In the summertime, kids are finding ways to pass the time, whether it is going to the pool or summer camps. However, there’s a group of kids that are finding an alternative way to have fun, while learning something valuable at the same time. These kids partake in what is called Kids’ Co’motion, a dance production run by kids.

“Kids’ Co’motion is about not just learning dances, not just performing, not just technique, but how you create dances and how you make a production,” said Valerie Williams, the founder of Kids’ Co’motion. “They learn what it’s like to put together a production. In the past, kids have helped with all sorts of things, like costuming and sets.”


Valerie Williams has been dancing for her whole life. She started out dancing in her family’s living room as her dad played music, and ever since Williams has continued to learn and teach others to dance

“Professional dancers do their job. We perform, we entertain the audience, we make art. It’s what we do and we’ve been studying that for a really long time,” Williams said. “[And yet] some of the kids have been studying for these three weeks and they dance from their souls.”

Williams said that although the kids do not have the technical skill of trained professional dancers, they dance with incredible maturity and spirit.

“What Kids’ Co’motion taught me was the difference between ‘dancing’ and ‘dance,'” Williams said. “When we are dancing, it’s this 100 percent commitment to what we do.”

The production is mainly done by children, as Williams teaches them various dances, and then allows them to put together a dance routine of their own to use. In the end, the kids put all the choreography together to make a unique “concert of dances” of their own.

“A recital is showing what people have learned through the year. We are making a concert of dances, so this is not about what we’ve learned over the year, and we aren’t perfecting a certain movement,” Williams said. “Here the kids are showing dances that they’ve created. Kids are committed to their movement, and it shows.”

The show this year can be seen at the Ames City Auditorium, at 7:30 p.m. on July 27th & 28th.