Move. Create. Educate.

Move, Create, Educate gets an Upgrade!

2010-07-12T14:46:00.004-04:00

My Dear Readers,

After much thought, I have decided to upgrade this blog over to wordpress and combine it with my Maria's Movers website! I am really excited about it because I know you all will love it! It has been just over a year and the blog and website have been growing rapidly because of you! Yippie! It is simply easier for me to manage and update both sites together and this makes it more valuable to you as the readers! I thank you for reading and I hope that you will follow me to my new home!

You can check it out here and subscribe to my RSS feed here!

Much love,

Maria

Ballet Shoes

2010-07-08T07:47:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I purchased new ballet shoes and I just had to share them with you! My other ones kept coming up in class, as the little ones would say "Miss Maria, your ballet shoes are falling apart" (haha) I guess that means it was time to get a new pair. I got a new style that I am so excited about! Well, at least I think they are new style. Have you seen them? I have worn them to teach for the past few days, and they have been amazing. They allow the foot to breath with mesh on the bottom and sides, really allow room for the arch and just all around look super cool! The girls of course noticed I got new ones and could not wait to touch them!

On another note, does anyone ever feel like they spend their entire class tying ballet slippers? I have for the past few weeks. My friend, Dena who is also a dance teacher told me about a little trick. She told me to have them tie the string in a knot (only single) and then cut the string off so there is just a little bit left over. Then once the girls get to class and have them on, tuck them inside the shoe. No bows needed! Has anyone ever tried this trick? Or do you have another trick that you do to keep the shoes tied? I would love to hear!

Heat Wave

2010-07-05T14:47:00.004-04:00

This week in NYC it is supposed to be 99 degrees for 3 days in a row! The rest of the days will be a cool 94 degrees. Can you believe that? Since there will be such a heat wave I have been brainstorming about places we could visit in dance class that will make us cool.

-Perhaps we could build a sun, everyone could lay down in the circle with their feet in the middle and heads pointing out. We could move our arms really sharp in air. Like rays. This could be really fun, and quite silly!

- Maybe we could visit the beach. Move like waves, build sand castles with our bodies, and fly kites. What would your kite look like?

- It is also possible we could visit the pool. Putting on our very cool sunglasses and bathing suits (pretend of course) and practicing different jumps we would do into the pool. A turning jump, a X jump could be fun, really the possibilities are endless. We could also imagine we had a sprinkler that we were dancing through. Oh, I love the pool and the sprinkler and I am pretty sure all 3's and 4's do too!

Even though I would be just as happy sitting in front of the air conditioner this week. Dance class must go on! What will you do this week to keep cool? Keep your students cool? I would love to hear!

Remembering the 4th of July Parade!

2010-07-03T16:25:00.008-04:00

When I was in college I would venture back home to my parents house to live in the summertime. Since I live in a very small town with not much to do, I decided to keep busy by running my own summer dance program! Conveniently titled Maria's Summer Dance Explosion, kids from town would sign up to take a dance class with me once a week. I always had shirts made and for a few years we did the 4th of July parade! It was so much fun! This time of year is when I really remember the fun we had the most. I thought I would share with you some of the pictures that make me smile so big!

We decorated the float...

Traveling float...

Dancing in the street... (that's me leading a dance!)

My supportive and amazing family... (I could of never done it without them)
For 3 years we did the 4th of July parade. I can remember how tired we were putting everything together. We would all come home to collapse and finish off the celebration with a BBQ! I will never forget these fun times as we honor Independence day!

Does Independence Day bring back any specific memories for you? Have you ever been a part of a parade? I would love to hear! Happy 4th! :)

It's my 1 year Blogoversary!

2010-07-01T13:18:00.005-04:00

Time to celebrate! Move. Create. Educate has been in the blogosphere for 1 year today! Can you believe that? When I started this blog one year ago, I never could of imagined how happy it would make me. I look forward to writing and to my surprise it's amazingly addicting! In this post, I thought I would recount the amazing people I have met and some of the career moves I have made all over just one years time because of network I have built on this blog!

First, So many great opportunities opened up for me this year. I honestly believe it is because of this blog. In January, I was hired at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan to run all of the movement and dance programs for the young families division. It is truthfully the best job in the world! I am so grateful to have it! And, just a few days ago I was accepted onto the Young Professionals Dance/NYC Advisory Board! How exciting, right? (more to come on this later!) These are just a few of the many things that are popping out of my head right now!

Second, I have made some amazing friends online along the way and I am so happy to call them friends. Nichelle, the inspiring voice behind Dance Advantage, Suzanne, the genius behind DanceStudioOwner.com, and Tiffany, the creative mind behind Dancing Branflakes. Also, the amazing Catherine behind 4dancers, and super talented Stacey behind Letters from Leaping Legs. I can't imagine my life without all of your ideas, generous comments, and most importantly your support! Thank you, Thank you. I can't say it enough. Thank you!

Last, I would like to thank you, my lovely readers. Thank you for all of your sweet comments and all of your support. You have no idea how much it is appreciated. I really blog from what I experience day in and day out as I am teaching. I love having a supportive place to share my ideas and be creative. I think it has given me more confidence in teaching my classes as well! Does anyone feel like blogging secures confidence? I certainly do!

Here's to another year of Moving, Creating, Educating and Blogging!

(p.s. in the coming weeks, Move. Create. Educate. will have a new look as I am combining my Maria's Movers website with this blog! The design looks fabulous so far and I can't wait for you all to see it! )

(p.p.s Do you tweet or facebook? Follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook!)

Twins

2010-06-30T22:17:00.003-04:00

Do you have twins in your dance class? Oh my goodness. This summer I have 2 sets of twins in my ballet class. It is quite the challenge for me because both sets are identical. It's hard for me to tell who's who without thinking really hard about it first and it's especially hard to tell who is who from the back! I will get the hang of it, hopefully next week I can call them out without thinking about it to much.

From what I have observed so far, twins like to stick together. Literally. Like glue. I try to say, "Miss Maria would love to see your very own dance" but it has not worked yet. I can imagine it's easy to get "stuck" to your sibling, especially if you look just like them. I can also imagine it's not easy to separate from them. I would just love the challenge of giving them some independence. Even though they are in the same class there has to be a way to separate them. Don't you think? At every new transition I always ask if one of them wants to come and sit by me. The answer, "I want to be with my sister."

Have you faced this challenge at all? I wonder if any of you fabulous teachers out there have any special tricks for getting twins to separate? Not separate like in another room, but separate as in "detach" from one another.

Oh, and if you have a trick to help with telling them apart, I would love to hear that too! Today I studied them closely and observed the detail of their features. That should help, right?

Egg Shakers

2010-06-28T12:06:00.003-04:00

Usually before my ballet class starts families show up early. I try really hard to keep the dancers waiting outside the room. This way they don't get all wound up before I need to try to get them organized to start class. But this week, I had a 18-24 month ballet class (so much fun and a new experience for sure!). They just could not wait to come in and explore the room in their tiny pink tutus! So I let them in while we waited for everyone to show up. To give them something to do, I put out egg shakers. I turned on ballet music and we danced around the room with the shakers. Of course they put them in their mouth too (that's how they tell the shape of things when they are that little) but they absolutely loved them. I think I will continue to do this every week!

Do you let the students explore the room before class? Do you put something out for them to explore? Or do you let them in right when class starts? I would love to hear!

Teachers Learn Too...

2010-06-24T23:29:00.003-04:00

This week was the beginning of my summer classes, which explains the lack of posts! (sad face) I haven't forgotten about you, I have just been busy educating and learning! After this week, I know I can solve problems, come up with ideas a split second before they come out of mouth, and remain professional even if the room gets chaotic. I learned a lot about myself this week, and I can't wait for a new week to start because I get to see the kids all over again. Do you ever have those weeks where you feel that you gained a tad more confidence in yourself as a teacher? Well, this was my week.

Speaking of Learning, I attended this really amazing event on Wednesday night called "Yoga on the Great Lawn" It was in Central Park in NYC. They invited 10,000 people on the lawn to take part in a free yoga class! They had music, and poetry, and even gave away free mats and bags. It was a great experience to be with all so many yogis. Unfortunately, right as the class was starting, it started to down pour and the Parks Department had to close the class for safety reasons. Maybe they will have one of these where you are? Just to be there was amazing and it made me feel good too!

(photo via Huffington Post)

Seriously Silly Songs

2010-06-21T11:23:00.005-04:00

Have you ever seen these books by Sandra Boynton? I love them. It's a book and CD pair and they are seriously silly! I use them in almost all of my movement classes with young ones. My favorite are Barnyard dance (animal dance) and Loud and Quiet (see below), it's great to teach opposites with!
My other favorite part about these books is that in the back the songs are written out so you can play them on the piano! My pianist loves (loves!) to play the Dinosaur Round. I teach levels as she plays!
I find the books a reason to be silly, and you all know little kids LOVE to be silly! What silly songs do you use? I would love to hear!

The Pancake Flip

2010-06-17T09:43:00.003-04:00

This summer I am teaching a few private tap classes! I love it! Yesterday was our first meeting since the semester ended and we reviewed all the steps we had been learning in class. One step I find really fun and challenging for 8 year olds, and especially boys is barrel turns. They always ask to practice them. Are you wondering what a pancake has to do with barrel turns? Me too, but the imagery just came to me! Let me explain....

Rap your toe behind you, I call this "toast it"

"Flip the pancake" to the back, keeping the same foot in the air (now your facing the back)

Step the same foot down as you turn back to the front "plate it"

Step your other foot down to face the front "syrup it"

So here's the step- "Toast it, Flip it, Plate it, Syrup it!"

It really does work, we were getting dizzy doing so many barrel turns yesterday! If you teach tap you should try it!

Do you have special imagery that you use while teaching a challenging tap step? I would love to hear!

Cones

2010-06-15T15:41:00.003-04:00

The other day I was in target, and found these in the dollar section! Yahoooo! They have the neatest stuff in that section. Don't you think? I find a lot of stuff there! Anyway, I am planning summer classes today that will be in full swing next week. Here are some ideas I thought we could do with cones:

1) Make pathways to explore locomotor movements in. (ex: straight line, or curvey snake)

2) Leap over them, of course

3) Weaving (with a little prep and practice, I think 3 year olds could do it!)

