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  • Book List: Over, Under, Around, and Through (Prepositions)

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    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).

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    Please leave a comment if you have other book recommendations, that are rich with prepositions.

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Grandmother Winter

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    Are you a K-5 dance teaching artist looking for inspiration as you wrap up the semester, and maybe make a dance to celebrate winter? I encourage you to check out Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root, with artwork by Beth Krommes.

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    Grandmother Winter is a magical character that is interacting with the animals, creating snow, and more. "When the days burn down toward the longest night Grandmother shakes her feather quilt. Flake by flake the snow begins to fall." You, the teacher, could be the narrator of the story, with your whole class dancing the story. Students will move like feather, animals, and snow. I love the idea of the students shifting shapes, qualities, and ways of moving. 

    I think the book can be a fresh take on the theme of "winter" in your classes. 

    As for music, one album I am loving right now is with the beautiful sound of kora and cello, Chamber Music by Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal (available on iTunes).

  • Book List: Animal Inspiration

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    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

  • Bea at Ballet

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    I am a huge Rachel Isadora fan. A former dancer herself, Isadora has written many books about dance. (K-2 classroom teachers could do a whole author study about her and her dance books.)

    Her new book, Bea at Ballet, is a wonderful book for curious young boys and girls interested in ballet. Children ages 2-4 will love reading this book with you. Don't be deceived by the cover; the book is a great new take on the subject of the children's ballet class. The text and images share details about attire in a class, the music accompaniment, positions of the feet, actions of the feet, and more.

    Enjoy!

     

  • Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary

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    Today's post is not a typical book listing on the Dancing Words Blog. But, for readers who are excited about the intersection of words and dance, check out this book. Descriptionary can be used as a springboard in dance classes with students in grades 3-12 as well as college.

    This "thematic" dictionary of over 600 pages is list upon list of words. There are lists of clouds, dinosaurs, cooking terms, and key words for sports such as basketball and boxing. There is lots of movement potential. Look up a category, review the list of words and definitions, and be creative with using the words as a starting point for a movement project. 

    Descriptionary is the kind of "reference book" to keep handy on your studio bookshelf.

     

  • Water Dance…Cloud Dance…Mountain Dance…

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    Thomas Locker's three picture books – Water Dance, Cloud Dance, and Mountain Dance - are great springboards for group dances with students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.

    The use of the word "dance" refers to the changing of states, forms, and rises and falls within the natural world.

    Water Dance is a book with poetic language. Each page describes a different form of water:

    I wind through broad, golden valley

    joined by streams,

    joined by creeks.

    I grow ever wider,

    broader and deeper.

    I am the river.

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    Cloud Dance also describes different forms – this time not water but clouds – with descriptive language. Students in small groups, trios, or duets can create phrases for each page.

    Fluffy summer clouds

    march 

    in the blue sky.

     

    Gray clouds 

    with golden fringes

    block the streaming sunlight.

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    Last, Mountain Dance explores the land and volcanoes, folded mountains, mountain ranges, types of erosion, and more.

    All three books are a beautiful blend of art and science. The books could be a great starting point for a collaboration between dance teachers and science teachers. 

     

  • Wiggle Like an Octopus

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    Wiggle Like an Octopus is a great addition to the category of "animal action books." This board book, by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback, can be enjoyed at home with a parent and child, in a parent/child dance class, or in a preschool dance class with children ages 2-5. 

    The simple, direct text will get the students up on their feet quickly. "Can you scurry like a crab? Sway like a starfish? Swoop like a seagull looking for fish?"

    Purchase the book here. 

  • Numbers on the Move

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    I very much enjoy Theresa Benzwie's Alphabet Movers, and now I also love her 2011 publication Numbers on the Move. I was very excited to stumble upon this book, as I have a similar number based warm up I love to do with young ones.

    Mark Weber's illustrations of a diverse group of children are joyful and playful. I very much appreciate children's books that show a variety of young boys and girls dancing. 

    The simple premise of the book will lead to a fun warm up in an parent/child, preschool, or kindergarten dance class. Both dance teaching artists and classroom teachers will find this book fun and easy to use.

    As we begin to count, there is a movement idea with each number:

    One stretch

    Two slides

    Three jumps

    The book goes up to number 10, and counts down again.

     

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Symphony City

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    If you liked the book The Conductor, featured in this Magic and Whimsy Series a few weeks ago, then I think you will like Amy Martin's picture book Symphony City. 

    This is Martin's first book, and it is lovely and quirky at the same time. For sophisticated dance teaching artists working with students in 3rd-5th grades, check out this book.

    Symphony City is composed of sparse, poetic verse and gorgeous artwork of a girl in a city and the "music" that surrounds her. The text refers to the music of the city – literal music and also the music made by our world. 

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    I think that this book will be a great springboard for a class dance with many layers to it. Use the book for inspiration for your music choices, use of color with costumes and props, and let the text lead the way for movement ideas. I encourage you to use the actual text, with a live narrator or recorded voice.

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  • Kathleen O’Byrne: Irish Dancer

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    Today's book recommendation is a fun read with students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

    Kathleen is a girl who loves to dance, and loves to Irish dance. She auditions for a feis (daylong Irish dance competition) but does not get selected. She goes home disappointed, but decides to put on her own "show." 

    I love this book because it is a relatable topic for young ones, and a great way to start conversations about disappointment and alternatives. 

    Purchase it here through Powell's Books:

    Kathleen O'Byrne: Irish Dancer