Royal Expressions dance group in Greensboro is receiving a $5,000 grant from the NC Arts Council for a “Dancing Dreamers Program” meant to bring dance to the lives of kids who probably otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to it.

On Monday, Nov. 18, Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet in Greensboro announced that it’s been awarded $5,000 from the NC Arts Council to support the group’s “Dancing Dreamers Curriculum.”

The new program will be aimed largely at dancers from age 9 to 14 with a focus on kids from at-risk environments who ordinarily wouldn’t get the chance to participate in such a program.

The NC Arts Council Artist Residency Grant program supports artists working in schools or after school programs. Johnson and Royal Expressions dancers Jade Donnell will play a big role in the Dancing Dreamers programs at The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs and at Smith Homes. The program, which will start in February 2020, will run for 12 weeks.

This isn’t the first time the dance school has done something similar. In February 2018, Royal Expressions began its first Dancing Dreamers pilot program at the East White Oak Community Center at 1801 Tenth St. in Greensboro.

Johnson said that this program has to do with a lot more than dance.

“Dancing Dreamers is more than just another outreach dance program,” Johnson stated this week in a press release “It is a curriculum that we plan to teach to dance teachers, educators, and mentors through training programs, so that they can then go out and use the curriculum to make a deep impact on their students and the community as a whole.”

The curriculum was developed by Johnson in 2017.

“Dancing Dreamers Curriculum” was put in place to help students “Dare to Dream,” according to the press release.

Princess Johnson stated that learning dance can help the kids in all sorts of ways and performing dance can be just as daunting as pursuing big dreams.

“Princess decided to use dance to help children let go of fear and unlock their potential,” the press release reads. “She does this through 10 modules that use motivational speakers, journaling, dance improvisation, and choreography. Children are motivated to write, speak, and dance their dreams.”

Johnson said she believes dance is a critical part of this process because of the visualization techniques that are used in embodying the kids’ dreams even before they happen. She said she believes that, by dancing their dreams, they can actually feel themselves living them, “thus making what seems impossible, possible.”

Anyone who wants to learn more about Dancing Dreamers should contact Johnson at 336-944-6146 or email her at princess@royalexpressions.org.