Implementing the National Dance Education Standards
Fran Anthony Meyer, PhD, CHES,is an educational consultant in Fredericksburg, Virginia. For 19 years she taught dance, health, and physical education to students from preschool through eighth grade as well as to students of various ages with disabilities. She worked with teachers to plan and implement elementary and middle school arts programs. Meyer worked with the local schools and parks and recreation department to establish FREDANCO (boys’ and girls’ performing companies). Meyer has served as a curriculum writer and a frequent workshop and in-service facilitator at the local, state, national, and international levels; as the founder and director of a state children’s dance festival; and as dance editor for theVirginia Journal. As a consultant to the Virginia Department of Education, Meyer served on task forces to develop state standards, write dance curriculum and assessment items for grades K through 12, and develop lessons for talented and gifted students in dance. She served as a planning team member and workshop facilitator for the Virginia Fine Arts Leadership Conference for 10 years as well as an adjudicator for the Governor’s Schools for Arts Education and the Virginia Fine Arts Scholarship Awards. Meyer served as dance vice-president and later as president of the Southern District AAHPERD and as president of National Dance Association (NDA), and she is currently NDA’s representative to the AAHPERD Board of Governors. Meyer has received numerous awards, including the VAHPERD Honor and Pioneer Awards, the Distinguished Service to the Community Award from Virginia Commonwealth University, Leaders Who Make a Difference Award from Longwood University, the NASPE Distinguished Leadership in Physical Education Award, and the NDA Presidential Citation Award. Meyer also is recognized as a fellow in the North American Society for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance. National Dance Associationis an association of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and is the leading not-for-profit organization of professional educators addressing crucial issues in dance education. NDA strives to cultivate and promote excellence in dance programming. As a part of these initiatives, NDA conducts workshops and conferences across the United States, advocates for quality dance programs at all levels, and publishes state-of-the-art materials. NDA services also reach international markets: Some publications are translated into four languages. Association membership includes professionals in a variety of dance disciplines and at all educational levels as well as students in higher education. During its long history, NDA has served as a resource for federal and state agencies and arts and education organizations. The National Endowment for the Arts, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Capezio BalletMakers, the United States Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities have supported NDA projects.