Moving Parents and Children Together (MPACT) was founded in 2001 to bring Luna’s parent-child dance classes to families in the Alameda County Dependency Court and child welfare systems. Since then, Luna has broadened the definition of reunification beyond court-ordered mandates to include temporary separations due to substance abuse, domestic violence, family illness, immigration, prison sentences, homelessness, or other factors.
Luna offers MPACT through partnerships with local social service organizations, and free family dance classes open to the public at local libraries. Parent-child dance classes provide families with a safe, comfortable environment to play and dance together and have proven to be beneficial by helping parents gain confidence in their ability to interact physically with their children and by strengthening the family bond.
Family dance classes, embodied parent education, agency partnerships, and professional development comprise MPACT. Keep reading to find the MPACT session schedule for families, information for organizations interested in partnering with Luna, and useful links for professional development.
Family Dance Institute
To work effectively within a social justice system requires perseverance, cultural humility, relationship-building skills, and self-reflection; our Family Dance Institute was created as a space to investigate these aspects of our teaching practice. Sending an organizational representative to the Family Dance Institute is a cost-effective way to explore the potential for dance in your setting.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in finding out how Luna can build capacity for dance at your agency, please complete this interest form.
More Dance for Families
Outside of MPACT, families dance together in many ways at Luna, including in parent-child classes for 0-3 year olds, family dance jams, Open Houses, and free community classes for families of all ages and sizes. Explore our classes for families to learn about the relationship-strengthening capacity of dance.