Dancing Words Blog

Category: Magic and Whimsy

  • The Starkeeper by Faith Pray

    Book cover

    Are you a teacher who works towards culminating projects in December (ie end of fall semester, end of the calendar year)? Are broad themes of hope, light, and darkness recurring themes in your classes? Then check out the latest book written and illustrated by Faith Pray, The Starkeeper. This book could lead to a wonderful project with students in 1st-5th grades.

    The world is dark and gloomy, and then a little girl discovers a star (ball of light). She tries to show it to others in the community, but people express little interest at first. It starts to dim and diminish. Then she figures out how to truly share it with others and bring this light (and hope) to more people.

    Dance teaching artists – use the book as a springboard to build a special new group dance with your class. Consider an illuminating prop, like battery operated tealights. I am thinking of the electronic piece "The Light" by The Album Leaf as well for music accompaniment. We need more dances about hope and kindness right now!

    Book

     

  • Taking Time – By Jo Loring-Fisher

    Photo 1

    Oh, I love this new book, Taking Time by Jo Loring-Fisher. "Taking time to listen to a bird's song on the breeze. Taking time to gather up the blossom dancing free." Those are the first two lines in the book.

    This expansive book can be explored with a wide range of ages – preschool through fifth grade. Read the book and explore time and all the ways we talk about it in dance, and how we feel time. "Take your time." "All of the time in the world." "Take the time you need."

    Explore duration, felt time, an internal sense of time. Play with feeling rushed, hurried. Move very slowly, slow, medium, fast, very fast.

    Then, instead of using the exact words of Taking Time, what if each student wrote their own line, riffing off of the book? What if your group dance came from these words and personal connections? (Ex. Taking time to stretch my arms as long as they can be…Taking time to give and receive….)

    As for music, may I suggest Michael Wall's composition "Clouded Street Sign?" It is #2 on the album Mix 2. You can listen to it in its entirety here.

    I dedicate this post to Joni Urry Wilson at Tanner Dancer in Salt Lake City, who taught me nearly 23 years ago how to take a book and make a magical project with it. Thank you Joni. Her lesson during my Dance for Children course has inspired so many lessons over the years since she first showed us how to use Caretakers of Wonder.

    Photo 2

  • What Color Makes Your Heart Sing? (For K-3 dance classes)

    61jQABVuemL._SX497_BO1 204 203 200_

    I am always on the lookout for books for dance classes – to explore colors, emotions, and also poetic text to narrate a group dance. What Color Makes Your Heart Sing? (Margot Vance-Borland and Ari Vance-Borland) is reminiscent of an older book, Caretakers of Wonder. Check out this 2016 book if you work with K-3 students. 

    The text lends itself to small group work, students selecting their favorite sections, props, and more. 

    Some people come on the blue wave. They love oceans and sky and blueberries in the summer. They like to lie on their backs and look up at the blue, blue sky.

    Some people come on the green wave….nourished and fed by the green hillsides and trees. Standing in the forest with bright green sprouts poking out of the ground.

    Some people come on the pink ray…they love roses and little pink flowers that line the path where they dance. When they see pink, they feel happy inside…

    Very quickly – you get a sense of the text and its tone and movement potential. 

    I also envision a beginning section of a group dance and a similar ending section. Students can have long pieces of fabric or scarves, and they travel across the space color by color. We see a wash and wave of red….blue….green…etc. Shape their traveling phrases to include locomotor and axial movements. 

    Music ideas include:

    • "Toufoula" by Ballaké Sissoko, Driss El Maloumi, and Rajery (3MA album)
    • "So Long Lonesome" by Explosions in the Sky
    • "Walk in the Sky (Instrumental)" by Bonobo
    • "Clocks" by Vitamin String Quartet (cover of the Coldplay song)

    Other books with a similar tone and movement potential include:

    ————

     

  • Now by Antoinette Portis

    Th-5

    After reading a bookstore's write-up about this book, I recently checked out of the library Now by Antoinette Portis. For those who teach dance to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders — the text is magic and whimsy to inspire a heartfelt dance project involving a variety of actions and playful ideas.

    I would suggest using the whole text and narrating the book for your students as they move.

