A Kern Dance Alliance program is using choreography and live performance to help children connect with books, and the results are adding up after 10 years.
Books in Motion is a free summer literacy program presented by Kern Dance Alliance in partnership with the Kern County Library. Designed primarily for kindergarten through third-grade students, the program brings children's books to life through live dance performances, allowing young readers to hear a story, watch it acted out through choreography, learn the movements themselves and take home a free copy of the featured book. Organizers say the program is designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading while helping children stay engaged with literacy during the summer months.
This year marks the program's 10th anniversary, with dozens of performances taking place at libraries and summer school sites across Kern County.
During the July 22 event at Wilson Library, Liberty High School's Spirit Team performed "I Got the School Spirit," encouraging children to interact with the story through movement before participating in a dance lesson, craft activity and free book giveaway.
The program comes as literacy challenges persist across California. Andrea Hansen, a program organizer, pointed to a stark statistic driving the effort.
"We know that in the state of California, one in four third-graders are either not at reading level or they simply cannot read. Books in Motion is all about inspiring children to read through the arts… We're seeing children who have never heard the title before answer our Common Core questions with 100% accuracy," Hansen said.
Organizers say combining movement with storytelling gives children another way to connect with what they are reading, especially those who learn best through hands-on experiences.
Evelyn Dodder, a dancer on Liberty High School's Spirit Team who performed at the event, said the approach helps children stay engaged throughout the story.
"A lot of kids might have a hard time focusing or just tracking along through the whole book, so when there's movements and breaks in between, it's a lot easier to focus and pick up on all the information," Dodder said.
Callie Jenkins, a board member for Kern Dance Alliance, said the connection between movement and memory is central to the program's design.
"We believe that movement creates creativity, and when you introduce dance to a book, it makes the cognitive brain — part of your brain — learn and remember it more. So it's just something fun with something that maybe isn't as fun, and then it makes reading more fun," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said the program has grown steadily since it launched, with families returning year after year.
"Every time I come to one of the shows, it's bigger than last year and bigger than the year before. And it's just so fun that we have a ton of repeat families that come over and over again to just come and get their book and learn and read and dance," Jenkins said.
She added that the program's reach extends beyond literacy.
"I just believe that the more you give back to your community, the more that the community will give back to you. Even if it's not even about the book and it's not about the craft — if they just had a place to come today that has air conditioning and a smiling face to say hello to, then that's all that matters to me," Jenkins said.
The impact is also being felt at home. Neri, father of the Urbina family said the program has sparked a new enthusiasm for reading.
"She's not reading yet, but she's starting with the ABCs, and now she's calling out all the time, 'Dad, let's read a book.' So that is good for me," the parent said.
Kern Dance Alliance says Books in Motion has now reached more than 25,000 children across the Central Valley. The program continues through August 1 with free performances at libraries across the county.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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