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Professional Outreach Program
in the Schools (POPS)

Sponsored by the
Utah State Office of Education

The cultural richness of the state of Utah allows valuable educational opportunities in the arts and sciences for students and teachers. These instructional services are driven by the core curriculum and assume the familiar forms of in-service for teachers, workshops for students and teachers, educator modeling, peer tutoring with teachers, integration of the arts and sciences, performances, and enhanced arts/science instruction and applications. Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company provides opportunities for students to develop and use the knowledge, skills, and appreciation contained in the core curriculum. For more information about POPS please visit the Utah State Office of Education website.

View Ririe-Woodbury's 2009-2010 POPS Annual Report


Step Lively

Dance Education has always been a cornerstone of Ririe-Woodbury’s mission. Each year, the Company’s outreach programs enliven over 35,000 students, teachers and parents with a range of activities including performances, lecture demonstrations, creative movement classes, special population workshops, teacher in-service training and parent-child workshops.

Step Lively is a statewide movement education residency program specifically designed to assist classroom teachers in the implementation and fulfillment of the program objectives of the Utah Dance Core Curriculum. Open to all Utah school districts, grades K-12, Step Lively encourages students to experience, explore, create, perform, observe, critique, and become aesthetically literate. The engagement of mind/body/spirit that dance education encourages, celebrates individual differences and the importance of a community.

Free in-depth, two-week elementary school residency programs are available that consist of company performances, teaching, support for teachers, a parent/child night, and a student performance. Participating schools attend the annual children's matinee. Residencies are geographically limited to the Wasatch Front and require an application process.

For compelling examples of arts programs, resources, and discussions that can support and animate teaching and learning, please visit www.arts4learning.org

RWDC ARTWorks for Kids/POPS Rural Tour 2010-2011

Date Districts
October 4-13, 2010 Millard, Wayne
October 18-29, 2010 Canyons, Davis, Granite, Jordan, Salt Lake
February 1-5, 2011 Provo
February 7-12, 2011 Duchesne

At each of these sites the Company will present a public performance, lecture demonstrations in the schools, parent/child nights and a Sorenson-sponsored Teacher Workshop for all interested teachers in the districts.

For more information email Gigi at:


Step UP

Step UP, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s high school program, offers a pre-professional dance education for exceptional high school dancers that are ready to take a “step up,” and push themselves further both technically and creatively. Students from all over Utah meet two Saturdays and one Thursday a month for classes in modern technique, composition, improvisation, contemporary, jazz, and repertory.

The program allows students who want to pursue dance in college, and possibly as career, the opportunity to work one-on-one with an RWDC dancer and receive a hands-on experience in the world of a professional dance company.

Step UP is by audition only at the beginning of the Season and requires a $50 commitment fee. Step UP dancers receive discount tickets to all RWDC performances, and can sometimes watch rehearsals or volunteer during performances. They are a main attraction at the Cabaret of Fools fundraiser held in early spring, and also perform in a showcase of their own at the end of the Season. If you are ready to take your dancing to new levels and work with other outstanding students from high schools around the state, then Step UP is the program for you.

Auditions for the 2010/2011 Season will be announced shortly. Original auditions were postponed due to a conflict.

For more information email Caine at:

Step Out

Ririe-Woodbury dancers work with high school dance classes or companies to create original choreography. This is an exciting opportunity to work hands-on with professional dancers.

For more information email Shirley at:

Step, Hop, Jump

September 27-October 1, 2010: Creative movement classes for children K-4 at the Dual Immersion Academy (1155 Glendale Avenue). Ririe-Woodbury will teach a one-week daily workshop from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. $25 for the week (scholarships available).

For more information email Gigi at: