At the West Park Cultural Center on a recent Saturday morning, a group of teenage girls moved through a choreography they had created together, counting beats and recalibrating when one dancer missed a step. Later they traded music for screens, applying the same discipline to writing and testing lines of code.
Blending movement and technology
The program, known as danceLogic, pairs structured dance training with introductory computer science lessons in an effort to expand access to technology careers for girls — particularly girls of color — from communities including Camden, Cherry Hill and Trenton. The course runs from October through June and is hosted at the West Park Cultural Center in West Philadelphia.
Franklyn Athias, who co-founded danceLogic in 2018, said the two classrooms are not as different as they might appear.
“Dancing is learning steps and practicing repetition. Coding is basically the same way. It’s learning the functions, learning the syntax and repetition.”
Since its inception, the program has reached more than 150 young women, according to program leaders. Students participating in a typical session spend roughly 90 minutes on dance and about 75 minutes on coding.
Goals beyond technical skills
Organizers emphasize that success isn’t measured strictly by how many participants ultimately enter technology careers. Instead, danceLogic aims to nurture a suite of transferable skills — creative problem solving, collaboration, discipline and the ability to iterate through mistakes — that connect movement practice with computational thinking.
Betty Lindley, executive director of the West Park Cultural Center and co-founder of the course, said bringing the two practices together helps students see patterns and processes in both physical and digital spaces. The program grew out of a free Saturday coding class Athias taught at Second Antioch Baptist Church before the West Park collaboration.
Program at-a-glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Ages served | 13–18 |
| Season | October–June |
| Weekly format | 90 minutes dance, 75 minutes coding |
| Participants to date | 150+ |
Local reach and implications for New Jersey youth
While the classes take place in Philadelphia, danceLogic explicitly aims to reach girls from neighboring New Jersey cities, including Camden and Cherry Hill. That cross-border participation speaks to a wider regional demand for after-school and weekend programs that combine arts enrichment with STEM exposure.
Program leaders say the hybrid model can help demystify technology for students who may not otherwise see themselves in tech fields. By grounding abstract coding concepts in embodied, creative practice, danceLogic leaders hope to lower barriers and create alternative pathways into tech-related education and careers.
- Confidence building: Repetition and group performance strengthen self-assurance.
- Problem solving: Debugging code mirrors refining choreography.
- Collaboration: Ensemble work fosters teamwork and communication skills valued in both arts and tech.
How communities can engage
For families in New Jersey interested in programs that blend arts and technology, danceLogic provides a model for what cross-disciplinary youth education can look like. The program’s leaders emphasize steady skill development over quick credentialing — a focus that may appeal to community organizations and funders seeking long-term outcomes.
As communities across the Delaware River continue to seek ways to expand equitable access to STEM learning, hybrid programs like danceLogic could influence how after-school programming is designed and funded — especially in areas where transportation and resources limit students’ options.
Organizers say they are watching for ways to deepen partnerships with local schools and community groups to increase capacity and reach. For girls from Camden, Cherry Hill and other New Jersey towns, the combination of dance and coding offers a distinctive route to skills that matter in classrooms and the workforce.
— Rohan Iyer, State Correspondent
