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Ms. Andrews' experiences in Alaska sounds amazing!
I do think there is a relationship between all the arts that can be used effectively for teaching writing. Susan Andrews sees dance performance as a metaphor for the process writing we learn about. Get the creative expression out first and then go back and hone the details. Work on the mechanics of the piece.
Ms. Alejandro is also in a unique teaching environment that takes a little thinking outside the box to reach kids. Drawing, dance, drama, writing are all a form of creative expression so it is little wonder that they don't work well together in the teaching of writing. An artist has to illustrate emotion, natural form on canvass and a writer needs to do the same on paper. I taught for a time, art at a local Boys & Girls Club. These were mostly kids from disadvantaged backgrounds that often struggled academically. I loved the way the younger ones would write all over their art work. They would label things they were proud of, write captions, or messages to the intended recipient. The older they got the more they were taught that that was incorrect and stopped the practice--a shame. Here is a great example of the interaction between writing process ans artistic process-- one and the same.