From Blog Director Jill Randall:
I am happy to share my recent article about adding movement to storytime sessions with young children and families. Read it here:
http://ideas.demco.com/blog/adding-movement-to-storytime/
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Category: Book Lists
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Dancing During Poetry Month: Firefly July
Yesterday I got to stop into one of my favorite independent bookstores in the US, The King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. The new poetry compilation, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems, was on display.
The book jumped out at me for various reasons:
- Melissa Sweet's artwork is colorful and whimsical.
- I am always looking for new poems to use within dance classes.
- I love poetry books that are categorized by seasons.
- Upon a quick browse, I knew the content evoked a sense of "magic and whimsy."
Paul B. Janeczko has compiled a strong collection of very short poems, perfect for 3rd-6th grade dance students. Poets include: Eve Merriam, Robert Frost, Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser, and Joyce Sidman. The brevity of the poems will lead to movement studies as well as a series of vignettes within a larger class, that could be strung together for a performance. For example,
Spring
Rain beats down,
roots stretch up.
They'll meet
in a flower.
-Raymond Souster
Melissa Sweet's illustrations and color scheme can also easily inspire costume selections.
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Alphabet Series: The Letter D
When you and your students explore the letter D, some of these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.
D is for Dancing!!
Exploring the letter D is the perfect time to gather up all of the wonderful picture books about the art form of dance. Check these out from your local library and find great deals on used books on amazon.com.- Dance - Bill T. Jones and Susan Kuklin
- Dance! – Elisha Cooper
- Let's Dance - George Ancona
- I am a Dancer - Pat Lowery Collins and illustrator Mark Graham
- Dance with Me – Charles R. Smith Jr. and Noah Z. Jones
- Dictionary of Dance – Liz Murphy
- Alphabet of Dance – Barbie Heit Schwaeber and illustrator Damian Ward (Smithsonian Institution)
- Mabel Dancing – Amy Hest and illustrator Christine Davenier
- Dancin' in the Kitchen – Wendy Gelsenliter
D is for Down
I am always on the lookout for books about prepositions. Up, Down, and Around (Katherine Ayres and illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott) is a great exploration of prepositions as well as plants.D is for Digging
I recently wrote a blog post for the Book to Boogie Blog about Emma Garcia's book Tip Tip Dig Dig. This playful picture book explores the actions of construction vehicles. Find out more here.D is for Day
One of my favorite alphabet books is Ida Pearle's A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play. The actions in the book include: catch, jump, open, and view. Use the book as an opening warm up with your students, exploring our everyday movements. Then, how can you string several of these together, add music, and make a dance?———————————-
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My Article in The Horn Book Magazine – Now Online
I am happy to share the link to the article I wrote for the January/February 2013 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. Like this blog, the article is about children's books on dance.I look forward to reading your comments!
What Makes a Good Book about Dance?
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Book List: Over, Under, Around, and Through (Prepositions)
Above, around, beside, below, on, off, and under. I love exploring prepositions in preschool and K-2 dance classes. There are many options with books. You might extract out the prepositions, and create a movement phrase (like with Tana Hoban's Over, Under, and Through). You might play with different parts, dividing the class into two to explore the "above ground" and "under the ground" ideas (such as in Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner).
- Over, Under, and Through - Tana Hoban
- Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins
- Star Climbing - Lou Fancher, with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
- Over and Under in the Snow - Kate Messner, with art by Christopher Silas Neal
Please leave a comment if you have other book recommendations, that are rich with prepositions.
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Book List: Animal Inspiration
Over the past year, I have written several posts about animal books. Today, with a stack of books beside me, I wanted to share a compiled list for you. Some of the books have text that can lead to a dance. Others are simply beautiful visuals to use as inspiration and springboards for projects.Ages 2-5
- Swing! Like a Monkey by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback
- Wiggle! Like an Octopus by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback
- Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
- Into the A, B, Sea by Deborah Lee Rose, with artwork by Steve Jenkins
- In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
- In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Grades K-2
- African Animals ABC by Philippa-Alys Browne
- Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
- Into the A, B, Sea by Deborah Lee Rose, with artwork by Steve Jenkins
- Down Down Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins
- Living Color by Steve Jenkins
- Zoo-ology by Joelle Jolivet
Grades 3-5
- Panorama: A Foldout Book by Fani Marceau and Joelle Jolivet
- Zoo-ology by Joelle Jolivet
- A Zeal of Zebras by Woop Studios
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Resources for Teaching Dance
Find out more at: Luna Dance InstituteOccasionally I will highlight on this blog resources for dance teaching artists, and resources helpful for anyone who wants to incorporate movement into your classroom. The children's books recommended on this site are to supplement, enhance, enrich, and inspire your dance curriculum.
