Winter Classes: January 27 - March 17, 2026
Spring Classes: March 24 - May 26, 2026
Full Session: January 27 - May 26, 2026
Dance Exchange / Takoma, Park, MD
Ages 13+ / Dress to Move
No Experience Needed!
Led by Ingrid Zimmer, Executive Director of Dumbarton Arts & Education, and Jessica Phillips-Silver, PhD, RYT, Music Neuroscience Scholar, Consultant, and Artistic Creator.
This experiential workshop explores the science of the brain–gut connection and its role in shaping our deepest emotional experiences—from fear and anger to joy, longing, and calm. Participants will learn how neural circuits linking the brain and digestive system influence emotional processing, and how intentional movement and sound can cultivate and refine these pathways.
Drawing inspiration from Isadora Duncan’s expressive movement motifs set to the emotionally rich music, the presenters blend neuroscience, music, and dance to translate theory into embodied practice. Participants will engage in guided movement experiences—moving individually and collectively to process emotions such as fear and anger, transition into joy, and ultimately arrive at states of calm and regulation.
Through discussion and movement-based exploration, this workshop demonstrates how music and movement can be powerful tools for emotional awareness, regulation, and resilience. Participants will leave with practical, embodied strategies they can adapt to support emotional learning and well-being. No prior dance experience required.
Participants will:
Understand the role of the brain–gut neural pathway in processing strong emotions
Experience how music and movement influence emotional regulation
Explore movement strategies for processing fear, anger, joy, and calm
Gain practical tools for using rhythm and movement to support emotional well-being
When: Saturday Feb 21, 2026; 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM
Where: Silver Spring Library, 900 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD. 3rd Floor, meeting rooms 1&2. Parking across the street. Metro and bus accessible.
In-person sign-up: HERE
Zoom: $10 (20% discount on groups of 5 or more). Virtual sign-up: HERE
Admission: Pay what you can HERE or upon arrival using PayPal link or cash.
Nancy Hensler, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, and Cynthia Word, M.F.A., invite you to engage body, mind, and spirit in exploring strategies that build resilience and transform our relationship with losses of all kinds.
In this workshop we will:
Observe how grief and loss show up in our bodies
Learn strategies for coping with loss
Experience the transformation of loss through movement
When: Saturday Dec 13, 2025; 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM
Where: Silver Spring Library, 900 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD. 3rd Floor, meeting rooms 1&2. Parking across the street. Metro and bus accessible.
In-person sign-up: HERE
Admission: Pay what you can HERE or upon arrival using PayPal link or cash.
Zoom: $10 (20% discount on groups of 5 or more). Virtual sign-up: HERE
Photo Credit: August Rodin
Join Leanne Belasco, MS, LPMT, MT-BC, Director of Music Therapy at Levine Music, and Cynthia Word, MFA, Director of Word Dance Theater in an exhilarating and interactive session exploring music and movement as powerful tools for addressing a variety of healthcare and educational goals.
You will experience simple but effective activities to:
Promote physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing for yourself and others.
Manage stress.
Become more in tune with emotions and learn healthy ways to express them
When: Saturday Nov 8, 2025; 11:00 AM to 12:45PM
Where: Silver Spring Library, 900 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD. 3rd Floor, meeting rooms 1&2. Parking across the street. Metro and bus accessible.
In-person sign-up: HERE
Admission: Pay what you can HERE or upon arrival using PayPal link or cash.
Zoom: $10 (20% discount on groups of 5 or more). Virtual sign-up: HERE
Join Word Dance Theater at the iconic Spanish Ballroom in Glen Echo Park for a delightful celebration of summer. Enjoy uplifting dances and beautiful music, all within the elegance of this historic venue. Make it a full day and bring the kids and take a spin on the famous Dentzel carousel!
September 20, 2025
3:00PM
Glen Echo Park | Glen Echo, MD
General admission: $20 Children under 18: $10
Buy Tickets HERE
Where: Dance Exchange - 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Class Time: 6:00–7:15 PM (No class on 11/25)
Instructors: Cynthia Word & Guest Artists
Tuition: $260 for a 13-week session Register HERE (Note: you can only purchase this at the beginning of the session.)
