A Creative Movement Independence Celebration for The Differently Abled

            "Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently." - Tom Robbins

                  
          Celebrations of independence often bring to mind visions of parades that include bands with big bass drums, firing cannons and rifles, loud motorcycles and horns, and none of these celebrations would be complete without a culmination of fireworks.

            For some children these celebrations are a nightmare.  These are the children who are sensitive to any type of noise – they include those with sensory processing disorders and those on the autism spectrum, and they are often found right in the middle of creative movement classes.

            In honor of America’s Independence Day, I thought I would use this week’s post to share a lesson plan that I use to help my students experience all of the celebrations without the noise and fear that can sometimes accompany them.

            I use John Philip Sousa’s marches, and I let them play continually throughout our class which incorporates different rhythms, marching in several different directions and pathways, and lots of level changes and jumping.

            We discuss the parades that might be happening to celebrate the holiday, and then we have our very own parade.  Each child gets to have a turn as the leader and decides what imaginary instrument we will play.  We have a great time playing trumpets, flutes, trombones, base drums and bells.  We all end this activity by waving our imaginary flags and scattering throughout the room.

            Our celebration concludes with our firework display.  We begin by counting together and jumping up and exploding into fireworks on the number 8.  We then do the same counting to 4 and then 2.  At this point I assign each child a number (1-4), and he or she must explode when I call his/her number.  I begin by calling numbers individually and then begin grouping them together.  For the grand finale the students may choose when they wish to explode while the music plays, and I watch the dazzling display.

            Our job as dance educators makes us responsible for all children, and this class gives them the chance to experience the celebration without trepidation or fear and is great fun.  If you try it, let me know how it works for you!

Choosing a Dance School That's Right for You

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”                                                                -  Roy Disney


         Choosing a dance school can be a challenging, and sometimes overwhelming, experience considering the number of possibilities that are available.

         The first thing to consider is the school’s philosophy.  Some schools are competition schools where performing and competing are the major emphasis while other schools may offer non-competitive performance opportunities a few times throughout the year.  Competition schools require expensive, sometimes custom-made, costumes, extra rehearsals and a commitment to travel to competitive events.  Non-competition schools may also require costumes for performances, but they tend to be less expensive, and the performances throughout the year are usually local.  Both types of dance education are valid but have different philosophies and a different emphasis.

         No matter what the type of school, it is important that the facility be one that promotes healthy dance training.  In addition to having enough ballet barres (fixed or free-standing) to accommodate the number of children in each class and mirrors, the studio should also have a wood floor.  The ideal floor is a sprung floor covered by marley, but any wood floor that will absorb some of the shock when landing from jumps or relevés will help decrease the impact on the dancer’s body.  Concrete floors covered by tile provide no shock absorption and increase the stress placed upon the dancer’s body.

 

         The teachers should be knowledgeable about human anatomy and healthy dancing.  They should understand the significance of a thorough warm-up and should be knowledgeable about the techniques they teach.  Teachers should never expect students to force their bodies into positions that are anatomically inappropriate, nor should they ever use their body weight to force a student’s stretch.  Whether a teacher has a degree in dance or professional experience is not as important as the approach the teacher uses.

         It is the dance educator’s job to nurture the student’s passion as well as technique.  Dance is difficult, and older dancers spend many hours in the studio each week.  Without passion, dance will simply become work.  Although dance teachers should be strict and demand the discipline that the art form requires, they also need to help their dancers remember how much fun dance can be.

         Prospective students should always take a trial and/or a placement class to determine how classes are conducted.  It is important to be certain that most of the class time is spent on technique and that preparations for performances occupy a minimal amount of class time.  Usually small amounts of class time will be devoted to preparing a piece for a year end demonstration or performance during the last 8-10 weeks of class.

         Classes for young children should be developmentally appropriate.  Prior to the ages of 7 or 8, children should not be expected to be part of strict technique classes but should instead be introduced to dance through creative movement activities.  More information on appropriate classes for this young age group can be found in my earlier post, Creating Passionate Young Dancers.