4) Ice cream cones!

5) Funny shoes...

6) Microphones (I like to sing yeah... yeah... yeah!)

7) Very tall shape statues, use it as the base.

What about you? Do you use cones in your classes? I would love to hear your creative ideas!

House Of The Roses

2010-06-14T21:31:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness, I am inspired! About what? Go ahead, read on...

One of my good friends volunteers her time to House of the Roses. A description from their website explains that it is an "organization that offers homeless and at-risk children free weekly on-site dance workshops at partner outreach facilities, such as homeless shelters and community centers, throughout New York City."

Tonight, I attended their end of the year performance! I had to rush home and write about how inspiring and amazing the show was. Each center performed a dance I am sure they have been rehearsing for a long, long time. Before each group shared their dance, there was a video of the kids showing their favorite dance move or explaining what they love about dance and House of the Roses. Let's just say, kids just say it exactly the way it is! The theme was World Tour and all the dances were inspired by stories, art, and movement from each place. There was a penguin dance, Bollywood, caveman, and hip hop from brazil! It was so exciting to watch the kids having a blast! They are all such great dancers!

One of my favorite parts of the show opened with all the dance company volunteers dancing on stage and their voices became the music. What does house of roses mean to them? The one that stood out to me and said it best was, "if you do something for free, it is truly your passion" (so true, right?)

Please visit their website and follow them on Twitter @HouseoftheRoses. You will then love them just as much as I do.

Maria's Movers Ballet

2010-06-11T12:15:00.008-04:00

More photos from ballet class...

Ribbon Dancing...
Partners...
Star hats...
My handy dandy spy glasses, looking for 1st position...
Our pretty ballerina dance, complete with roses and kisses

Arabesque Love

2010-06-10T17:34:00.006-04:00

I think that whenever these ballerinas hold flowers they will forever do an arabesque! Remember my post on using roses to teach arabesque? That's exactly what they are doing, and I didn't even prompt it, they just love to do them! This is a picture of our farewell class before summer. We had a really great class! Each of them wore their special tutus and we shared so many ideas and smiles. This picture just proves that I have the best job in the world!

Hello and Goodbye Songs

2010-06-08T13:57:00.004-04:00

I'm looking for exceptional"hello" and "goodbye" songs for movement and ballet class! Do you sing acapella in your classes or do you like to sing along with music? I will do either! Have any recommendations? I am teaching the smallest of age groups (starting at 18 months!) this summer, and it's important that I can sign one that I like and they will love too!

Please share your songs in the comments! I bet other readers would love new beginning and ending songs too! :)

Creative Dance Music

2010-06-07T14:13:00.005-04:00

Have you ever used these CD's from Eric Chappelle, Music for Creative Dance? I just ordered two of the volumes. I have a feeling I might need them this summer, since I will be teaching creative dance without a live pianist. Eeek! I think these CD's are fabulous, and always offer what I am looking for. I love them especially because, it's all instrumental and gives the students opportunity to see and feel the movement!

I also just ordered A Fantasy Garden Ballet Class I and II from Kimbo Educational. I was looking for some new music for ballet and this came highly recommended! I can't wait to start using it!

Have you found any great music lately? What is your favorite music to use?

Pantomime: I Love To Dance

2010-06-05T17:47:00.008-04:00

Today at New York City Ballet's Ballet for Young People I learned something amazing. One of the dancers in the company taught the audience pantomime! I learned a Pantomime for "I love to dance." Perfect, right? I am so excited because I was looking for something to "spice" up the reverence I teach to the littles. Actually, you could use this in every dance class.

Here is what it looks like:

I...

Love (palms together out front)
Then place them on your heart...
To Dance (roll your arms, starting at your waist)
all the way over your head!
Optional: you can add bows or curtseys at the end to signify the end of class. I'm so excited to try it! I know the kids will just love it!

Do you practice pantomime with your students? I would love to hear!

Talent Show

2010-06-04T18:26:00.004-04:00

This is a video of one of my first year tap students at his school talent show. I put together this little combination for him, we had a few practice sessions, and as you will see, he brought the house down! I was so proud of him! :)

Apollo

2010-06-03T11:47:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been to the Apollo in Harlem, NYC? It was on my to do list, and last night I went to Amateur Night! It was a night dedicated to NYC public school teachers. A few of my friends from NYU auditioned their dance and it was selected! It was so amazing to witness.

If you have never been to amateur night, it is a little intense. The audience cheers if they like the performance, and boo's if they don't. If there are enough boo's then the "executioner" comes on stage and directs them off stage.

It was quite the scene. My friends left the stage with 10 seconds to go! (10 sec) They did a great job! I thought the idea to feature school teachers talents was brilliant. I hope they continue it every year!

Ballet Celebrations

2010-06-01T19:03:00.005-04:00

Today, I had two parents days during ballet class. It went pretty well, but I am learning the more I do parents days that they are such a challenge. I don't get nervous anymore, which I think is a good sign of growth but sometimes I feel like it's a lot of pressure. Sometimes I feel like it's so unpredictable, that it's scary. And sometimes I feel like I should just have fun. I did have a lot of fun, but with parents buzzing in the background and siblings crying on the side, it's hard to have full control as usual. The students get so distracted, and if you are 3, it's hard to focus to begin with. I tried many of my calming techniques, little quiet moments, mostly because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I just couldn't seem to gain everyone's attention and engage them. I know I am not alone on this!

I would love to hear what you all do. If the kids are to little to be on a stage (2's and 3's) Do you have a parents day on the last day of class? Do you invite the parents in to see just a portion of the class? I prepped the students for the day, and no one freaked out (yay!), but I am thinking you can help me. I am sure my brilliant readers have creative ideas that I have never thought of!

Please share what you did this year for celebrations of dance. Did you have a parents day? A recital? A showing? Tell us the story of how it went, and if you learned anything from it. I can't wait to hear!

P.S. the photo are the pink carnations I gave the girls after class today. They are in the bag because it was a surprise and I was trying to be sneaky and make sure they didn't see them!

Tappy Day!

2010-05-25T19:11:00.005-04:00

I still have a few hours to wish you all a Happy National Tap Dance Day! I taught ballet and movement all day today to the babies, but I was surely thinking about tap dance while I was doing it! Did you do anything to celebrate today? I hope you went to class or tappy hour! (haha)

On thursday I have parents day for my tap classes! I will be sure to tell them about National Tap Dance Day! :)

Step Lively

2010-05-24T19:42:00.004-04:00

As the school year comes to a close and summer is on it's way, can you believe I am already thinking about classes for summer and fall? Please tell me you are too? Yesterday was registration for fall classes at the JCC and one of the new classes I am offering has been on my mind! It's called "Step Lively", an entire creative movement class with a live musician! She plays the Saxophone (the saxophone!), but I plan on incorporating all types of instruments! Think about doing a dance to the sound of a sax, amazing right? I can't wait to develop the curriculum!

Here is the description I wrote:

Join Miss Maria on a dance adventure with live music! Boys and girls will travel under water, through space, and around the jungle to explore each place through movement. Dancers will discover directions, body parts, levels from high to low and movement qualities such as fast and slow. The live music will add an element of surprise and will be used to make dances come alive!

If you live in NYC and are 3 years old come join Step Lively!

My dear readers, have you ever tried a class like this? Have you worked with a live musician? I think experimenting with different instruments adds a whole other level to exploring movement. Don't you?

Thank You Notes

2010-05-21T15:36:00.004-04:00

Next week and the week after I am bombarded with parents days and end of the year celebrations. Woohoo! I like to give the kids something on the last day to remember me by. Since I have SO many students, it would get expensive to buy something for all of them. This is what I came up with! Thank you notes for a great year! It's just something little, but I know it will mean a lot to them. I did one for movement and one for tap. I am still working on the ballet ones since those are a little more special to me. I will post them next week!

Do you make or give anything to your students at the end of the year? I am sure you all have amazing ideas!

Circles

2010-05-20T10:42:00.004-04:00

This semester, circles have saved my life. I usually start my class in a circle, but many times I go back to a circle in the middle of the class. I feel that circles are a way to bring the class back together and calm the excitement. With my 3 year olds, we start in a line and I tell them to hold hands, and then I hold the hands of the dancers on each end to connect the circle. I tell them "it's magic!" I overheard one of them saying " Miss Maria thinks it's magic, but we are just really good at making circles!" (haha!)

In tap class, I find circles work well with challenging classes. I made their combination in a circle and it keeps them focused, rather than looking in the mirror, looking out the window or distracting each other. I have more control then when they are in a line or coming across the floor.

Do you find that circles work well for you?

Exploring the Garden

2010-05-19T09:33:00.004-04:00

This week, in ballet and creative movement we are celebrating the garden! Growing as different types of flowers, caterpillars to butterflies, ants, worms, and birds! My 4 year olds loved the idea saying "I wish we could visit the real garden!"

We have been doing the caterpillar to butterfly dance for a while in ballet class and they love it! Just this week many of them told me they are growing butterflies in their classrooms. Woah! I didn't even know I was connecting to curriculum, but it makes me so happy that I am! How great is it for them to see it happening and also make a dance about it using their bodies?!

Do you have a lesson in dance class that the kids tell you they are exploring at school? I would love to hear!

Headshot- Now and Then

2010-05-17T10:20:00.006-04:00

I thought I would post this just for fun! Last week I had a photo shoot with my friend Kiasa and she took a few headshots. Thank you Kiasa!

What do you think? I am thinking I look a little sleepy! ;)

And in the spirit of recital season, I thought I would post this picture that my mom sent me a few weeks ago. I remember this moment clearly! Popcorn machine! Yep, that was the dance. I loved it! Look how happy I was. I estimate I was around 5 years old here.

Do you have a favorite recital dance you can remember? Can you sing the song and do the dance? It is so fun to think back!

Little Helpers

2010-05-12T18:40:00.003-04:00

Today in ballet, my 3 year olds became super helpful! It was all their idea. I am sure they get the idea from school. Every time we used a props or star spots, they offered to help me collect them! What a great idea, and a great lesson to incorporate into class. I will add it in from now on. I love when they come up with ideas that enrich the class! I love when they teach me things!

Now I must keep a rotating list of who collected what, when. I am happy to do it, all because they are happy to help!

Do you have little helpers? Star helpers, maybe? I would love to help, ... oh, I mean hear!

Table Cover Prop

2010-05-11T21:20:00.005-04:00

Can a plastic table cover be a prop? Have you ever used them in dance class? I am thinking of trying it out but wanted to see if my fabulous readers have ever tried it? I remember going to a workshop with Ann Green Gilbert (total dance education guru) and she recommended cutting them into squares. She says they have a different feel and different look than a scarf and also make noise! I bet the kids would love them! Here's another idea! Use it in one piece to teach teamwork and explore different ways of moving underneath and around it! What do you think?

I would love to hear your ideas on plastic table cover props! (that sounds so silly to say) xo

Tap Combination

2010-05-10T22:01:00.002-04:00

Check out this video of my tap dancers at Mark Morris. I have had a few of these students for 3 years of tap, a few of the others are teens and have just started this year. We have been working on an acapella phrase. I took my flip yesterday to video it and thought I would share it with you. At the end of the combination you will see our attempts at counter rhythm! (That's when everyone is doing a different step, but at the same time) So super fun to explore! Enjoy!

Asking Students for Help?

2010-05-06T20:40:00.003-04:00

I need to tell you a story. I tried something today in class that worked! But, I need to know what you think...Here is the story:

I have about 5 boys in tap class and they are all around 9 years old. All great boys, but I have one boy who is a major disruption to the class. He makes noises, plays with the blinds, and gets really distracted very easily. I have tried to help him as much as I can, I have even had meetings with his mom to see what would be best for him. Somedays it seems that I alone cannot keep him under control. Today, he was making noises while I was listening to another students tap sounds, so I told one of the other boys that if he wanted to he could politely ask him to stop making the noise. He stopped! Another time later in the class, he couldn't stop his body from moving, so I asked the same student to politely (key word) ask him to get his body ready to start practicing our dance.

I am thinking maybe for this class I need a teachers helper? Someone that can help me keep everyone on track? What do you think? Have you ever used this tactic? It seemed to work today, but I don't know if it will continue to work or if it is even a good idea. Thoughts? I would love to hear!

Milkshake!

2010-05-05T09:50:00.006-04:00

I found a milkshakes song from the CD, Songs for Wiggleworms and it's so fantastic! We pour milk, we pour cream (stretches to the side), we stir it all up (spin), and then we shake it up! Of course, we all pick our flavors, including the flavor "pink chocolate" (haha) Doesn't that sound delicious?! I love when we can make a dance with just about anything!

Do you do any silly songs that your students just LOVE? What do you make dances about? I would love to hear?

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Coloring pages giveaway from DanceStudioOwner.com!

Calm, Quiet Bodies

2010-05-03T21:58:00.004-04:00

In the last few weeks, I have incorporated "calm, quiet bodies" into all of my classes. It's amazing, what a difference this makes. What I started to realize is that it is just as important for children to learn how to make their bodies calm, as it is for them to learn different ways to move their bodies. I call it "calm, quiet body" (I say both calm and quiet because I found that some children respond more to one word then the other) and we usually practice this after a high energy dance. It works really well at the end of class if the students are transitioning to another activity or are on their way home. They seem to be able to demonstrate this in their bodies more in a freeze dance, which I believe is in response to music and a short window of time to be still. When I ask them to make their bodies calm and quiet, it seems to be a bigger challenge. But, challenges are good! They make us stronger, happier, and more confident. Exactly what I want my students to be!

Do you have a version of calm, quiet bodies? I would love to hear!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Coloring Pages Giveaway! (you have until this Friday, May 7th)

Coloring Pages Giveaway!

2010-04-30T09:21:00.006-04:00

My dear readers, today is my very first giveaway! (Happy Dance!) Courtesy of Suzanne Gerety of DanceStudioOwner.com, I am offering 3 lucky winners a CD of Coloring pages! What are coloring pages you ask? They are lovely teaching tools to pass out to your students featuring different genres of dance. The CD includes 26 coloring pages that show the position or step, and then gives a description! (see below) It includes tap, ballet, and recital pictures for BOTH boys and girls! Isn't that fabulous?

To give you an honest review: I passed out first position to my 3 year old ballet dancers and here is what they said...

"I can do that position, see!"

"I can't wait to take it home and color it!"

"do you have more?"

"I think I will name her princess!" (haha)

These are a true testament on how lovely and educational these coloring pages are! Here is an example that I colored! I can't remember the last time I colored a picture! Bonus: Here is a link to download first position for free! http://www.dancestudioowner.com/public/252.cfm

For a chance to win, please visit DanceStudioOwner.com, (you will fall in love with all the helpful information on this site) and leave a comment below! 3 lucky winners will be chosen at random next Friday May 7th! I can not wait for you comments! Good Luck! :)

Purple

2010-04-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

Purple, (2nd to pink) the color that 3 year old little girls NEED to have! Yesterday, I taught an important lesson about using different colors. I usually allow the dancers to pick the colors that they want. If I run out of a certain color then they have to pick a color I have. I tell them that sometimes we don't always get the color we want. I find this works for me better than, "you get what you get, and you don't get upset." I always seem to have more upset children with that saying than just picking colors. So, I do it this way.

Yesterday I only had four purple ribbons, and they ALL wanted purple. Usually we can work it out, someone will share their purple and pick another color, but yesterday it was not the case. So we eliminated the purple. Then they wanted pink, the ribbons do not come in pink, so I said "what about red, it's close to pink" (haha) They looked at me like I was crazy!

It all worked out fine in the end, I told them we can still have the same amount of fun no matter what color we dance with. And we did, it was really supper fun! I am pretty sure they will forget about this lesson and want purple all over again next week, but at least I feel like I taught a life lesson with something as simple (big deal for them) as the color purple!

What about you? How do you handle colors? What works best for you? I would love to hear!

The Animal Boogie

2010-04-28T07:42:00.002-04:00

This week in my preschool classes I introduced this book, The Animal Boogie! It comes with a CD to dance to and does a really great job of introducing movement words such as shake, flap, leap, and swing. After we do the dance through the book, I ask the kids what their favorite animal was and if they can remember the word the animal moved too. It has a catchy tune too!

"shake, shake, boogie, woogie, oogie"

Barefoot Books has more books like this one, perhaps I will put them on my wish list! Have you tried this book in preschool? Have you tried any new books lately that the kids love?

Octopus

2010-04-27T07:46:00.004-04:00

How many legs does an octopus have? 8 of course! Yesterday in creative movement we were dancing under the sea. We thought about all the animals we could be under the sea. Sharks, Lobsters, Mermaids, and Seahorse. I said "what about an octopus with 8 long legs?" One of the students said "But we only have 4 legs" Another had the idea, "we should find a partner and stand behind them, that will make 8 legs!" I was so excited that she thought of this. I told them all to find a partner, which could be tricky with 4 year olds, but they did it! How creative is this idea? She thought about how we could not be a TRUE octopus with 8 legs. We had to add 4 more limbs. I'm not sure I ever would of thought of this idea. Now I will forever use that idea when dancing under the sea! What about you?

Do your students ever surprise you or give you ideas to use in future classes?

Why Dance Matters: Thoughts from a Students Mommy

2010-04-26T09:46:00.003-04:00

The other day, I asked a mom of one of my ballet students why she thinks dance matters. I asked her why she signed her daughter up for dance? Why does she think it is important for her daughter to experience it? These are her thoughts-

"I enrolled my daughter in dance because I wanted her to learn poise, confidence, and discipline. I want her to experience many things in life and the opportunity to experience dance at such a young age is such an advantage. I love that she will have bragging rights about starting dance when she was 2 years old. I love that her ballet class teaches other things, not only ballet. I see her using what she learns in class in her daily life, and that is pretty special!"

Check out my other Why Dance Matters Interviews

Kindergarten Performance: A Story Ballet

2010-04-24T10:09:00.010-04:00

One of my favorite things about being a teaching artist with New York City Ballet, is offering the students a chance to perform on stage for their family and friends. They get so excited and are so proud! I took a few pictures in between all the performances. I hope you enjoy!

The scenery...

We had narrators... (one of the 9 stories)

Pirates...

Animals... This was a lion, but there was every animal you could think of...
Trees...

We also had pumpkins, princesses, flowers, seals and much more! I loved the K's stories this year. I love to be a part of their creative thinking and confidence building! Do you feel the same way about kids performances? What is your favorite part?

Bugs

2010-04-22T22:21:00.004-04:00

Today was a very silly day! I taught science! Silly Science that is! It was so fun. I filled in for a teacher who had an emergency, but it turned out to be such a great experience. All the kids were 2 and so very talkative. The theme was bugs! We read The Hungry Caterpillar and then used magnifying glasses to search for bugs around the room. They were so cute looking through the glass! Even though it was science, you better believe I incorporated some movement into the lesson. We slept in our cocoon and then became beautiful butterflies, just like in the story. They wanted to do it over and over, before I knew it, I had to remind myself that it wasn't a movement class. It just shows how much little ones' imagination soar when they move their bodies.

Next week I think I will explore bugs with my creative movement classes! How would you move like a ladybug? How many different types of bugs do you think you could dance about? I am sure the kids could think of more than I could!

Sneaky

2010-04-20T08:07:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite words to explore in dance class with the young ones is the word sneak! Yesterday, we practiced sneaking across the floor. I asked the dancers where we could imagine being sneaky. They said "I think we could sneak into the kitchen and get a cookie!" "Maybe we could sneak in between the trees!" All great ideas! I also told them to imagine there was someone looking in the mirror or the window, and to try to sneak by without that person seeing them! So fun! We practiced sneaking a bunch of different ways. Backwards, down low, slow, quick, turns, bounce, and on and on!

Have you ever done the word sneak with your dancers? If your looking for something to bring a smile to you and your students faces, try this!

Why Dance Matters: An interview with my Mom and Dad

2010-04-19T08:51:00.005-04:00

Last week in celebration of the Why Dance Matters project I posted an interview with my 4 and 5 year old classes. Although the kids gave such sweet answers, this week I thought interviewing my mom and dad would be great insight into why dance matters so much! They have some great answers, so read on! I am so happy to open up this discussion, because I had no idea what they really thought! Now I do! I hope you enjoy!

