Every savage can dance
The Danbury News-Times reports that New Fairfield High School students are learning about Pride and Prejudice in a novel way: ballroom dance lessons at their local Arthur Murray Dance Studio.
The students in the advanced placement English literature course at New Fairfield High School were in class, but Friday it took place in Danbury at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Main Street.
Teacher Patti Lee-Muratori thought a lesson in the formal etiquette of ballroom dancing would help the students understand society in the book they were reading, “Pride and Prejudice.”
The verdict?
The dance class worked.
“Dancing was the only time the men and women could be together physically in that time. Dancing today made me realize how distanced they were from each other,” said 17-year-old Birgit Leimer. “Today we all hug everyone. It’s not a big deal. But now I can see the relationships of the men and women from the 1800s.”
Mrs. Lee-Muratori summed up the why the novel can be difficult for students to “get”:
“They didn’t understand class distinctions or the gender roles since nowadays the girls call the shots,” Lee-Muratori said. “I wanted them to experience the boys leading and the women following without an argument.”
She also enforced a “no slouching” rule while she taught about the novel, had the students write and perform modernized scenes from the book, and spoke to the boys about the difficulties of initiating relationship with girls without the help of email and text messages.
Brava, Mrs. Lee-Muratori!