         Regardless of the age of the prospective student, parents should also ask questions about classes for older children to learn about the dance educator's approach to teaching.  It is important that older dancers do not begin pointe work before the approximate age of 12 so that they are developmentally ready.  Dancers on pointe should also have several prior years of training and be expected to be taking several ballet classes a week.  Additionally, parents should ask for the opportunity to observe an advanced class.  It is important to see if there is a progression of skills as the students grow and get older.

         Sometimes when a student decides to change dance schools, he or she may be placed into a level that is below his or her expectations.  My last post on progression goes into detail on the specific reasons why a student may be held back, but it is important to remember that each school levels its dancers differently.  Although the parent and the prospective student may be frustrated and disappointed, it is important to listen to the educator’s reasoning and take some time to think about what he or she has said.  Oftentimes a dancer with previous experience may initially be placed into a lower level to work on reversing some bad habits that may have developed and will then progress quickly through to a more advanced level.

         Although choosing a dance school may seem overwhelming, it need not be.  It will take some time and some research, but in the long run it will be worth it.  When you register your child for a dance class, you are entrusting a dance educator with your child’s developing body and psyche.  The experience should be a learning one but also a healthy and positive one.

Dance for 3-5 Year Olds: Creating Passionate Young Dancers

 “Dancing with your feet is one thing, but dancing with your heart is another.”          – Author Unknown

            Children begin moving and “dancing” even before they are born.  Their constant movement begins in the womb before they take their first breaths and continues as they move through all of the developmental stages.  As soon as a toddler is able to walk, it is easy to see his or her affinity for music and the movement that it encourages.  Toddlers love to dance, and it is the dance educator’s responsibility to nurture that love when parents register their young children for dance classes.

            Classes that are offered to children in the 3-5 age range need to be consistent with developmental stages of this age group.  Just as a responsible dance educator would not offer pointe classes for six year-olds, strict technique classes should not be offered before the ages of 7 or 8 when the child is developmentally ready.

            Children between the ages of 3 and 6 fall into Piaget’s “pre-operational” category.  This age group is able to focus on one thing at a time, can follow simple “do’s and don’ts” and enjoys exploring, investigating, creating and imagining.  Pre-operational children are able to learn to take turns, to share and to cooperate.  Physically, these children are beginning to skip and hop and can balance on one foot for about ten seconds.

            It is not until the next developmental stage that the attention span, sequencing ability, physical ability or the self-control required in technique classes begin to develop.

            Dance classes offered to the 3-5 age group should reflect the pre-operational developmental stage.  It is important that these creative movement classes focus on gross motor skills, the basic elements of dance and creativity.

            Since fine motor skills are only beginning to develop, placing an extended focus upon them could easily frustrate the students.  Dance steps can and should be introduced in a casual manner, but barre work and time perfecting anything should be saved for when the students get older.  The quickest way to frustrate the students, frustrate the teacher and dampen the love of dance is to expect more of the students than they are capable of producing.

            Creative movement classes can be used to introduce the elements of dance through various games and with the use of props.  Shape might be taught through a freeze dance game, while pathways might be taught through parades, complete with streamers or even mini-instruments, or through games of “Follow the Leader”.  Imagination and creativity can and should be used extensively.  Students can explore levels while pretending to be animals or pretending to crawl under trees and leap over streams on a jungle safari.  Movement stories or short poems offer great opportunities to use dance to communicate.

            Each class should also allow time for a free creative dance within one or two given parameters.  The opportunity to freely move to music using imagination and creativity is a way to help a student’s passion for dance stay alive past this stage of development.  This stage can be used to ignite and preserve the passion that will be necessary when technique class begins.

            Technique classes require hard work, a tremendous amount of effort and concentration.  Those without passion will not succeed because steps without passion are simply movements.  Helping a child develop a passion is a lifelong gift and developing a passionate dancer is synonymous with success.