A little background on my parents: My parents are both in the healthcare field. My mom has been a surgical nurse for over 30 years. My dad is a dialysis technician. They live in small town Corry, PA where I grew up. My dad loves the outdoors and his garden. My mom loves to ride her bike and is very crafty. They truly are the best, and I am so lucky to have them.

Mom says:

Why did you sign me up for dance?

You were shy and I thought it would help you with that.

Did you learn anything from having a daughter (and son) enrolled in dance?

You and your brother were always so excited and looked forward for every wednesday to come! You had such an opportunity which I never had growing up. I was so happy to be able to send you to dance, I don’t think my parents could have afforded to send me.

Do you think it's important for every child to experience dance?

I do, it gives them coordination, makes them feel excited, important and so proud to be a dancer!

Do you like to dance?

I like to dance but haven’t done it in a long time. I probably dance through you!

Dad says:

Why is dance important?

It’s an outlet so kids can express themselves.

Did you learn anything from enrolling me in dance?

I learned to listen to what you wanted to do and thats when I learned what you were thinking and that you had a mind of your own.

Well I don't see myself being anything else but a dance teacher, do you?

No, you love little kids and they make you smile! They are attracted to you like a magnet!

They both say:

Anything else you have to say about why dance matters?

Dance matters to us because you have inspired so many children's lives! After doing your summer programs, the moms still see us around town and the first thing they ask is how you are doing and when you are coming back? Its been 3 years since you were here! No matter where you go the moms and children love you and you love them back. We get a big smile on our faces because I know how happy it makes you and it makes us so proud to be your mom and dad!

Do you know why dance matters to your mom or dad? Have you ever talked to them about what they think about dance, and what it means to them? Please check out the Why Dance Matters project here for how you can join in on the movement!

(photos taken by my brother, Kevin Hanley)

(special thanks to mom and dad for taking the time to do the interview!)

Dancewave

2010-04-18T15:59:00.004-04:00

Great news! In addition to teaching ballet classes at the JCC this summer, I have been hired to teach at Dancewave in Brooklyn! I will be teaching creative modern (creative movement) to children ages 20 months-6 years old! I can't even wait! Check out the Dancewave website here! It's an amazing place, and I am happy to be teaching at a place where they are really doing wonderful things with dance education! To see my schedule at Dancewave, check my website!

Same spot, New spot

2010-04-15T20:35:00.003-04:00

Do you ever notice that when your students come into the room they always sit or stand in the same spot? Well, I have window clingers, mirror touchers, piano players, and barre hangers all in my tap class. I noticed today that, they always seem to gravitate to the same spot in the room every week. I wonder if they feel safe there? When I think about when I take dance class, I usually stand in middle, that's where I feel safe. I thought about bringing them out of their comfort zone, so today I tried something new. Every time we moved to a new exercise, I had them find a new spot. I thought maybe this would enable them to see what other parts of the room are like, and maybe stand next to a new person too! It seems so silly, but I think it is a habbit to many of them, and I want them to be able to dance anywhere, not just in the same spot, in the same room every week.

Do you find your students like to do this? Do you think its good for them to be in the same spot every week? Or is it best to change it up? I would love to hear!

Pink Dance Bus

2010-04-13T18:05:00.004-04:00

Have you seen this? My mom saved me an article about this 10 year old girl, Amiya Alexander who started a dance studio on a bus! The bus travels to parks and schools in underprivileged communities in Detroit and it's suburbs. It's such a good idea. I wonder why no one has ever thought of it? I believe in what she is trying to do, and I think she is reaching many students who would never be exposed to dance with this creative idea! I do question if 10 year olds should have students of their own, however. Do you? You can browse her website here, and find out more information on this inspirational story!

What do you think? I would actually love to visit the dance bus myself! Anyone else?

Why Dance Matters: An Interview with 4 and 5 year olds!

2010-04-12T21:34:00.003-04:00

Today is the beginning of Why Dance Matters! What a great event to spread awareness about dance! I know why dance matters, but I realized I had no idea what my students think about dance and why it matters to them. So in my creative movement classes of 4 and 5 year olds I decided to get inside those growing, happy, smart imaginations and see what they thought. Here is the play by play!

When asked, "why do you LOVE to come to dance class?"

"it's fun, fun, fun!"

"it's good for our bodies"

"we get to see Miss Maria" (haha, funny!)

"I come because I like to pirouette and leap"

"I love to do Jamaican dance, it makes me happy"

"I get to see my friends"

"I like to make shapes at dance class and at school"

"jumping in hoops is like jumping in puddles, and I like doing that"

"I like to hear the music"

Can you believe they had all of that to say?! I mean, they always have a lot to say, but they were really focused and didn't seem phased by the interview! I am sure I missed some quotes because I was really trying to prompt them to get clear answers! I hope you enjoy reading the responses! Next week I will ask them another question about why dance matters!

P.S. join the facebook group of Why Dance Matters here. Or head over to Dance Advantage and read about how you can get involved here!

Yoga Teacher Training

2010-04-10T13:35:00.003-04:00

Good news! I am registered for the Karma Kids Yoga Teaching Training Program! I have been saving since last summer for the course, and I finally reached my goal and signed up! I am really excited to be able to learn techniques of integrating yoga into my creative movement classes. I will take the course in July, and will blog about the experiences, so you can see what it's all about! The course is offered other places besides NYC, so if you are interested check it out!

P.S. Have a great weekend! And for more reading, here are a few MCE posts you might have missed!

3 Tips for working with a Live Musician

Where the Wild Things Are!

Arabesque with a Rose

Potty Parade!

2010-04-08T10:33:00.005-04:00

Yesterday in my 3 year old ballet class, I had a dilemma. Do you ever get a potty parade in your dance class? You know, when one little on has to go to the "potty" and then they all have to go? Haha! It was priceless. Truly like a parade! I had no idea if I should believe them or not. I was thinking in my head, what happens if they all pee on the floor? Do they all really have to go? I decided to let the one go that said she had to go first, but not before I got the rest of the class dancing and distracted, then I sorta scooted her out the door. The rest of them didn't ask after that. Phew, that was close!

I make sure to ask them every week to go before they come in, but there always seems to be one! Does this happen to you? Do you have any tricks about controlling the potty parade? I would love to hear your experiences!

(photo from swapmama.com)

National Dance Education Conference

2010-04-06T14:46:00.005-04:00

Good news dance educators! I just got an e-mail in my inbox today that it's time to register for the NDEO 2010 conference! I have been to 2 conferences in the past and I highly recommend it! It's a get together of dance teachers just like you, with creative, inspiring ideas to share. There is something to offer everyone, from Early Childhood, K-12, to Studio teachers, and University. If you have never been and are interested in hearing more about it, I would be happy to share some of my experiences with you. You can also check out the details here. I need to check with my job(s), since it's in October but I plan to be there! Will I see you there? I hope so! Now go register, hurry! (make sure you are a member first!)

Until Next Time...

2010-04-05T12:34:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the way I end my dance classes. For ballet, I sing a song or we do our reverence nice and slow. For creative movement, we become a bear or rabbit or dance our way out with a prop. For tap, we talk about what we are going to practice over the week. I wonder what other creative ways I can explore ending a dance class?

What about you? How do you end your class? Do you have something special you do? Say names, do solos? I would love to hear!

Red Rover

2010-04-02T08:49:00.004-04:00

It's Friday! Our last lesson of the week is shared by Catherine Tully of 4dancers!

I would start on one side of the room, with the children on the other. Once I had one kid on my side, we’d just call out, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let (name) come over, and then I would add something for them to do on the way, such as the “princess walk”, or marching. I’d let the child who got called tell me who to call over next. It sounds so basic, but the kids absolutely loved it!

Isn't this a great lesson? It's easy to incorporate so many action/movement words into the game. What a great idea to fuse dance education and a game normally played at recess or in gym class! Thank you Catherine for sharing this great idea!

I hope you have found the lessons shared this week helpful and were able to gather some ideas for your own classrooms and students. That is the goal, afterall! Thank you to everyone who shared your ideas and Thank you to all my dear readers! xo

(picture via asbjorn lonvig)

Sharp Hands, Soft Hands

2010-04-01T09:39:00.003-04:00

This lesson is shared by Tiffany Braniff of the popular blog Dancing Branflakes! Tiffany says this lesson was adapted from Royal Acadamy Dance Syllabus a long time ago!

Sharp Hands for 3-5 year olds

I have the children sit in a circle and pretend we are about to make a "witches brew." Then I ask, in my witch's voice, what witches wear. We put on our cloak, hat, and pointy nose and begin throwing things in the pot. We throw dragon eye balls, poisoned apples, and whatever gross and scary things we can think of. I make sure we throw them with "sharp hands" with stretched out fingers and palms. We make plopping or sizzling sounds depending on what's getting thrown in. The point is to get the kids to think about their hands and what they are doing. And at the end, we of course drink our poisoned brew then collapse to the ground.

Soft hands for 3-5 year olds
The opposite of sharp hands, we sit in a circle and pretend we are either princesses picking flowers in the ground or fairies picking stars from the sky. We have to do it with gentle fingers as to not crush the flowers or stars, depending on who you are that day. We put either the stars or the flowers back into our baskets for safe keeping. The girls love to tell me what color dress and tiara they are wearing. Then we all get up and pretend we are throwing the flowers onto the ground like flower girls and tossing the stars back into the sky so we can see them later.

Like sharp hands, this exercise helps students pay attention to their fingers and helps with fine motor skills.

Thank you for sharing this lesson with us Tiffany!

Listen, Draw, Move

2010-03-31T08:58:00.004-04:00

The third lesson of the week is from Lauren Warnecke of Art Intercepts! Thanks Lauren for sharing this creative lesson!

Lauren says she has tried this lesson on ages 3- adult and has had success!