Visual and Performing Arts Standards for PreK-12
There are national, and state specific, sequential dance standards. Here are links to standards from the National Dance Education Organization and the State of California:
Books on Teaching Dance
There are only a handful of books on teaching dance, and many I have read, used, referenced, and recommended year after year over the past 16 years. I highly recommend purchasing some of these for your own bookshelf.
Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert
Body, Mind, and Spirit: A Teacher's Guide to Creative Dance by Patricia Reedy
Dance for Young Children: Finding the Magic in Movement by Sue Stinson
Step by Step: A Complete Movement Education Curriculum by Sheila Kogan
Wonderplay by Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman
Wonderplay, Too by Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman
Books on Arts Education
Framing Education as Art: The Octopus Has a Good Day by Jessica Hoffmann Davis
Why Our Schools Need the Arts by Jessica Hoffmann Davis
Variations on a Blue Guitar: The Lincoln Center Institute Lectures on Aesthetic Education by Maxine Greene
Here's to a great start of the new school year, and more dancing!
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Opening the School Year
One of the things we choreograph a lot, as teachers, is that first class of the new school year. Today I would like to share some of my favorite books for preschool-2nd grade students.
One of these books might be a part of your "intro" with a class on the first day. Or, you might lend one of the books to the preschool teacher or classroom teacher with which you work. He/she could read the book to the students prior to coming to your dance class.
Great choices for preschool students:
Dance with Me by Charles R. Smith Jr.
I am a Dancer by Pat Lowery Collins
Let's Dance by George Ancona
Selections for K-2 students:
Dance by Bill T. Jones and Susan Kuklin
To Be an Artist by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko
Let's Dance by George Ancona
I am a Dancer by Pat Lowery Collins
I hope that your fall planning is going well!
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Boys Dancing
Today, I wanted to share my favorite books that are about male dancers. While I love books that include both boys and girls, I do want to highlight boy-specific books today.
Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls and Michael Hays is a joyful book for students 3-6. The child and his mother explore many ways of walking around town (tiny steps, zig zag steps, etc.). The book is a great exploration of pathway, as well as the concept of parent/child moving together.
Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen and Kadir Nelson is a wonderful male version of Twelve Dancing Princesses. I suggest this book for children 3-7.
One of my all-time favorite books on dance features the modern dance choreographer Bill T. Jones, simply entitled Dance. Bill T. Jones and Susan Kuklin created the book together. The text is such a beautiful, simple introduction to modern dance. Over the past ten years I have read this many a time to students in kindergarten and first grade. The photos of a strong male dancer are wonderful examples to my young students. I have used the text and images in the book for springboards for activities in K/1 classes. (The book is out of print but you can easily find used copies online.)
Last, I would like to highlight 3 biographical/autobiographical books of famous choreographers Alvin Ailey and Jose Limon, as well as dancer Savion Glover:
Alvin Ailey by Andrea Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Jose!: Born to Dance by Susanna Reich and Raul Colon
Savion: My Life in Tap by Savion Glover and Bruce Weber
If you have other favorites of books with male dancers, please leave a comment and I will gladly create a second post with further suggestions.
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Back-To-School List #2: K-5
I hope that this list will inspire and help librarians and K-5 teachers to build a great dance book collection this school year. Here are my "top 20" books. Out of print books can easily be found used on amazon.com at reasonable prices.
20 Great Books for K-5 Students
1. On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC - Rachel Isadora
2. A Young Dancer: The Life of an Ailey Student - Valerie Gladstone and Jose Ivey
3. Beautiful Ballerina - Marilyn Nelson and Susan Kuklin
4. Let's Dance - George Ancona
5. Alvin Ailey - Andrea Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
6. Dance - Bill T. Jones and Susan Kuklin
7. Modern Dance - Andrew Solway
8. Dictionary of Dance - Liz Murphy
9. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring - Jan Greenberg and Susan Jordan
10. Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon – Susanna Reich and Raul Colon
11. Dancing Wheels – Patricia McMahon and John Godt
12. Dance! – Elisha Cooper
13. Alphabet of Dance – Barbara Heit Schwaeber and Damian Ward
14. Ole Flamenco – George Ancona
15. Brothers of the Knight – Debbie Allen and Kadir Nelson
16. Drumbeat in Our Feet – Patricia A. Keeler
17. I am a Dancer – Pat Lowery Collins
18. Ballerina Dreams – Lauren Thompson and James Estrin
19. Isadora Dances – Rachel Isadora
20. Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year - Kate Waters, Madeline Slovenz-Low, and Martha Cooper
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