Coding Isn’t Just for Boys
danceLogic is a space where creativity lives in arts and science, here young girls have infinite possibilities
West Park Cultural Center offers a unique interdisciplinary STEM program that combines the art of dance and computer coding where teen girls learn industry standard coding through dance called danceLogic. The girls learn the value of focus, dedication, and teamwork, as well as industry standard coding language. This exciting new learning modality exposes urban female youth to the world of computer coding. This amazing program landed these young women on National television with a segment on CBS This Morning last June.
danceLogic was designed to educate, inspire and cultivate teen girls, regardless of their background or financial status, to explore the STEM field in a creative, dynamic and exciting structure.It uses dance to spark an interest in STEM, now and in the future. This necessary 21st Century skill often leads to exciting careers. Only about 25% of people involved in coding are females, and danceLogic is making a considerable dent to ensure a growing minority female footprint in this industry.
This new form of student experiential learning is currently led by dance instructors Cameron Bridges and Kamil Simmons Jones-Blain who team up with coding instructor Franklyn Athias, a VP at Comcast. Students learn the mechanics of dance and coding, using keywords and processes from coding to develop original choreographed performances.
One and a half hours is devoted to dance, where they apply what they learn in coding to numbers, creativity, and steps. The dance class is followed by an hour of coding. Girls who completed basic coding skills last session, now begin at 10:30am on Saturdays with Franklyn learning more advance coding languages. They, in turn, help danceLogic girls who are learning the coding basics.
“The dance is more physical, but it requires the students to try, fail, and try again. Before long, the muscle memory kicks in and the student forgets how hard it was before. Coding is really the same thing. Learning the syntax of coding is not a natural thing. Repetition is what makes you become good at it. After learning the first programming language, the students can learn other programming languages because it becomes much easier.”
West Park is experiencing a growing interest in danceLogic, especially following the appearance on CBS This Morning and coverage in numerous print articles. To advance and grow danceLogic to meet demand, increased funding through individual donors, grants, and sponsorship is needed. The organization maintains a policy to never turn a child away for financial reasons making accessibility a priority.
For more information and registration please visit WestParkCultural.org/program/danceLogic
