Sunday, July 5, 2009

Ideas for Summer Dance- Getting Famlies Involved

I ran across this idea when I was searching for free dance to enjoy this summer in the city! Just some creative ideas for dance educators to think about...

http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/events/eventDetail.php?eventID=3051

Family nights are a great idea for anyone who teaches in a school or has their own dance school.

Why you ask?
It's a night of getting families moving and more importantly moving together. This idea lets families create their own dance from their surroundings. It also incorporates an element of chance which is really fun for kids and parents alike because anything could happen. This particular night is for children 6 and older, but I would love to create some ideas for younger children to enjoy family night.

A few ideas from me:
Fairy Tales- Each family can deconstruct a fairytale (or favorite book) and create movement to tell the story. Encourage the families to make an abstract dance instead of a play. This could be a two step workshop!

Tilted Tunes- Each family can select a piece of music and create movement to the way the music makes them move. It would be fun to make a part of the dance an improvisation.

Props- Each member of the family can have the same prop or different props. It is fun to invent the props into something that they are not. This really uses everyones imagination and can even catch a few laughs!

I hope to have a school one day and open family nights up at least once a month!
Throw any other ideas my way!

In the meantime... movecreateeducate









Friday, July 3, 2009

Websites to Explore

Here are a few websites that are important to dance educators...

National Dance Education Organization- Investing in the future of Dance Education
http://www.ndeo.org/
This organization just had there annual conference in New York City last week! It was so inspiring to attend and see what other educators are doing to grow the world of dance. I only attended for one day but I made so many great connections and caught up with a lot of great friends!

Freelancers Union- It's free to join! They offer insurance and retirement plans for independent workers
http://www.freelancersunion.org/
They just passed the A8615 bill that provides much needed tax relief to New York City's independent workers.

NYU Dance Education Program- Teaching Dance Educators
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/dance/
I attended this program and I am so glad I did. I made so many connections and will always be a part of the dance education family. I have used many great tools from the program in the two years I have been in the field. I encourage anyone who wants to make teaching dance their career and further their education to highly consider this program!

Hope these are helpful... I will write more soon

In the meantime... movecreateeducate

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Dizzy Feet-- To improve, support, and increase access to Dance Education

This foundation was presented last night on So You Think You Can Dance....

http://www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org/


What a great way to help kids experience dance in a positive environment. The foundation also has created an accreditation program for dance education in studios and schools, which is incredibly needed.

Check it out...

In the meantime... movecreateeducate

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A Dance Teacher Welcome!

Welcome! This is a blog especially for people who move, create, and educate. Anyone else is welcome to read it too... I hope it will be a fun and interactive outlet for me and other dance educators who work with children. My goal with this blog is to share stories, thoughts, and challenges of being a dance educator. I have wanted to start this blog for a long time and I believe that this is a great time to start!

I am a dance educator in New York City and this fall I will make the transition to the freelance world full time. It is an exciting time for me because I feel that by taking this step I have reached a goal that I have been fighting for. What an amazing feeling...

A little bit more about myself---
Currently I am a teacher for New York City Ballet Outreach Program, Mark Morris Dance Group, and York Avenue Preschool. All of these programs are extremely fulfilling and I am so grateful to be a part of them.

This fall, I am building a program of my own called Maria's Movers (more on this coming soon)

Thank you for stopping by... I hope you come back soon!

In the meantime--- movecreateeducate