This lesson plan is a great way to develop sensitivity for musicality and characteristics in movement and music such as accent and tempo. First I have the kids lay in a circle with their heads into the circle. I turn off the lights and play them a piece of music that has a specific quality I want them to grasp. They practice active listening with their eyes closed. While they are listening, I set out a big piece of butcher paper and colored markers or crayons. We then open our eyes and listen to the music again—this time I ask them to “draw what the music looks like” paying attention to what colors they use, what their lines look like (strong and jagged or soft and curved), and taking into account that all of the dancers are making a collaborative piece of art. Once the music ends I hang their art as a back drop and play the song one more time and this time they get to free dance to the music trying to incorporate the qualities we listened to and drew in our artwork.

For contrast, I’ll repeat the entire activity with a totally different song that exhibits opposite qualities from the one we just did. This lesson takes about 30 minutes to complete and is always really fun!

(photo via Menomonee Club)

Pancake Cafe

2010-03-30T11:21:00.006-04:00

Props: large tubes with cardboard circles for table tops, coasters, scarves and cushions with parts of plastic tea sets.

The story is that the dancers are visiting the Cafe on a bad day when the toast was burnt and had filled the Cafe with smoke. They had to enter single file holding onto a scarf held by the dancer in front of them. They then had to use the scarf to blow away the imaginary smoke. The pancakes (coasters) were ready to be served but they were very hot so fingers got burnt and pancakes delivered to the wrong tables so there was much changing over from table to table and dropping and picking up of pancakes. Next dance was a slow one where the pancakes were weighed in each hand as there had been some complaints from patrons about not getting the same quality pancake. Other parts of the body became involved in the weighing process. Finally the pancakes were thrown away on the ground and the "sparrows" flew around pecking at the crumbs. After this we tried to be good "waiters" but kept falling over before giving up work and just dancing!

Roz Avent Dance is located in Victoria, Australia. Thank you Roz for this wonderful lesson! Check out Roz's blog for more amazing creative ideas here!

(photos via Roz)

Lesson Sharing Week!

2010-03-29T08:51:00.005-04:00

So, here begins my week of sharing creative lessons! If you haven't submitted one yet I would love to here from you! Just e-mail me at maria.f.hanley@gmail.com and I will post it here to share! I am still looking for 3 more to fill the week! (p.s. it's good promotion for your blog, if you have one or your place of work!)

Enjoy!

(picture via Dab Rhythm)

Dora and Diego

2010-03-29T08:34:00.006-04:00

This is a lesson shared by Christina Ratatori, a K-5 dance teacher at Elm Creative Arts Elementary School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Christina uses this lesson for her 4 and 5 year old dancers.

To teach pas de chat, I use floor dots (called "dancing dots" with my dancers). We pas de chat over the dots. Before this occurs...

All the girls in the room are referred to as Doras; the boys Diegos. We yell out 'backpack' like in the show (put on our imaginary backpacks) and yell "map" as well. When we take our our maps, I tell the story of how there is a treasure to be found. Uh oh. But there is a hill in the way. We try jumping over the hill. Then marching over the hill. And tip toe over the hill. Nothing works. (This is a great review of our locomotor skills.) The only movement that will work is the special pas de chat. All the Doras pas de chat... then the Diegos... then everyone. The dancers love this! And the lesson ends with a celebration dance using creative movement.

Thank you Christina for sharing this wonderful lesson!

Dance Teacher Wardrobe

2010-03-27T12:48:00.004-04:00

Do you ever feel like you don't know what to wear when you teach? Sometimes, I do. I teach in so many different areas in a day I strive to wear something that's comfy and flattering, but I find it such a challenge! I can't wear a leotard in a preschool or public school, but I like to wear one when I teach in a studio. What to do? My two year olds have a solution! They always say "Miss Maria where is your tutu?" haha! Wouldn't that be a site!

Anyway, I would love to know what is in your dance teacher wardrobe. Do you wear leotards to teach littles, middles, adults? Or just yoga pants and a snazy shirt? (they always love it when I wear my wrap with flowers on it! see above!)

So, what do you wear? What is your favorite? Feel free to share your wardrobe!

p.s. Don't forget to send me a creative lesson! I will post it here next week!

I love the way...

2010-03-24T19:21:00.004-04:00

Recently, I have tried to use the phrase- I love the way... Instead of saying great job, or beautiful or any negative words. This phrase has a great affect on the way the class moves along. If I say "I love the way Ella is turning using her arms and pointing her feet", most of the class will look at Ella and try to use their arms and point their feet(it doesn't work all the time, but most times!). While I am trying to put a positive spin on my classes I try to only use positive reinforcement- omit- don't, can't, won't, and shouldn't. You should try it, I think you will really love the way you sound!

What type of praise do you use in your classes? I would love to hear!

(photo by degas)

Seasaw

2010-03-23T09:12:00.004-04:00

I love the image of a seasaw, especially for dancers. I use this image to teach cause and effect. When one thing happens, it causes something else to happen. I put them in partners and we create an entire dance about when one person goes down the other goes up. We do it close together, far apart, backwards, it's so fun! It's also a quick, fun, warm-up, if you are looking for something new to incorporate!

Do you teach cause and effect to your students? What images do you use?

p.s. Don't forget to share your lesson plans to be featured next week!

Share your Favorite Lesson on Move. Create. Educate!

2010-03-21T14:29:00.004-04:00

Do you have a favorite lesson? A lesson you love to teach? A lesson that always works? If so, I would love to hear from you! Submit a lesson or idea that Move. Create. Educate readers could take and use in their own dance rooms and I will feature your idea right here! Sound like a good idea? I thought so!

Write me at maria.f.hanley@gmail.com with a lesson plan of your choice. It doesn't have to be a "formal" lesson plan, it can just be a description of your idea and how you would teach it to the kids. It can be any type of dance for any age group, just as long as it is creative! If you would like, you can send along a picture too!

I would like to start posting these next week, so if possible send me your ideas before Monday, March 29th. I look forward to reading your ideas!

"Bird Watching"

2010-03-20T17:58:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to see Keigwin + Company at the Joyce in NYC! It was awesome and refreshing! I wouldn't be so inclined to write about it if there wasn't so much that related to creating dance! The company did a world premiere of Bird Watching. I was completely intrigued. In the program it was broken up into 4 different sections of the piece, labeled in 4 different words. Flocking, Flapping, Fluttering, Flying. It was so great to see the words and then see the movement motif that was used to describe the word. All I could think about sitting in the audience, is how I do this everyday with children. I take the word and deconstruct it into movement (with the help of their imaginations of course). I thought it was creative thinking how the words were in the program to give the audience a reference point. Very clever. Now I'm wondering, how would you move to the word flutter?

If you haven't checked out Keigwin + Company, check out their website! I highly recommend this clever and exciting choreography!

p.s. On the subway ride home, I had the realization that we can create a dance about anything. Anything at all. Isn't that amazing?

What do you eat for lunch?

2010-03-19T14:56:00.004-04:00

I am curious, what do you eat for lunch? I have been having issues lately with what to bring for lunch, since 1) I have such long days and 2) I have to cary it around in my bag. I can't get the right combination to not feel hungry but to have just enough not to get tired. Every day of the week is different for me, so I can never eat at the same time either. eeek!

So what do all of you dance teachers carry around in your bag, drive around in your car, or eat at home? I am taking ideas to try out next week!

Fireworks! Fire Trucks!

2010-03-18T21:09:00.003-04:00

This week I seemed to have posted a lot of ideas I use in my classes with the wee ones. I thought I would finish out the week sharing a few more ideas with you! Why not? This week I tried 2 new dances and they were a big hit--- (I put in two because they both begin with F! Oh, and I have another idea for tomorrow. That's the real reason!)

Fireworks!

I hand out different colored wrist ribbons (not the wand ones, in fear of loosing someone's eye!) and ask them about fireworks. Do they all look the same? Do they go up slow and come down fast or the other way around? So we practice "exploding" on the count of 3 and then fizzling out as we move back down to the ground as slow as we can! It's so fun! We try it one at a time, and then we try it all together, like the finale! Now all we need is a holiday and we are all set!

Fire Trucks!

Drive, climb the ladder, get your hose, drive back home! I have this one little boy at the preschool who is OBSESSED with Firemen! I mean the kid wears a fireman uniform every day, every day! So I brought in this song about a fire truck and of course I add in the creative part at the beginning. He was tickled, and really they all just want to do it over, and over, and over again!

What about you? Have you done any new dances this week that were a big hit?

Jack in the Box

2010-03-17T09:32:00.002-04:00

The 2 year olds at the preschool love the jack in the box dance. They start inside their box, and then when it's time.....SURPRISE! They love it, it never gets old to surprise Miss Maria. Teacher hint: I use it as a transition from sitting to standing. It works really well!

Do you have a favorite transition that your students never get tired of?

Skipping Square Dance Style

2010-03-15T20:02:00.006-04:00

Today before creative movement I was thinking about skipping. It is my goal that 4 year olds be able to skip by the end of the year. For some kids this is really difficult, and for some it seems so natural. I get bored fairly easily if I do the same movements the same way every single week. And you certainly know what that means, if I am bored, 4 year olds are bored!

I came up with an idea on the spot. I usually have the kids sit while their classmates go across the floor. But today, I lined them up like setting them up for a square dance, in two lines. (See picture!) Two dancers move to the top to skip down the middle and the side lines move down a dot until everyone gets to the top to go down the middle. We practiced chasse too, just to get used to moving down a dot. I loved it because EVERYONE needs to pay attention, and everyone is participating. I love to present ideas that includes and manages the entire class at once.

I am sure this idea has been done before, a billion times probably. I was just so happy it worked out like I had hoped. I am pretty sure they liked it too!

What do you like to do to make skipping, chasse, and traveling across the floor fun for the littles? I would love to hear!

(picture via Country Living)

School Performances

2010-03-13T11:03:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was jammed packed full of performances. First, I had a NYCB performance in the East Village. It was a great show and I was happy to see 2nd graders dancing about Robbers, Graveyards, Starwars, and an Evil Forest! Yes, that's what the dances were about!

After that show I traveled up to the Bronx to see my good friend Dena. She is a dance teacher at K-8 school. We met in graduate school and have been good friends ever since. Bonus: Dena went to undergrad in Erie, PA, which is where I am originally from! Awesome, I know!

Dena's show was themed around Women's History, featuring all the dances to music by Janet Jackson! It was truly amazing what she is teaching these kids about dance, performance, and history. I could tell they really love dance, and they really love her! I was so proud to watch her students and I know it's days like these that Dena feels like it's all worth it.

