Colorado Arts Standards

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Dance - State Standards

“The truest expression of a people is in its dances…Bodies never lie.” ~Agnes De Mille

“Dance is the only art in which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.” ~Ted Shawn

Dance as art represents creative self-expression through the medium of human movement. The essence of dance is to feel, create, compose, interpret, perform, and respond. Dance is the physical expression of an idea developed through a process of research, inquiry, and movement discovery. (To read more click here.)

Drama and Theatre Arts - State Standards

“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.” --Oscar Wilde

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“Too often, we glimpse the outlines of a scene and fail to notice the details that fill it in, making it truly interesting and unique.” --Eric Booth

Theatre Arts are Important to Life and Learning.

Theatre arts are a universal force in the everyday life of people around the world. This force connects each new generation to those who have gone before. Students need theatre arts to make these connections and to express the otherwise inexpressible. Theatre, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways children learn about life – about actions and consequences, customs and beliefs, and others and themselves. (To read more click here.)

Music - State Standards

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ~ Victor Hugo

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“Music is the art of thinking with sounds." ~ Jules Combarieu

By implementing a structured and standards-based music education, students continue the generational conversation and become fluent in the language of music as a manner of artistic, intellectual, and cultural expression. The acts of performing, creating and responding to music provide a means for development and growth in the ability to express the otherwise inexpressible and to facilitate growth in many areas of academic development. (To read more click here.)

Visual Arts - State Standards

“Technical skills can be learned by almost anyone who has the determination to pursue it, but innovative ideas and the ability to express them come from some place beyond the material world.” --Carole Ann Borges

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“Art exists in the space between nature and significance.” --Levi Strauss

Exploration of visual arts and design processes is about invention, creation, and innovation. Building on the development of ideas through a process of inquiry, discovery, and research leads to the creation of works of art, and, whether using traditional materials or the latest technologies, prepares students to be independent, lifelong learners. Participation in the visual arts provides students with unique experiences and skills that develop important traits for success in the 21st century workforce. Studying art and design involves inquiry, posing and solving problems, perseverance, re-purposing, taking risks, and persuading and inspiring. (To read more click here.)