The Arts Meet STEM

At DancExcel, creativity doesn’t stop at the dance floor. Through movement, design, music, storytelling, and hands-on exploration, students develop the curiosity, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills that prepare them for success in school and in life.

Children sitting on a wooden floor making a project with cardboard and paper, one girl with glasses and two others are taking pictures or recording videos with smartphones.

Powered by Research. Designed for Children.

Our programs are informed by nationally recognized work in education, creativity, and embodied learning.

Our founder, Dr. Dionne Champion, is a nationally recognized leader in arts and STEM education research and has spent more than twenty years studying how movement and the arts in community-based out-of-school settings support learning across science, engineering, math, and technology, and increase belonging and well-being. Those ideas don’t stay in university classrooms. They become engaging experiences for children here in Gary.

Icon of a graduation cap inside a purple circle.

Research. Practice. Impact

What we learn through research we use to create meaningful, joyful learning experiences for our students.

A colorful infographic listing five principles: Embodied Learning, Culturally Sustaining, Creative Problem Solving, Community Connected, and Equity Driven, each with an icon and separated by a vertical line.