Books in Motion
This uniquely creative 10-day in-school program is targeted to 5th grade students in the St. Louis region. Books in Motion promotes collaboration between teachers and artists to design a creative and inspiring curriculum that fosters appreciation for the arts, love for reading, and hands-on experiences that are unique to the needs of each school. MADCO's skilled teaching artists guide students through exercises that explore storytelling through dance, encouraging each student to take ownership of their learning. Students work together with their MADCO teachers to use their ideas in a final production inspired by the Books in Motion book of the year. At the end of the program, students perform for the entire student body, family, and the community alongside MADCO dancers. MADCO also provides schools with a complete study guide including activities, discussion questions, vocabulary, and more!
The 2026-2027 book selection for Books In Motion is Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller.
As we prepare for the 2026-27 school year and our 51st season, we have collaborated with key stakeholders to select the perfect book for our students. Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, a Newbery Honor–recognized middle-grade novel by Chanel Miller, serves as a dynamic anchor text for our program. Featuring a 10-year-old protagonist who runs a “sock detective” agency from her family’s New York City laundromat, the story will immediately resonate with fifth graders navigating friendship, identity, and belonging. Through its engaging mystery structure, students will strengthen critical literacy skills such as inference, prediction, and theme analysis. Simultaneously, the program extends comprehension into embodied learning: students translate character motivation, emotional shifts, and themes of community into choreographed movement phrases, using physical exploration to deepen understanding. This interdisciplinary approach affirms that literacy is not confined to the page; it is felt, interpreted, and understood through the body as well as the mind.
The Modern American Dance Company is honored to bring Books in Motion programming to schools across the St. Louis metro area.
This year, MADCO is proud to serve:
Concord Elementary School (Lindbergh School District)
Conway Elementary School (Ladue School District)
Iveland Elementary School (Ritenour School District)
Kratz Elementary School (Ritenour School District)
Marion Elementary School (Ritenour School District)
Marvin Elementary School (Ritenour School District)
Sappington Elementary School (Lindbergh School District)
Special thank you to our past partner schools: Keysor, Long, and Woodward Elementary Schools.
Books in Motion Programming is made possible with generous public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
For inquiries about Books in Motion, scheduling, or how to help, contact our Education Director Katherine Kennedy at madcodance@gmail.com.
"Once in a while, along comes a program that is above and beyond any expectations you could imagine for a school program. Books in Motion with MADCO is one of those programs."
- Flavia Everman, Executive Director of Warren County Fine Arts