening Missouri's dance community, identifying avenues of mutual support.
- Selection of representatives from dance to serve as committee leaders and on MAAE's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
- Establish a structure for administering the Fauman Dance Education Scholarship.
- Providing support for Missouri Dance Education.
- The committee will be convened (virtually) at least once per year.
- Feedback from committee members will be sought in regard to issues believed to be of interest to dance educators.
- The committee may recruit subcommittee members interested in pursuing identified areas of interest. examples may include: a team to administer the Fauman Dance Education Scholarship
Committee Leadership
- A chair and vice-chair will be selected by a vote of the committee membership.
The Missouri Dance Organization Dissolved, MAAE Steps Up
Tap to learn more
Effective December 31, 2025 - The Missouri Dance Organization was dissolved.
The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education is committed to continuing support for Dance Education in Missouri.
A letter from MDO Board member Alice Bloch
The Missouri Dance Organization is evolving and embracing the part of MDO’s mission to provide dance education to Missouri Dancers. Under the aegis of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education for continuing dance education to the Missouri dance community at large through the Fauman Dance Education Scholarship.
Scholarship applications are open to all styles of dance, dancers and dance educators in all genres. Special thanks to the family of MDO’s first secretary, Lilo Fauman, for providing funds to begin this scholarship program.
It has been an honor to serve on the board of Missouri Dance Organization and I look forward to continuing to serve Missouri’s dance community through the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education’s efforts to facilitate the maintenance of this scholarship program.
We welcome your creative submissions of applications. You may access the scholarship application at the link below. We would like to keep this fund alive under the care of MAAE and you can make a designated donation for the next round of applications at https://www.moaae.org/donate. You may also become connected to the Alliance’s work to support dance in Missouri at dance@moaae.org. Together, we will continue to work to help dance education remain strong throughout Missouri.
Sincerely
Alice Bloch, Ed.D
Missouri Dance Organization
Years served 1999 - 2024
Report abuse