Dance
Expressive Movement
Explore the art of movement with creativity and intellectual rigor. Dive into dance traditions and cultures from around the world, from historical perspectives to contemporary innovations, and gain a deep understanding of dance as a multifaceted art form. Emphasizing both individual expression and collaborative exploration, you will create original dance works, participate in group and solo performances, and enrich their understanding of global cultural perspectives. Ultimately, the program nurtures not only technical proficiency but also a profound appreciation for the transformative power of dance.
Meet Your Teacher
Gracianna (Gracie) Coscia-Collins '09
Gracianna (Gracie) Coscia-Collins is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in the greater Philadelphia area. With her BFA in Dance from Temple University she has worked with artists such as Merion Ramirez, Francis Germillion, Rebecca Weber, Megan Mizanty, Scott McPheeters, and Tiffany Mills Dance Company, in their summer intensive and residency. While at Temple University Gracianna studied with Dr. Teresa Benzwie, teaching academic lessons through movement. She received the Teresa Benzwie Dance in Education Award in 2012. Gracianna also holds a 200hr yoga certification, completed in 2016. She has worked with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers as their education manager from 2016-2020, ZoomDance in Philadelphia as a teacher/administrator from 2013-2017 and was co-founder of CoAction Dance Collective, a Philadelphia-based dance company that ran from 2014-2018. Gracianna began working at George School in 2020.
Throughout her career Gracianna, has been influenced by mindfulness practices, much of which is part of her work and teaching cultivating embodied mindfulness. She hopes to build confidence in students while giving them an outlet to express themselves. She is most passionate about teaching students tools to create their own work.
Dance Courses
ARP050A: Tap Dance
This class is intended to improve rhythm and musicality for students learning and/or developing tap technique.
ARP110A: Dance Studies
The study of dance is expressive human movement that unites the physical with the intellectual and the emotional with the spiritual. It utilizes the body as a means of communication and has the power to unify people across boundaries of language, culture and other divisionary lines.
ARP110F: Advanced Dance Studies & Performance
This course is a continuation of the first core sequence in dance studies. Students continue to expand their dance repertoire with the addition of a performance element.
ARP117Y: IB Dance / ARP117Z: IB HL Dance
Students work both individually and in collaboration to experience the creative process as a way of learning to transform ideas into action through intellectual curiosity and creative thinking. The IB Dance curriculum is designed to help students come to appreciate the value and importance of researching, creating, preparing and presenting, and critically reflecting as modes of learning and communicating.
ARP120A: Dance and the Choreographic Process
In this course, students apply the creative process to choreography to produce their own dance work, beginning with an exploration of the steps taken during the creative journey. These include choosing, investigating, and exploring a topic, solving problems, refining ideas, and creating a final product.
ARP760A: Dance Eclectic Performance Preparation
This performance-preparatory class works toward the final production of the Term 5 Advanced Performance Ensemble mod. Dance Eclectic, a Term 5 performance course. Working in smaller groups within the company choreography, students devise and practice individualized dances and choreography. Students also assist with costuming, rehearsal directing, lighting concepts, and stage design as they work collaboratively with the Artistic Director/teacher to plan for the final production.