Drop-In Rate: $25 per class Register HERE
Private Lessons with Cynthia: $80 per hour
June summer classes have been canceled.
Join us for our annual Spring Community Celebration, featuring new works by Word Dance Theater company members alongside classic spring dances by Isadora Duncan.
Where: Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD
Get tickets HERE
Experience nature-inspired, dynamic movement and explore Noyes Rhythm as a method to cultivate resilience and strengthen our collective ability to adapt to change. Led by Meg Brooker, Professor of Dance and Director of the School of Performing and Visual Arts at The University of Southern Mississippi.
When: Saturday April 26, 2025; 11:00 AM to 12:45PM
Where: Silver Spring Library, 900 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD. 3rd Floor, meeting rooms 1&2. Parking across the street. Metro and bus accessible.
Free Admission: open to ages 13+.
Bring a friend and don’t miss this incredible event!
Register HERE
For more information contact: cynthia@worddance.org
Experience how Beauty can transform our perspectives and nourish our capacity for empathy.
Join Mary Hall Surface, teaching artist, playwright, and museum educator, and Cynthia Word, Director, Word Dance Theater, in a heart-opening workshop in which participants engage with a moving work of art through close looking, reflective writing, and sharing.
WHEN: FEBRUARY 8, 2025; 11:00 AM TO 12:45 PM
WHERE: SILVER SPRING LIBRARY, 900 WAYNE AVE, 3RD FLOOR, MEETINGS ROOMS 1 AND 2.
COST: FREE!
Register HERE
Word Dance Theater, in collaboration with The National Portrait Gallery and Villa Albertine, proudly presents Brilliant Exile: Isadora Duncan in Paris. Experience an unforgettable evening featuring dance masterpieces choreographed by Isadora Duncan, vibrantly brought to life by award-winning Word Dance Theater and internationally acclaimed Isadora Duncan International Institute. Join us for an evening of spell-binding and timeless Duncan dances accompanied live by masterful pianist Carlos Cesar Rodriquez.
Join us in an interactive workshop designed to combat chronic stress patterns and to enhance your sense of wellness through art and movement.
SAT, OCT 19th (11a-12:45pm)
Silver Spring Library
3rd Flr / Mtg Rms I&II
Ages 18+ / Dress to Move
FREE Event! No Experience Needed!
FRI, SEP 27 (7p-9p) $100 in Person / $50 via Zoom
SAT, SEP 28 (10a-4p) $250 in Person / $150 via Zoom
Atend BOTH DAYS $300 in Person / $150 via Zoom
SEP 10 - DEC 17 (6p-715p)
Dance Exchange / Takoma, Park, MD
Ages 13+ / Dress to Move
Tuition: $280/14 wks or $25/drop-in
No Experience Needed!
Gather with others in a safe & nourishing environment and be invited to:
Recognize how stress shows up in your body and learn how to restore a sense of well-being
Shift from states of overwhelm and exhaustion to feeling calmer and more connected
This workshop integrates neuroscience and movement. Participants will learn about the vegas nerve and explore how to regulate their nervous systems through music and simple movements. No dance experience required. All bodies welcome; Come dressed comfortably!
Collaborators: Jessica Phillips Silver, Ph.D (Music Neuroscience) & Ingrid Zimmer, (Executive Director, Inspired Child)
Description: This simple flow of sound + movement is based on brain science. We know from brain science how we hear sound and feel movement. We also know that RHYTHM is the tool that brings sound and movement together, and that for the developing brain, rhythm is a key that underlies language & music skills. When you make simple sounds and movements within the structure of a rhythm, you are not only capturing your sensorimotor abilities and stimulating brain growth, but you are building a direct CONNECTION with yourself and with those sharing in the exercise with you.
Location: Silver Spring Library: Meeting Rms I&II
Ages 18+ / Dress Comfortably to Move
Parking is available in the Wayne Avenue Garage at 921 Wayne Ave. Parking costs $1.25 per hour between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Classes will take place weekly on Tues from 6p-715p at The Dance Exchange.