This is a picture of her amazing dance room. I was in awe!

Have you ever attended a dance performance in a public school? What was your experience? I was really happy that I went. Thank you Dena!

Muddy Water Puddle Place

2010-03-10T07:44:00.006-05:00

The muddy water puddle place is so much fun! I use this place to teach borree and saute to my 3 year old ballerinas. We tip- toe through the puddles, we jump in the puddles and splash our friends, and we even roll in the puddles and get all muddy. I think this place really encompasses imagination, movement qualities, ballet vocabulary, and movement that is good for the brain and the body. I try to incorporate all of these into every part of the class. After we have rolled in the mud, we take a pretend shower to wash off all the mud. It is a great way to review body parts. "wash your elbows, wash your neck!"

Since doing this dance, I have found a few dancers not want to do this dance because they don't want to get all muddy! They want to stay clean! So soo cute!

Want to do a dance that will put a smile on your face? Do this dance today! Do you do any dances about rain or mud or puddles? I would love to hear!

(photo via the blasphemous bicycler)

Searching for Stories

2010-03-07T17:36:00.007-05:00

This week I got an e-mail from Barnes and Noble with a coupon for children's books. (half off the second one!) So guess what I have been doing today? Looking up amazing stories to use with my preschool creative movement classes. So so fun, but I must say pretty time consuming and a little difficult since you can't see the whole book. Here are a few that caught my eye!

It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw- I kept going back to this book which means I think I need to purchase it! How fun would this be to go through all the pictures and make the shapes of the spilt milk? From the cover alone I can think of about 10 shapes and 5 dances to explore! I am thinking young dancers would love this! Great visuals and clear objectives. I can't wait to try it out!

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, by: Carol Diggory Shields- A little over a week ago I wrote a post on a dinosaur dance I did with my preschoolers. While I was searching for books I remembered a few people recommending this book in the past. I am thinking the boys class will love it, and perhaps they can help me with all the tricky dinosaur names that I won't be able to pronounce! Hmmm... I probably won't get this by Tuesday. If it makes it, I will try it out next week and report back!

Do you search for books to use with your students? What are your favorites? I would love to exchange lists!

Young Artists

2010-03-04T13:29:00.004-05:00

I like to think of the young dancers I teach as artists. Just like writers and painters, they are dancers that love to create. I am always so touched when one of them (or many of them) bring me a drawing they made just for me. I love to see that they are using their creative thinking and artistic license to create amazing pictures. I know that this dancer was thinking of me when she made this. Isn't it beautiful?

What about you? What have you received from your young artists?

Breakthrough

2010-03-03T15:10:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had a child in dance class completely surprise you? Today it happened to me and the result? A big grin on my face! One little boy in my preschool class has not participated in movement since the school year began in September, but today, TODAY! He participated! He danced a duet, he explored with a prop, and shared his ideas as we made a delicious pretend sandwich! It completely made my day! I hope now this breakthrough will carry on for the rest of the school year! Wouldn't that be just fabulous? I think so!

Have your students made any recent breakthroughs? I would love to hear!

Magic Number 8

2010-03-02T08:51:00.004-05:00

What's the magic number? 8! 8! 8! They scream at me! :)

In my 5-6 year old creative movement classes I have started to prepare them to move on to pre-ballet. Part of this preparation, I believe is teaching them how to do steps in counts of 8. I began by doing chasse across the floor in 8's only. Then I added in two counts of 8. A sequence- Chasse for 4, turn in the hoop for 4, chasse for 4, hold a shape for 4. They loved to count with me and by the end of the across the floor portion, I could tell they were really getting it. I am also trying to teach them to count the music.

A second exercise I have started is putting them in a line (I have been lucky the past few weeks because exactly 8 students showed up! perfect!) and giving them each a number, 1-8. I then call out their numbers down the line. They have to listen for their number and when it's called jump up. I told them to think about Fireworks! It's a great image. I called their numbers a few times in a row, and then faster to see who was paying attention. I then called the numbers out of order! So fun!

What do you do with your students to teach them about counting the steps and the music? I would love to hear!

Ski, Skate, and Snowboard at the Olympics

2010-02-28T22:33:00.004-05:00

I have loved watching the olympics the last few weeks! One night, as I watched I thought maybe I could incorporate some of the sports and movements into my creative movement class! Last monday, we explored skiing, skating, and snowboarding! Here's what we did!

1) Skiing- I explained that it's a very straight type of movement. Arms swing and and knees really bent! Of course they wanted to do the fancy stuff (haha!) We went in straight pathways while making our bodies really straight. It's actually quite a challenge!

2)Next we did skating, the most fun! We stretched our arms, did jumps, and spins. Some of them even tried with a partner! I explained that skaters need to have really great balancing shapes, so they had fun practicing these. I loved seeing all of their ideas.

3) Last we tried snowboarding, which was a little difficult, but interesting. We did lots of bends in the knees and jumps with two feet off the ground at the same time. We also practiced glueing our feet to the floor and doing a surfing motion, moving our bodies forwards, backwards, and side to side without moving our feet. This is very silly but has a really great movement quality!

I tried to dissect the movement of each sport and put it into words that the young dancers would understand. I hope that when they watched the olympics this past week they could see the movements that we did in class in each sport. Even though the olympics are over today, I am thinking we might try this again tomorrow since they enjoyed it so much, and of course there is still so much snow in NYC!

What about you? Did you do any lessons about the olympics with your classes? I would love to hear!

10 Questions at 4dancers Today!

2010-02-26T10:56:00.003-05:00

Have you checked out 4dancers.org yet? Well, I am featured there today, but that is not the only reason you should check it out! It's an amazing blog for dancers, dance teachers, and anyone who is interested in dance. Dancer and Writer, Catherine offers great features and profiles, and posts little tidbits of advice, jobs, and reviews. Check it out if you haven't already! Do not wait another day! You will love it! :)

Hidden Treasure

2010-02-24T20:44:00.005-05:00

I found this great CD on itunes yesterday. It's like a hidden treasure! I have been looking for music to help link all of the ballet vocabulary I have been teaching my 2-3 year olds like FOREVER!!! Bingo! There are 2 great songs on this CD that do just that! There's one that goes through locomotor movements such as marching and chasse, and it also adds in words like battement and saute. The other sings though a stage performance, "tip toe on the stage" then links the ballet movements together to make a dance.

I don't like to use these songs to initially teach the steps to the dancers, but I believe it's a great addition to my class and will hopefully become a favorite to the girls! :)

What about you? Do you use any songs to link your ballet steps together for your young dancers? I would love to hear!

(Wake Up and Wiggle, By: Melissa Barnett)

Dinosaur Dance

2010-02-23T16:58:00.004-05:00

Have you ever done a dinosaur dance? I did one today! I am fortunate to have a class of all boys in one of the clubs I teach at the preschool! It's great, because of course it's such a contrast from what I teach in ballet class with all girls. I love to hear the boys ideas- their imaginations go on for days, and can make up an entire story in about 3 minutes flat.

The boys loved the dinosaur dance, after all it was their idea! They asked me if we could do a dance about dinosaurs. I told them that I might even have a dinosaur song(amazing!) I found it, but first I wanted to make sure we talked about different kinds of dinosaurs and what their contrast was. Do they fly? Make the ground shake when they walk? What do they eat? How can we show little dinosaurs vs. giant ones. They loved it, and so did I! It's such a new way of moving and creating! Thanks to the boys for making my day!

Think Spring- Shape up your week!

2010-02-21T19:16:00.004-05:00

I always feel so anxious on Sunday nights thinking about all that I have to do in the week ahead. Do you?I had the idea to write about it and thought maybe that would make me feel better. Plus, I am really looking forward to spring, so I thought I would post a delightful picture to make you think about beautiful flowers. New York is supposed to get another snow storm this week. (yuck!) I hope it's not true. Time will tell.

Let's see, here is what's in my schedule this week. Tomorrow I have a really fun Olympics lesson planned for my creative movement classes. I will write about that tomorrow. Tuesday I start new ballet classes at the JCC and I am meeting a friend for dinner to talk about the life of a dance teacher. I always love gaining insight from someone who shares a similar life. Wednesday seems to be a normal day, with a little extra babysitting thrown in to support eating lunch daily. Thursday and Friday I start at a new school for City Ballet. I always love meeting new kids and teachers. They usually love to meet me too. Thursday I plan to take ballet class, an addition to my schedule that I hope will be routine every Thursday evening. I even got some new leo's and tights to feel more like a dancer/dance teacher! YAY! I also have a new gym membership that I hope to try out this week.

That seems to be the shape of the next 5 days! What does your week look like? Anything fun? Anything you are dreading? I would love to hear!

P.s. I started something new this weekend, reading for pleasure! I know it sounds so simple, but it makes me feel good and gives me an outlet besides thinking about dance all the time. (not that I don't LOVE to do that) I am reading The Happiness Project... I highly recommend it! I already see and think about things differently! :)

Prop Shopping

2010-02-19T17:48:00.007-05:00

I have been feeling a bit down today, I think I am sick of winter! Anyone else? While trying to pull myself out of the slump, I thought I would do some fun prop shopping! The props I use are really wonderful but I have been using them for a while and I think the kids are getting used to them. I thought if I could find something exciting and new, it might help put a smile on everyone's face!

The hoops above you can assemble together! Perfect for someone like me who carries all the props around! What creative props do you use?

(props from Oriental Trading Company)

A Ballet Book

2010-02-18T10:15:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, one of my students brought in this book that she bought at the bookstore. I loved that she brought it in to share with her friends at class. She left it and I keep forgetting to give it back to her, I promise I will give it back! While it has been in my possession, I have been deconstructing it. These students in the book are older than the dancers I teach in my ballet class, but I love the way it takes the dancer through a dance class. Stretching, the positions, the barre, and across the floor are all shown in the book.

It shows the importance of practice at home, getting ready for a recital, and it connects fairy tale stories children read before bedtime to ballet. (ex: Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake)
I would love to write a book like this someday. I have always wanted to write a children's book! Have you ever thought about writing a book about your expertise? Ahh, another goal to add to the list!

