Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education
In a fruitless search for open ballet classes accepting adult students in her upstate NY hometown, Alissa stumbled upon Zumba classes as a way to unwind from finals, get moving, and personalize the goals of the workout program to fit my own dance goals.
Music educator, composer, philanthropist, and youtube sensation, John Jacobson has choreographed for “mobs” of dancers, including the staff and crew of the Ellen DeGeneres show. Get John’s tips on how to stage your own flashmob and learn more about his true life’s work and positive message.
Dance improvisation is a movement skill that involves creating and executing movement without any premeditated choreographing, as well as a dance form that takes practice to master just like any other. For those new to improvising, here are some words of advice that can help in any situation where you may be asked or required to make up movement on the spot.
Dr. Renee Rothman, a dancer and cultural anthropologist, share 13 books that address the human meaning and experience of dancing in cultures throughout the world. Selected because they are easy for general audiences to read, these texts cover dance throughout history, Modern Dance, Jazz Dance, and Social Dance in America, Latin Dance, Middle Eastern Dance, and dance in China. Expand your dance library or your horizons with this reading list.
Alexandra Langstaff has been teaching creative movement and modern dance in Vermont for over 20 years. She spends the majority of her time in pre-schools, elementary schools and day care centers. She shares her Top Three Props with DA readers because they saved her when the electricity went out, the iPod quit and the cute speaker system wasn’t loud enough.
The 411 on The Bar Method as founder, Burr Leonard chats with me about this unique full-body fitness program, its relationship to dance and with dancers, and of course, Black Swan (which they celebrated during a promotional partnership in March). Also, our own Lauren Warnecke tries a class in Chicago and lets you know exactly what she thinks.
Jenn Romano works with high school dance students and in two after school dance programs for at risk youth. Jenn’s Top Three comes directly from her work, teaching dance composition in New Mexico high schools. She uses these “games” to practice improvisational skills as well develop student-generated choreography in her classes.
A review of Vagnova Ballet Academy’s Character Dance Class DVD (availability courtesy KineticFlix.com). Plus, additional resources for teachers on DVD and CD and more articles and blog posts to help you “get into Character”.
Process-based exploration of movement is actually great preparation for, and an integral part of the art form of dance. But do you have parents that just don’t get it? Here are some strategies and ways to cope with this frequent frustration of creative dance teachers.
Halloween time is exciting for children and with a little focus and extra preparation it can open up creative possibilities. It can a starting off point for your students to let their imaginations fly like a magic broomstick soaring around the moon!
To illustrate this, I ask my students to become aware of how their body feels as it works against gravity. I ask them to put their hands above their heads and then to be still. I remind them, “you are in charge of your body,” “your brain tells your body what to do,” and then we wait.
wing Dance was born out of American jazz in Harlem in the late 1920s through the 40s and is now being cultivated in more than fifty foreign countries. Capturing the peak moment in dance is a challenge for photographers. Being a dancer myself, I listen to the music and know when that split second will occur.
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