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!
For our pre-school and primary classes our 20+ year tradition is a reverence to "If You Believe" from the Wiz that culminates with each dancer creating their own personal bow. Last year at our June recital three of my graduating seniors pulled a lovely surprise when, for their self-choreographed piece, they performed a beautiful work to "If You Believe" and encorporated a section of our traditional reverence. Needless to say, I was a sobbing mess of pride :oD
ReplyDeletewww.adancersdream.net
www.tagdance.net
That's great Beth! How nice it was for them to surprise you! Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteThat's such a great question! I always feel awkward saying, "See ya next week!" For ballet we do a reverence or free dance so they know it's the end. But for Tap and Hip Hop??? It's always a struggle for me.
ReplyDeleteFor tap, I have started to gather them in a circle, put on fun music and review the steps we practiced or learned that day. Then I ask them, what they will practice over the week. Maybe for hip hop you could do a spin off of that. :) Just an idea!
ReplyDeleteTo end my creative classes it is almost always jumping out the door but every now and then I ask them to make statue shapes. I then go to the parents and tell them to come and choose a statue to take home. If possible the statue should keep its shape when picked up but there is always lots of laughing and excitement so it is usually ends with a big cuddle and they leave.
ReplyDeletehaha Roz! I love that idea! :) How cute!
ReplyDeleteWe sit in a circle and one at a time, a child will go into the middle and do their favorite dance move/step from class.
ReplyDeleteFor my little ones I sing "The more we get together." Maria, I got that one from Barbara Bashaw!
I love Roz's idea of statues and parents picking the kids up. Great way to incorporate parents and how fun!
hi maria! i've been a bit of a lurker for the past few months ever since discovering your blog! i recently started teaching dance, gymnastics, and creative movement at a gym for kids in philadelphia--and i LOVE the work! every time we end a preballet class, we give the kids scarves and have them do a "goodbye dance" or solo; our creative movers and tumblers all have a goodbye song we sing to signal the end of class--then everyone gets stamps for a job well done!
ReplyDeletei did have one request (not that you asked), but i was thinking after reading your potty parade post, if you could offer any tips or tricks that you have for helping to reign in the 'attention span parade' so to speak--you know, where one kid quits paying attention and then it ripples through the whole group! when this happens, i find it is pretty hard to get them all focused back together without being mean or angry, and i don't think that's the best way to go (or the way that elicits the best response, either). so any advice from a pro like you would be great--please consider doing a discipline/attentiveness centered post for educators like myself!