| Schools on Centerstage
Southeast Middle School -- Richland County School District One
The dance program at Southeast Middle School has been in place since the school first opened in 1999. Established to ease overcrowding at nearby Hopkins Middle and Webber schools in Richland School District One, Southeast Middle School was planned and built to accommodate fine arts programs, including a well-appointed dance studio and performance space. Initially created as a part-time job, the dance position at the school increased to full-time within one month after the opening of the school in response to student demand for dance. Student enrollment in the dance classes has remained strong throughout the years, and the program currently serves 115 boys and girls.
The students explore all genres of dance including ballet, modern, jazz, and tap, taught by teacher Emily Maness. The school also has brought in an artist-in-residence to facilitate classes in swing dance. Through this residency, the students were able to correlate learning the style of dance with the history that they had studied. At Southeast Middle School, dance history is taught from the beginning of Court Dance to the post-modern era. Students also learn about how their bodies work and how to take care of them. Students also have the opportunity to create their own choreography, as well as perform original dances.
The dance program produces two main stage performances each school year. For the first four years, dancers participated in a Winter Gala featuring all the school’s performing arts programs in which they have performed excerpts from the character suite of "The Nutcracker." This December the Advanced Drama and Advanced Dance classes will combine to create "A Musical Revue," funded by a “Partners in Education” grant written by the drama and dance teachers. Through this grant project and culminating performance, students will study all aspects of musical theatre and will have an integral part in designing the set, costumes, lighting, directing, and choreography for the show. Dance students also will participate in their first character ballet - "Peter and the Wolf" - this year. The spring concerts at the school have reflected various themes and have featured original choreography including ballet, modern, jazz, and tap pieces.
For the first four years, Southeast Middle School operated on an A/B block schedule in which classes met for an hour and a half every other day throughout the school year. Now in its fifth year, the school has adopted a traditional schedule: dance classes will continue to be year long, and the students will attend dance everyday for a forty-five minute period. Dance teacher Emily Maness is “anxious to see the benefits of this schedule.”
Originally from Winchester, Virginia, Maness obtained a BA in Dance with a minor in Business Administration from Virginia Intermont College in 1992. After graduation she married and returned to VIC to teach evening dance classes and continue her studies. She performed with the Virginia Intermont Dance Company for four years and was invited back several times as a guest performer. After relocating to Columbia, SC, she was hired to develop the dance program at Southeast Middle School. Building the dance program has been a rewarding experience for Maness: “Last year I was able to see my kids progress as I watched two of my dancers earn a Superior (rating) for original student choreography at our District Dance Festival. I am extremely proud of where our program began and where we are going.”
Many thanks to Emily Maness for submitting this article about Southeast Middle School.
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