High School Dance Educator

High School Dance Teacher

Position Type:
Full-Time

Location:

Waltham High School

Position Overview

Waltham Public Schools is seeking a dynamic, creative, and student-centered High School Dance Teacher to join the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Waltham High School. The successful candidate will provide standards-based dance instruction that centers creative movement, student voice, storytelling, collaboration, cultural expression, and personal artistic growth.

This position is designed for an educator who understands dance as a powerful form of communication, identity, and creative expression. The ideal candidate will support students in using movement to tell stories about themselves, their communities, their experiences, and the world around them. This is a creative arts education program, not a studio-based dance program focused only on technique or performance.

While students should develop foundational movement skills, body awareness, choreographic tools, and performance confidence, the heart of the program is helping students create, interpret, reflect, and express meaning through dance.

The ideal candidate is an enthusiastic, collaborative, and equity-oriented educator who is excited to work with a diverse high school student population, including students with disabilities and English Learners. The teacher will help build a welcoming dance classroom where students of all experience levels can participate fully, take creative risks, develop confidence, and see their identities and stories reflected in the work.

Responsibilities

* Plan and deliver engaging, standards-based dance instruction for high school students.

* Teach creative movement, choreography, improvisation, body awareness, movement vocabulary, performance skills, and reflection.

* Support students in using dance and movement to express personal stories, cultural experiences, identity, community, and social themes.

* Create a positive, inclusive, and well-managed classroom environment where students feel safe taking creative risks.

* Design learning experiences that prioritize student voice, choice, collaboration, and original movement creation.

* Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students with a wide range of dance experience, learning needs, language backgrounds, and comfort levels with movement.

* Teach foundational dance concepts across a variety of styles, traditions, and movement practices while maintaining a focus on creative expression rather than studio-style replication.

* Guide students through the creative process, including brainstorming, movement exploration, revision, rehearsal, performance, feedback, and reflection.

* Assess student progress using performance-based, process-based, and reflective measures.

* Help students develop confidence, creativity, collaboration, communication, body awareness, and artistic decision-making skills.

* Build opportunities for students to connect dance with other art forms, academic content areas, personal narratives, and community experiences.

* Collaborate with colleagues in the Fine and Performing Arts Department and across Waltham High School.

* Support school performances, showcases, interdisciplinary projects, and community arts opportunities as appropriate.

* Maintain instructional materials, music resources, movement space, and classroom expectations that support a safe and respectful learning environment.

* Align instruction with the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks and department expectations.

* Communicate clearly and professionally with students, families, colleagues, and administrators.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in Dance Education, Dance, Performing Arts, Theatre/Dance, Movement Studies, Arts Education, or a related field.

* Valid Massachusetts teaching license in Dance, All Levels, or appropriate related licensure.

* SEI Endorsement, or the ability to obtain the endorsement.

* Demonstrated knowledge of standards-based dance instruction and the creative process.

* Strong understanding of student-centered teaching, culturally responsive practice, and inclusive arts education.

* Ability to teach students with varied dance backgrounds, including students…