(Book by Jane Feldman)

Leading the JCC Dance Department- Young Families

2010-02-10T11:54:00.004-05:00

Hello my dear readers,

I am writing to fill you in on a new development in my dance career! I have been hired to lead the young families ballet classes at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan! I am so excited to begin this new journey! I am looking forward to building the program and becoming "the talk of the Upper West Side." If you know anyone or you are someone who lives in NYC and you have a little one, I would love to have you!

You can find the list of my new classes here!

Writing a Description of your Class

2010-02-08T20:07:00.007-05:00

Have you ever tried to write a description of a class you have designed and teach? I have recently had to describe my classes in a paragraph or less. Not easy!!!! I thought I would share some ideas on how to write a successful description--

1) First I wrote down descriptive words (just words) that I might want to include.

2) I took the words from my curriculum- my goals of what I address in each class.

3) I then tried to build sentences with the descriptive words.

4) I constructed it in a way that someone was writing it about me and the class.

5) I had many drafts but finally got to something I was happy with.

6) Last I had a mom who has had her daughter in my class for over a year look at it. She offered great insight!

The challenge is to not sound to "dance teacher" and use words that someone that doesn't know about dance can understand. I also wanted it to sound interesting, leaving something to be desired. It's hard to describe in just a few words. What would you say about your class?

Here is the final description I ended up with:

Join Miss Maria for a ballet class that will inspire both girls and boys to dance. In this unique ballet class, dancers are introduced to ballet positions and techniques that will build a strong foundation for years to come. Dancers emerge into confident soloists, develop locomotor skills, and learn songs for appropriate stretching of the body. Miss Maria's approach is innovative and encouraging for young dancers with big imaginations. Each week this class travels on a new adventure and always offers a smile! Leotards, Tutus, and ballet slippers welcome!

What do you think? Do you have any tips on how to write an AMAZING description of a class you teach? I would love to hear!

Ballet for Young People

2010-02-06T14:45:00.003-05:00

This morning I got up bright and early to be at an event at the theatre for New York City Ballet. It's called Ballet for Young People. For as much of it as I could see they showed all level dancers- starting at age 8 all the way through the older dancers who are in School of American Ballet. They showed an audition so that kids coming to see the show could prepare and see what one is like. It was also interactive where the audience could stand up and do the positions with the dancers on stage.

It was so awesome to watch, and really amazing to be behind the scenes of everyday in the theatre. Things like, the costume shop, the crossover, lockers, and even just seeing the sets for Sleeping Beauty up close was amazing! I feel very lucky to be a part of such a great company and organization!

Did you do anything this weekend that made you excited about dance? I would love to hear!

Featured on Dance Advantage Today!

2010-02-05T19:26:00.003-05:00

Have you checked out Dance Advantage yet? Today, Move. Create. Educate is featured! Dance Advantage is a great resource for dance teachers, parents, and students. It offers great advice and addresses many important issues for dancers. Check it out and subscribe, you will look forward to it showing up in your inbox!

Thank you Nichelle for the amazing write up! xo

Back-up Plan

2010-02-05T07:23:00.004-05:00

Do you have a back-up plan? Well I learned the hard way a few days ago when my ipod completely stopped working.(Eeeekkkkk!) It was shuffling and wouldn't play in my speakers. Oh my goodness, what a mess! I got to the preschool and was so sad I couldn't use music for the kids. They of course were so sad too. I assured I would have music next week. They were happy with that. I was going to be out all day and had ballet class later on that day. I went to the apple store where they fixed it, but of course had to wipe out all my music. It's restored now, and all my music is back on.

For my ballet class, I used one of the amazing mom's music whose daughter is in the class. I put together a playlist really quick of the kids music she had. It worked fine, but of course I didn't have the usual music and that made for a different class. A few things I noticed:

1)The kids really love the songs we do every week. Repetition really does work. They know the words and LOVE them. If we don't do them, they can't understand why. I did a lot of singing A cappella. It was so fun! (haha)

2)Without repetition it throws everyone a little bit off. I found they were all a little off, including me! I tried really hard, but I understood.

3) It was good for me to develop something on the spot. I had to come up with some different things, adding to the curriculum in a very short time.

Lesson Learned!! Have a back-up plan! I wonder in this time of technology how it's even possible? Maybe a back-up CD? Then I have to carry around a cd player!?(haha, oh my) What are your back-up plans for your music? What do you do in the last second if something happens to your music and you have to make something up on the spot? I would love to hear!

Shadow

2010-02-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

So today was Groundhogs Day! It snuck up on me this year, but when I woke up this morning I decided to develop a lesson I could do with the littles about shadows. It's hard to show without a sun/light to help but I am pretty sure the students understood what shadow is. They also talked about Groundhogs day in their classrooms so I thought I could support that lesson. I had the 3's stand behind each other and as they moved their shadow moved too. Similar to mirroring but not facing each other. It was a great start to a really fun lesson! I would love to add a book next year and maybe a song? Anyone have ideas to share? Did you do anything to celebrate groundhogs day? I would love to hear!

Hula Hoops Hula Hoops

2010-02-01T21:15:00.005-05:00

Hula Hoops! What a wonderful prop! Have you ever used them? I usually wait until the second half of the year to bring out the hoops because I need the kids to be great listeners to make it safe and the most fun! Today was the day! They LOVED it! Here are some ideas we did with the hoops for ages 4-6 across the two classes:

1) See how still we can be standing inside the hoop

2) Play DJ- Turn on and off the piano by stepping inside and outside the hoop. (so silly!)

3) Freeze dance- I give them specific words to dance around the hoops and a specific shape to make inside the hoop when the music stops. ex: sneak around the hoops- make a twisted shape inside.

4) Drive the bus! Make it the steering wheel.

5) Look in the mirror- (This is hilarious!)

6) Directions- Stand behind/in front of/on the side

7) Right and Left- Put your left hand in the hoop

8) Simon Says- I let the students say what Simon said, it reminded me of twister!

9) Hokey Pokey

10) Hula Hoop! (of course)

What about you? Do you do anything fun or special with the hoops? Do you turn them into anything fantastic? I would love to hear! The kids already asked me if we could do this again next week! I guess it was a big hit!

Playing Catch Up

2010-01-30T08:43:00.004-05:00

This past thursday was a new semester at Mark Morris. I was very excited to see what students return but I was also anxious because I knew I would be getting new students. I thought a lot about what to do if I got new students in my class of tappers (ages 6-7) who have now have taken tap with me for 3 months. What a challenge! Here is what I did...

1) I paired up the my "new friends" with a tapper who has been in the class. I called them my helpers.

2) We did the class as usual, but I had my helpers teach them how to do the steps. I told them to say the steps out loud first! It works!

3) I went around to each pair and made sure they were on track and offering help to the new friends.

One thing that surprised me: My "old tappers" were saying very encouraging words to their partners! "Great job, you got it!" It made me so proud that they were being supportive of each other.

I think it's really difficult for both the new students and the continuing students. I know I will have to do something else in a few weeks so the continuing students don't get bored. However, I don't want to loose the new students either. I told the new students they have to work really hard to catch up.

I am curious to know what you think about adding kids to a class in the middle of the year? Do you have any tricks you use for catching students up quickly? I have thought a lot about this one, I would love to hear your ideas!

In the meantime movecreateducate...

A 1st Grade Ballet

2010-01-28T13:57:00.003-05:00

This morning I had a performance with my first graders in Queens! We danced about Gingerbread people, Africa, Snow White, and a Vegetable Garden! It was so much fun! The students were so excited, they invited their parents and the K's and 2nd graders in the school to watch. It was a great day, and I was so proud of them! I love the looks on their faces when they feel so accomplished! They all had that look today! I wanted to post the the card one of the classes made me and I also got a special surprise!

p.s. I took video of the performance and I can't wait to share them with you!

"I'm not a very good dancer"

2010-01-27T07:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in movement club (an after school option for three year olds to sign up for) I teach at the preschool something really striking happened. It was the new day of the semester, so I had some new kids join the club. There was first a little boy who sat down and wouldn't do our stretching and songs with us. I said, "you can join us whenever you want to" he said "I'm not a very good dancer." My jaw dropped! After that happened I thought to myself, he's just saying that. Once he sees what we do, he will join in.

Later, another girl came late to join the club, she was on the wrong list. She looked so excited to join and I was so happy to have her. We were moving across the floor, dancing with scarves and I saw that she was just standing. I said "come dance with us" and she said "i'm not a very good dancer." When she said that my I was so sad. Remember, this girl came in later so she never heard the little boy say the same thing.

I didn't think 3 year olds could ever think that. They are so care free with such big imaginations. I am just wondering where this is coming from. All I could say was "yes you are, we are all learning how to dance together."

The point of the club is to be creative and MOVE! My heart hurt to hear both kids say that. I am just curious what you think about this? Have you ever had a child say this to you? What would you have said?

Costume Sketch

2010-01-25T07:38:00.008-05:00

Last week, I introduced my second graders to costume sketches. It was so much fun and they loved it! I told them to think of the character they are in their ballet we are creating. I asked them to imagine what that character would wear, what color, what props? They asked if they could just draw the pieces or if they needed to draw themselves in the costume. I told them either way it is considered a costume sketch. Here is a sample of a few great ones that I picked out. I can really tell what they are thinking their character would wear. I will use these to get costume ideas for the performance in a few weeks. What a great way to include the students in the this part of the project! Have you ever had your students do costume sketches? How did they turn out? I would love to hear!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Parents Day

2010-01-23T08:30:00.005-05:00

This past week was the end of the fall semester for my tappers (ages 5-teen) at Mark Morris. Parents Day for me= excitement and anxiety. I love to give the students the chance to show their parents how much they have learned. This parents day was a bit different for me though, many times the parents are nice but not very interactive. The parents were so supportive, they clapped after every child showed a step. They laughed when something was funny, AND they thanked me afterwards for all my hard work and how much I taught them in such a short period of time. It really made me smile and I was so proud of the kids! Of course, the kids didn't talk the whole time like they usually do, they are so chatty! We moved through the class pretty quickly and I was able to end the class a few minutes early so I could get some feedback from the parents. I hope they sign up again next semester!

