After School Dance Class Gets Kids Moving

AFTER SCHOOL DANCE CLASS GETS KIDS MOVING

By: Jane Bornhorst, Our Parish Times, March 2022 Edition

​Every Monday, a group of K-5th grade girls and boys stay after school to dance with the Panthers Dancers at Saint Peter’s School in Olney. “It’s nonstop moving. There’s no sitting down,” laughs Mrs. Cron, middle school language arts teacher and parent at Saint. Peter’s.
The youngsters have a great time and move their bodies, which is the goal, she says. “Some kids aren’t into sports, so I want them to have an outlet where they’re moving and healthy,” she says. “Of course, some of them like both sports and dance!”
Mrs. Cron founded and taught a similar program at St. Jane Frances de Chantal School for 15 years before coming to Saint Peter’s in 2021.
The Panthers stretch using ballet techniques and dance in the pop and jazz styles, with elements of musical theater choreography mixed in. At the end of the eight-week program, the students perform in a showcase for their families, dancing to songs like “Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie and Disney movie favorites.
The dance program is offered every quarter for K-5, and Panther Dancers Pro is available for middle schoolers during part of the year.
Second grader Quinn Burritt loves being a part of the troupe. “We get to stay after school and listen to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and we dance and we laugh,” she says. “Mrs. Cron is really nice and she’s a really good dancer.”
Mrs. Cron says it is one of her favorite parts of teaching. “They’re the cutest kids ever. The class is a ray of sunshine in my week. It’s a really fun way to show your Panther pride.”