PS 46, Edward C. Blum School, Fort-Greene, Brooklyn, District 35

Susanna Reich, José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limon: An illustrated historical timeline project

Visit 1: May 11, 2010
Visit 2: May 18, 2010
Visit 3: May 25, 2010

During a unit of study on Mexico, a third grade class read José! Born to Dance by Susanna Reich. José! chronicles the inspiring life story of choreographer Jose Limon. Jose was born in Mexico but immigrated to Los Angeles during the Mexican Revolution. Students in the class, many of whom are immigrants could identify with Jose’s experiences. During his first years in the US, Jose struggled to learn the language and culture and was made fun of at school. He worked in a factory and as janitor before he discovered dance while at a concert in New York City. He studied dance for 11 years and later became a world famous choreographer with his own dance company.

Author Susana Reich visited the class to lead a writing and research workshop. In groups, the students chose the main events in Jose’s life and also in Mexican and US history. The next week, Behind the Book teaching artist Barbara Korein led the students in creating an immense timeline. Students used their math skills to figure out how to space events on the timeline appropriately and planned the layout of their writing. Because the paper for the timeline stretched from one end of the room to the other, students were able to work on different sections of the timeline at the same time. Sprawled across the floor and with the help of several volunteers, the students’ study of Mexican history and of Jose Limon’s life was captured in a larger than life timeline, which was hung for all to see across the entire back wall of the classroom.

Now the time had come to bring history to life. A week after Ms. Korein’s visit, students waited anxiously in the school gym for the arrival of one of the dancers from the Jose Limon Dance Company. Kurt Douglass, recently back from a trip to China, wowed the students with stories of his dance tours around the world, pictures of the company’s performances, and a live performance of one of Jose’s choreographies. After watching Kurt’s performance, even the boys were itching to dance. Kurt led the class in a dance workshop, where he taught the steps in the choreography he performed, and then encouraged students to choreograph and perform their own dance sequences. Over the course of the program, the students went from historians to writers to dancers to choreographers- what a ride!

Susanna Reich smiles as she helps students with their work.		Third grade students sit with their teacher as they work on their study of Mexican history.
One boy tests out a molinillo, a wooden whisk used to whip hot chocolate, which José's grandmother used to make for him when he was a child.		Students hard at work constructing their timeline.
Students look up from their research to smile for the camera.		Four students concentrate on utilizing their writing skills to the fullest.

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