    The main character in the book highlights her favorite activities and items from moment to moment. From a dance perspective, how do you move and respond with each new idea? I see lots of potential here.

    This is my favorite breeze.

    This is my favorite leaf.

    This is my favorite hole (this one) because it's the one I am digging.

    This is my favorite mud.

    This is my favorite worm.

    That is my favorite cloud because it's the one I am watching.

    Th-6

    Check it out as you plan for your fall semester! Also check out other titles in the "Magic and Whimsy" series to the right – picture books to use as springboards for group dances and culminating projects.

    ——————

     

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Touch the Brightest Star

     Images

    Are you looking for new inspiration for a final dance/presentation in the coming weeks? If you teach students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade – check out Christie Matheson's latest book Touch the Brightest Star. 

    Magic happens every night. It happens everywhere – from sunset to sunrise. It happens even when your eyes are closed. 

    So begins the book. 

    With each page turn, you will explore the actions of fireflies, wind, owls, and stars. The words are easy inspiration for movement.

    With your students, you can narrate the dance, directly reading the text. Develop movement phrases or an improvisational structure for the dance. 

    An idea for music is "Oscarine" by kora player Ballaké Sissoko and cellist Vincent Segal.

    ——————– 

     

  • The Stars are Waiting

    Imgres-1

    While the book The Stars are Waiting is about 15 years old, the story is new inspiration to me. I recently stumbled upon it at the library. The text will inspire an improvisation or a dance project with students ranging in age from preschool through 2nd grade. I think the text beautifully pairs with exploring stopping and moving – dancing and freezing – with young students. It also lends itself to exploring shape, pathway, and entrances/exits.

    Over the hill, behind the moon, the stars are waiting…

    Waiting for wrens to quietly gather,

    Waiting for squirrels to cease their chatter. 

    Waiting for sparrows to end their flight,

    Waiting for day to fade to night.

    I feel that you could easily use the entire text for a project. Use the text to inspire solos, small group sections, or whole group dancing. The Stars are Waiting is being added to my list of "magic and whimsy" books to use with students in Prek-5. 

    The Stars are Waiting is by Marjorie Dennis Murray with illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers. Purchase a used copy here.

    ——————

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Rise the Moon

    Unknown

    I am a big fan of illustrator Raúl Colón and was excited to recently stumble upon the book Rise the Moon (with author Eileen Spinelli). This story can serve as inspiration and a conversation starter with a wide age range – preschool through 5th grade. What do we do under the light of the moon?

     

    Encourage your students to each come up with an original idea - What do you want to do under the moonlight? What is the imagery? Potential dance steps and action words? What is the movement quality and speed?

    As the teacher, you can capture the ideas on paper. Students in grades 3-5 can write their own ideas.

    String the concepts together to create a beautiful score for an original, unique dance project. You can even use moon-related music, such as "It's Only a Paper Moon" (various versions).

    ——————

  • Dancing During Poetry Month: Firefly July

    DownloadedFile-2

    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.

    ———————-

  • Still Time to Get This Book for a Valentine’s Day Dance Class

    Unknown-1

    My copy of Eric Telchin's See a Heart Share a Heart just arrived today. My 7th graders are excited to explore it next week in dance. I think the book can be used with a wide range of ages, with students in grades K-8. 

    Telchin photographed hearts found all around us – light that made the shape of a heart, plants, twisted items, and much more. But, the real inspiration for a dance class will be the poetic language:

    See a heart

    Share a heart

    Catch a heart

    Keep a heart

    In the text, approximately 20 different verbs are used. The language is rich with movement potential and many creative interpretations of the words (change, touch, share, tend, warm….). 

    You still have time to find copies, new  and used, through Powell's Books and Amazon.com. 

    ———————

     

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: There

    Imgres-2

    For seasoned dance teaching artists who love multi-layered dance projects, check out the picture book There by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick. This book can be used with a wide range of students in grades first all the way up to potentially middle school. 

    When will I get There?

    How will I know? Will there be a sign that says, "Here is There?"

    Will it take long to get There? Till tomorrow? Till next week? Next year?

    While you probably will not make movement directly with the text, the text can be a nice layer on top of a dance about journeys, travel, wishes and dreams, questions, and "what's next." You could record the text or narrate it live. 

    ———————————–