About Berkshire Pulse
Our Mission:
"Berkshire Pulse is dedicated to building and strengthening community life through diverse and accessible programming in performing and creative arts. By promoting the participation in these vital educational activities we enrich the lives of families and individuals of all ages."
Founded in 2003 by dance educator and choreographer Bettina Montano, Berkshire Pulse is a dance and creative arts education center in Housatonic, MA. Berkshire Pulse offers an interdisciplinary dance program, World Music, and Theater Arts classes for individuals of all ages in the Berkshires and surrounding region.
A well-rounded dance curriculum for children ages 4-18 offers year round instruction in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip-hop, and African. Weekly classes and workshops provide programming for teens and adults in Flamenco, Step, Swing, Afro-Caribbean, Ballet, Choreography, NIA, Modern, Scottish Country, Latin, Ballroom, Yoga and more.
Our faculty consists of seasoned professionals, many with conservatory training, as well as graduate and postgraduate degrees in their respective fields. Our faculty members have experienced professional careers as ballet soloists, and have performed and taught throughout the United States, Europe, Africa and South America.
Berkshire Pulse has accomplished much in its short existence.
- The number of on-site classes has grown from 25 weekly in 2003 to 35 classes currently.
- Our students are culturally and economically diverse and live in a tri-state area that includes Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Columbia County, New York, and Litchfield County, Connecticut.
- Of our current enrollment of 150 children, 15% are boys.
- Our school residency programs have offered dance to approximately 1,000 pre-K through 12th grade students in five public schools between 2006 and 2008.
- Inter-disciplinary summer dance intensives expose students and the community at large to dynamic, experiential workshops led by visiting artists.
- Revenue generated from annual student concerts support a tuition assistance fund that grants full and partial scholarships to approximately 30 families annually.
Berkshire Pulse nurtures the joy of dancing at every level with instruction that simultaneously teaches the highest standards for dance technical skills. Instruction also encourages individuals to discover their own unique body language and freedom of expression.
Berkshire Pulse operates from these core values:
- All children are natural dancers and deserve the opportunity to benefit from formal dance instruction.
- A student's awareness and mastery of his or her own body is critical to healthy psychological and social development.
- Dance awakens and gives expression to kinesthetic intelligence. Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is equal in importance to the traditionally emphasized linguistic or logical-mathematical domains.
- The immediacy of dance as a physical, mental and social experience is a powerful educational device.
- Participating in dance and performing arts education demands self-discipline, respect for others, group collaboration and appreciation for diversity; valuable skills that serve students throughout their lives.