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<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; Dance became customized in a whole new way this week for students in the SHINE after-school program. When instructor Dominique Ridley sat with tykes in the entrance hallway at Greater Nanticoke Area High School, she choreographed some moves by asking the youngsters what their gesture would be.</p><p>So the groove ran something like: chin on fist, slap toward the rug, wave at the floor, and snap those fingers.</p><p>Then they stood up, and Ridley asked: &#8220;All right, ready for some cardio?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s cardio?&#8221; several students, grades three through five, asked.</p><p>Ridley is offering an &#8220;Introduction to Dance/Movement&#8221; at five elementary centers that host SHINE, short for Schools and Homes In Education. Launched in Luzerne County in 2015, SHINE is funded through private and public contributions. It focuses on STEAM &#8212; Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math &#8212;and this is clearly the &#8220;arts&#8221; part.</p><p>Or is it?</p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s talk about shapes,&#8221; Ridley said. She demonstrated how standing upright is &#8220;straight&#8221;; bending the torso creates a &#8220;curve&#8221;; putting both arms up and out in the opposite direction is &#8220;symmetrical&#8221;; and having one arm this way and the other somewhere entirely different is &#8220;asymmetrical.&#8221;</p><p>The words may have been puzzling to some, but the joy of moving was clearly innate, and most of the children happily romped back and forth, wiggled, writhed and generally &#8220;locomotored,&#8221; occassionally freezing still at Ridley&#8217;s direction.</p><p>She also threw in a little math, having the youngsters count to eight several times, clapping hands at a different number each round, beginning at one and going up.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s dance 101,&#8221; Ridley said after the nearly one-hour lesson disguised as fun. &#8220;They learn about body, space, time, and distance.&#8221;</p><p>The program runs four days, and will be at Hanover Area&#8217;s Lee Park Elementary next week.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dance educator Dominique Ridley, center, instructs elementary students at Greater Nanticoke Area High School during a Schools and Homes In Education (SHINE) after-school program this week. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_Nanticoke-SHINE-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dance educator Dominique Ridley, center, instructs elementary students at Greater Nanticoke Area High School during a Schools and Homes In Education (SHINE) after-school program this week. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_Nanticoke-SHINE-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elementary students in the SHINE after-school program groove to music during an &#8216;Elements of Dance&#8217; session led by Dominique Ridley at Greater Nanticoke Area High School this week. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_Nanticoke-SHINE-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Elementary students in the SHINE after-school program groove to music during an &#8216;Elements of Dance&#8217; session led by Dominique Ridley at Greater Nanticoke Area High School this week. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

After-school students get to ‘SHINE’ through dance program