Last Tuesday and Wednesday, all the 2nd graders at PS 321 performed in a Dance Informance, an informal presentation of what the kids have been learning in Karen Curlee’s fabulous dance classes.

At my daughter’s Informance, Curlee explained what the kids had been up to. In coordination with the children’s study of cities – in social studies and art – the children choreographed their own "Cityscape" dances. Each child created two kinds of movement: axil and locomotion and used these movements again and again to create an exuberant and improvisatory piece.

The music was an infectious, highly rhythmic track that made you want to get up and dance. Parents with video cameras were standing in the aisles while those seated clapped along and BEAMED.

CUT TO: One week later…

Today, the 3rd and 5th graders at all New York City public elementary schools are taking a crucial standardized test, which can determine academic promotion. This is all part of Mayor Bloomberg’s big revamping of the  New York Public Schools. Until the next election, these kids are caught in this administrations sometimes mis-guided attempt to "improve" a troubled system.

I can’t help thinking that what went on last Tuesday during the Informance was so much more wholesome and REVEALING about the nature of our kids than what they are being forced to do today: becoming statistical specimens in the Department of Education’s effort to categorize and stigmatize children.

Curlee is, in my opinion, a real hero of the New York City public school system.  As a dance staff developer, she trains academic teachers how to use dance to teach core curriculum. She works in approximately 25-30 schools a year, offering training that can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the school