On March 15, hip-hop dancer Marcus Chen spent the day at Prospect Elementary in Dayton, Ohio, teaching fourth and fifth graders that confidence can be built one eight-count at a time.
The visit came at a critical moment for the school's physical education programming. Like many Ohio elementary schools, Prospect has struggled to keep students engaged in movement-based activities post-pandemic. Chen, who has taught in K-12 classrooms across the Midwest for eight years, was invited by music teacher Denise Hartwell after a parent recommendation.
From Hesitation to the Spotlight
Chen ran three sessions in the school cafeteria, each lasting 45 minutes. He started with basic footwork sequences, then moved into popping and locking techniques. By the final rotation, students who had hung back against the walls were volunteering to demonstrate freezes in front of their classmates.
The turning point came during the second session, when Chen called 10-year-old Aaliyah Johnson to the front to demonstrate a shoulder pop she had been practicing quietly in the back row.
"I didn't think I was good enough," Johnson said afterward. "But he told me I had the rhythm already—I just had to believe it. Everybody cheered. I want to keep doing this."
Hartwell, who watched from the side of the room, said the atmosphere shifted noticeably as the day progressed.
"Marcus didn't just teach steps. He created a space where mistakes were part of the process," Hartwell said. "You could see kids relaxing into their bodies in a way I haven't seen during regular gym class."
More Than Movement
Chen structured each session around what he calls "the cypher rule": when one dancer performs in the center, everyone else supports them. He applied the same principle when a student stumbled through a sequence, prompting the room to clap the beat louder rather than laugh.
The approach resonated with students like fifth grader Diego Morales, who said he had never considered dance before because he thought it "wasn't for boys."
"He showed us videos of male dancers doing competitions. It looks hard, but he made it feel like something I could actually try," Morales said.
Background and What's Next
Chen, 34, trained at the Chicago Hip-Hop Theater Festival and now runs a small studio in Dayton's Oregon District. He has developed a six-week residency curriculum for schools and has previously worked with districts in Cincinnati and Columbus. Prospect marked his first full-day visit in the Dayton area.
The school is already building on the momentum. Hartwell confirmed that Chen will return in April for a six-week after-school dance club, open to third through fifth graders. Twenty-three students signed up within 48 hours of the announcement—nearly double the capacity Hartwell had anticipated.
Prospect Elementary is now fundraising for portable sound equipment and a mirrored panel system to support the club and future movement programming.
"One day can't change everything," Chen said. "But if a kid leaves remembering what it felt like to be cheered for instead of judged, that's the lesson that sticks."
