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Mount Vernon High School senior Kimberly Castaneda Gonzalez entered dance looking for a way to express herself. Four years later, the International Baccalaureate Dance program has influenced her academic interests, college plans and ambition to help children who have experienced abuse.

IB Dance goes beyond learning and performing routines. Students research historical and cultural dance traditions, analyze movement and create original choreography while completing writing and critical-thinking work comparable to other IB courses.

That combination helped Kimberly see a connection between movement and psychology. She plans to major in psychology and hopes to become a therapist serving children who have endured abuse.

While exploring therapeutic methods, Kimberly learned about Fairfax SafeSpot Children’s Advocacy Center, where art can help young clients communicate their emotions. She completed an internship with the organization and began considering how dance might complement activities such as painting.

Kimberly said dance gave her an outlet for feelings and events in her own life. Movement, she believes, could similarly help children convey experiences that are difficult to describe with words.

Her dance teacher, Eboni Jones, has watched Kimberly’s confidence grow throughout high school. Jones recalled that Kimberly was shy as a freshman but became one of the program’s leading dancers by her senior year.

Jones said the IB curriculum brings higher-level thinking into subjects students already care about. In dance, that includes comparative and cultural studies as well as careful analysis.

The studio also gives students practice in collaboration, conflict resolution, independence and meeting deadlines. Jones said those skills become more meaningful when students develop them through work they enjoy.

For Kimberly, the benefits reached beyond dance. She credits the program with helping her manage social anxiety following the pandemic, express herself more openly and gain confidence in her other classes.

As college approaches, Kimberly hopes to continue studying both psychology and dance. Her goal is to combine them in ways that give children another means of communicating and healing.