Dancing Words Blog

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  • Alphabet Series: Launch

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    About 10 years ago, I wrote a book about teaching the alphabet through dance. I am going to edit the lessons one more time and publish it in 2014. Stay tuned!

    In the meantime, I will share here on the blog some of the books that are referenced within my book. I hope that you will find these books to be inspiring springboards for activities as well as extensions to lessons.

    I believe that teaching the alphabet through many different modes – movement, writing, reading, drawing, etc. – is invaluable to reach all kinds of learners and to teach one of the most fundamental concepts to young children.

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Infinity and Me

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    I read a review of this picture book a few months ago, and finally found a copy at the library this week. If you are searching for a new concept for a modern dance class with students in grades 3-5, check out this book!

    Infinity and Me is written by Kate Hosford and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska (a favorite of mine). It shares the story of a young girl poundering and discussing the question of infinity. The text, artwork, and concept are all magical. With students in grades 3-5, you can explore the movement concepts of repetition, traveling, figure 8 patterns in the air and on the ground, and more.

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    I envision a magical dance that actually has the text read aloud or recorded for the audience to hear. The story will lead to the creation of an exciting dance with your students. 

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  • A Leaf Can Be…..

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    The 2012 picture book A Leaf Can Be…, by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrator Violeta Dabija, is a great springboard for a dance with students in K-3 classes. 

    The rhyming text explores the many actions of leaves on and off of trees depending on the time of year – tree topper, rain stopper, shade spiller, mouth filler….pile grower, hill glow-er, ground warmer, nest former…"

    Whether you choose to use the actual text or to have your students write their own ideas about what a leaf can be, the action words can inspire a rich movement exploration about what leaves do, how they relate to other creatures in the world, and more. 

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  • Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker

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    Keith Baker's 2007 book Hickory Dickory Dock is an extended version of the nursery rhyme. It can be fun inspiration for a new dance or warm up in preschool and kindergarten dance classes. 

    With each strike of the clock – at 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. – a different animal is moving about. Let your imagination and playfulness create a new dance for your students. "Hickory dickory dock, a hare hopped over the clock. The clock struck four….he hopped some more! Hickory dickory dock."

    I am a big proponent for incorporating rhymes into dance classes – for the playfulness of them as well as the rhythms and cultural importance of nursery rhymes.

    Have fun!

     

  • Another Blog to Check Out – Book to Boogie

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    How can preschool story times include movement?

    The Book to Boogie Project offers more ideas for the intersection of reading and dancing. Maria Hanley's recent post shares ideas to explore with Harold and the Purple Crayon. Check it out!

  • Blue Sky

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    Audrey Wood's 2012 picture book Blue Sky might just be the book you are looking for this summer. I already envision multiple ways to use this book with K-5 students. 

    The text is sparse but lends itself to action and imagery. It reads like a poem:

    Blue sky

    Cloud sky

    Rain sky

    Storm sky

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    In your K-2 classes, use the text as a starting point for a warm up you develop, or for a structured improv activity. With students in 3-5, I imagine dividing up the book. In small groups or even solos, students can create a short phrase to represent each page – "rainbow sky…..storm sky…..dream sky…"

    Have fun and play!

     

  • Collaboration

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    Truth be told, only a small handful of children's books on the subject of dance get published each calendar year. I keep a close out for them when browsing stores, libraries, and the Horn Book Magazine and Horn Book Guide.

    This week I was excited to find a new one on the shelf at the North Berkeley Library! And, it is great! The book is When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot by Lauren Stringer. 

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    The book shares the tale of the making of The Rite of Spring, which was a radical piece at the time in terms of sound and movement. "Together they decided to dream of something different and new." For students in grades 1-5, the take away from this picture book is about two artists with inspiration and dreams, who worked together, took a chance, and made art.

    I think this book would be a great introduction to a collaborative project, whether that project is within one class or across grade levels or artistic mediums. Secondarily, the book does an excellent job giving an introduction to the work of Stavinsky and Nijinsky.

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    If your students get excited about this book, you may also want to explore Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan with illustrations by Brian Floca. Ballet for Martha shares the story of the collaboration between Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi to create Appalachian Spring.


  • My Article in The Horn Book Magazine – Now Online

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    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?

     

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: My Mama Earth

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    I stumbled upon this book at Books Inc. in Berkeley this week. I am adding it to my ongoing "Magic and Whimsy" list, of those special books that evoke feelings of hope, wonder, curiosity, and a sense of our place in the world. Frequently, the text in these books can lead to inspiration for culminating projects with students in grades K-5.

    My Mama Earth is by Susan B. Katz with illustrations by Melissa Launay. Reminiscent of Cooper Evans's Caretakers of Wonder, My Mama Earth includes image- and action-rich text such as:

    • "My mama paints the ocean creatures. Adorning them with brilliant features."
    • "My mama sets the birds in flight. She give thems nests to sleep at night."
    • "My mama plants the tiny seeds. She grows the flowers, pulls the weeds."

    Use this book as a springboard for a group project exploring our world and all that Mother Nature has set into motion. This is a great book for a culminating project for December or May/June events.

     

  • Remarkable Animals

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    Today I would like to highlight one of those fun "flip books" where the pages are divided into thirds. Depending on which third you flip, you can create fantastical animals with each variation of the head, torso, or tail.

    Remarkable Animals by Tony Meeuwissen can be a whimsical warm up activity with students in 2nd-5th grades. Use the book as a springboard for group improvs in trios. With each page turn of the book, the group's shape changes. 

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