What about you? Do you ever have parents day for any of the classes you teach? Are the parents supportive and excited? Do you get nervous? I sure do. Do the kids act differently? That question might be a no brainer, but I am just curious! I would love to hear!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Happy Friday!

2010-01-22T07:08:00.002-05:00

Wednesday when I showed up at the preschool, I was greeted with all of these pictures from my two year olds. It made my day! I thought I would share them with you! They said "it's you Ms. Maria, it's you" Do you think it looks like Ms. Maria? ;)

Assessing your Teaching- One Class at a Time

2010-01-20T09:05:00.006-05:00

Do you ever assess yourself teaching a class? I believe it is just as important as assessing your students. Last night I tapped myself teaching a ballet class to my 3-4 year olds. I came home and watched it back. For the most part, I was happy to see what I look like and sound teaching these girls. Here is what I noticed...

1) I expect them to be good listeners. (they usually are!)

2) I say "are you ready?" and "here we go" way to much.

3) I give the girls a lot of compliments and smiles!

4) I dance and move with them, so important with the littles.

5) They want to be close to me and show me everything. I always respond!

Have you ever assessed yourself teaching? What did you find? Did you change anything after you you watched yourself? I would like to do this again in different types of classes and with different age groups. I think it's a great way to become a better teacher and a simple way to improve the little things that teachers say and do. Try it out... You might surprise yourself!

(photo by Kiasa Carini)

Aligning with a Preschool Curriculum

2010-01-17T13:43:00.005-05:00

Every week I spend the majority of my days with the preschool age group (my absolute favorite!). This year I have worked hard to align my curriculum for movement with their classroom curriculum. The teachers hang their curriculum outside their classrooms each month and I make sure to read what will be covered and see if I can support any of it in movement. I do research such as scanning the classrooms, looking at bulletin boards, and asking the teachers if there is anything specific they want me to work on. I inspect the library to see what new books are displayed. I have observed their gym classes, and have talked to the music teacher about what he does in his program.

Much of the curriculum at preschool is about taking turns, waiting, following directions, and of course the saying "you get what you get, and you don't get upset." I encourage these whenever I can. One of the classrooms I enter does a color of the month. Every month they pick a color and explore all the things that are that color. I make sure to incorporate this into movement so they get the curriculum from every angle. In addition to stretching, breath, and body parts I introduce a lot of following directions songs, ABC's, numbers, and many movement words. I like to also use books and props! This keeps their attention and exploration fresh.

These are just a few ideas of how I align with curriculum. It takes some research on my part to be aware of what is happening in the classrooms. At this age it's important that they get a well rounded education, but one that fits together well and makes sense.

What about you? Do any of you try to align curriculum with classroom teachers? Add on to a unit they are exploring in another subject or do a project on a topic they have covered? I would love to hear your ideas, even if you work with older kids!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Shhhhh! -Making the Dance Room Quiet

2010-01-15T17:40:00.011-05:00

Friday is the day I become a teaching artist (smile). Today, I worked with second grade on ballet stories for a mini performance they will do in February as their culminating project. The last few times I have gone I have noticed that the students have a hard time moving their bodies without moving their mouths. Now, I know that this is pretty challenging for young kids, but by second grade I would hope they could grasp the concept that we don't talk in a dance. I tell them that a dance is told with our bodies, not with our mouths. Todays classes got me thinking about different quiet signals and things teachers use to get their students quiet and ready to listen. Here are some things I have tried:

1) Hand up over head- peace sign with fingers

2) Drum

3) I will wait...

4) Clap a rhythm

5) Lights off

6) Shhh Shhh Shhh in a rhythm

7) Thank you _______(name) for listening

8) I like the way _____ (name) has a calm body and is waiting for what I will say next...

9) Excuse me- This is me being louder than you...

10) Show me your best listening body.

I am sure there are a million more! A great teacher of mine once told me that a loud dance room is a learning dance room. I completely agree, but I also think that an important lesson for students is to learn, make, teach and perform a dance they have to be able to move their bodies without moving their mouths.

Do you do anything special to get your kids quiet? A saying, a signal? Do you sound like a broken record every class? Do you change signals for different age groups? I would love to hear! Sharing what you use might be so helpful to someone else!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Flip

2010-01-14T19:32:00.007-05:00

I am considering purchasing a flip video camera to document my work with New York City Ballet and Mark Morris. I think it would be nice to have my own library of dances and stories I have worked on. I have never taken video of any of my work with my students, so I think it might be a nice change, and just maybe a little addicting!

Do any of you have a flip? Do you use it for your classes and performances? Just curious to see if this is popular among dance educators?!

Quotes worth a Smile

2010-01-12T22:35:00.005-05:00

These past few days in class with the littles have been full of smiles!! I love when they say something that sticks with me for a few days. Thought I would share a few with you, in case you are in need of a smile!

At the very beginning of creative movement class I start with emotions. We make all the faces we can think of, happy--sad--silly--surprised! My favorite one lately has been a sleepy face! They think it's hysterical, so while I pretend to sleep they all scream at me to WAKE UP! It's so fun! One of the little boys in the class says "Ms. Maria, you can't sleep now! You are supposed to teach us how to dance."

Today in ballet class I was so excited to see some of the little girls I haven't seen since before the holidays. They were so excited to be at ballet. The moms say they couldn't wait to bring them to ballet because they drive them nuts talking about ballet class. One mom says "she's obsessed!" haha. Anyway- I was telling them that they made my day and that I was so glad that they were there. One little girl responds "We are so glad you are here too, Ms. Maria." The cutest right?

Did any of your students say anything that made you smile this week yet? I would love to hear the cute things your students say! I am sure they are worth a smile too!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Star Wars: What my students are talking about . . .

2010-01-11T20:40:00.004-05:00

Hello my dears . . . I'm curious, what are your students talking about these days? To my surprise my students are talking about (you guessed it) Star Wars!! Now it's time to ask me if I know anything about Star Wars . . . answer - nope, not a thing. So tonight, here I sit, studying the characters and of course how they move.

Today we traveled to the mysterious (to me) land of Star Wars. I tried to have the kids explain it to me, they did a good job, but I still want to study it for myself. I had promised a little boy that we could travel there today (which, I forgot about). Some of the girls resisted until I told them there was a princess in Star Wars. The boys wanted to dance with guns (hmmm, guns?). I tried to tell them they could be robots or dance with the light sabers (light sabers? is that what they are called), but they were not buying it.

I am wondering how exactly we can do a dance about or in the land of Star Wars? Have any ideas? I would love to hear...

P.S. Did you have any idea there was a cartoon about Star Wars? I never knew this!! (Big thanks to Dan for clueing me in on this one!)

Teaching with Another Teacher

2010-01-09T10:59:00.005-05:00

Many times in a week I push in to a classroom to teach movement or visit a school as a teaching artist to teach ballet. I also have many times in a week that I have my own classes and there is not another teacher present. I am thinking I like my own classes better, but I was wondering about what can make collaborating with a teacher easier? Here are some of my observations...

*Most of the time teachers already have quiet signals, floor spots, rules, and words they use in every class that the students are familiar with. Even if the teacher does not tell me what these are (even if I ask) I still try to pick up on the words and tones of the classroom. This helps me adapt to what the students already know. It keeps it consistent and easy to follow for the students.

*Another challenge I find as a teaching artist is creating goals. Of course as a teacher, I have goals for my students. BUT since they are not "my" students, I try to keep the goals broad. I am positive that the teachers have their own goals for their students in their dance room or classroom. Even if we discuss these before hand, it takes time to adapt to the goals of their classroom. I try to focus on just one at a time, once we have mastered one goal, we move on to the next. Example: Doing a ballet warm-up without talking (this is hard for 2nd graders to do, just saying!)

*One more challenge for me is knowing the students- 1- There are so many of them I can't learn their names in the short amount of time I am there. 2- I don't know their behavior history and if the classroom teacher is not helpful with discipline, it's hard to get anything accomplished.

Do any of you push into a classroom or dance room? Are you a teaching artist? What challenges do you face with the teacher or the students? I find it more challenging than having your own class of students. It seems to me though that having one more teacher involved should make it easier- Right? Not so much! Maybe it's time to leave the teaching artist world?

I would love to hear your ideas on this!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Create a Dance with Symbols!

2010-01-07T11:36:00.008-05:00

On Monday in my creative movement classes I introduced Motif symbols to my 4 and 5 year olds. I know what your thinking, isn't it a little advanced to ask them to remember all the symbols and the movements? It is actually so easy, and they love it! They can create their own dance using THEIR movement based on the symbols. Here is an example:

This symbol is shape (they think it looks like an apple, which it does!) Make a frozen shape!

This symbol is balance... we try to balance on many body parts (it's a very silly)
Then we try to put some of them together- Wiggle and Travel at the same time! So fun!
Connect and Turn (woah tricky) They love to come up with different ways to move and connect!
We then put them all together and we have created a dance!

With my 5 year olds I introduced the symbols of levels (high, medium, low) We add those to the symbols above. Make a low shape- Travel in the middle- Wiggle up high!

Have you tried using symbols with your students. I find that no matter how many times I use them, the kids never get bored, because we can always make a different dance. There are a bunch of other symbols you can find here if your students are older or really picking it up! As you can see I just hand drew them on paper... easy easy! We can never have enough ways to explore movement. Try it out!

Winter Ballet Classes

2010-01-06T15:23:00.006-05:00

Hello my lovely readers,

I hope you have had a chance to check out my new website! Yesterday were my first ballet classes at Realbirth in Hell's Kitchen in NYC! I thought I would give you a glimpse into what the space looks like! It's a great space for ballet and is a very nurturing space for mommies and their babies to take a fun ballet class! Enjoy!

Here is the board outside on the sidewalk!

and this is the chalkboard by the front desk! (See Maria's Movers at the bottom? yay!)
This is the big upstairs studio that I use. It's so gorgeous!

If you are in NYC and have a 2, 3, or 4 year old, come check it out! You are always welcome!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Launching Maria's Movers Website!

2010-01-05T18:44:00.004-05:00

Maria's Movers Website is up and live! I would love to hear your feedback on what you think about it! I am so happy with the way it speaks about my classes! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! xoxo

p.s. lots to talk about this week! More coming soon...