Dancing Words Blog

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  • Moving with the Waves

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    This week I referenced the wordless book Wave by Suzy Lee. It inspired me to think more about ocean waves and how you can develop several dance lessons on this topic this summer.

    Ocean waves are a creative way to explore up/down, calm/chaotic, forward/back, wavy pathways, and more.

    I would recommend buying or borrowing photography books of ocean waves to explore with your students, such as:

    Swell: A Year of Waves

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    I also encourage you to show the students the famous Japanese painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Search the library for books on Japanese art.

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    Studying ocean waves and the movement of water is a great summertime exploration with students in 1st grade through 5th grade.

  • Summer Idea For a Dance Class with 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Students

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    I have always been curious about wordless books. Today I am proposing an idea to try within a sweet summertime modern dance class (maybe with 4-10 kids enrolled).

    I would head to your local library and gather some great wordless books. Give each student one to read and experiment with. How can this book be a springboard for a dance? What story does each student see in each book? 

    I tend to find that wordless books frequently have a nice sense of whimsy. I pulled off of my shelf today:

    Wave by Suzy Lee

    Dreams by Peter Spier

    Little Star by Antonin Louchard

    Yellow Umbrella by Jae Soo Liu

    I hope that this idea is a fun springboard for the summertime.

     

  • Denise Fleming Books for Dancing

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    I love Denise Fleming's two books, In the Tall, Tall Grass and In the Small, Small Pond. These two books work beautifully with kids ages 4-7 (preschool, kindergarten, and first grade).

    The books are filled with action words describing a variety of animals. There are many options with the books. (Both books are structured in the same way.) In a smaller class of 10 students or so, each student can have his/her own "solo" improvising on one of the pages. Another option would be to read the book from start to finish and have the whole class improvise with each page. Or, you could pull from the text to make a list of about 8 action words to create a short dance together.

    I bet these two books will be easy to find at your local library, or use the hyperlinks above to purchase copies through Powell's Books.

    Happy summer!

     

  • How To….Ballet

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    While browsing the children's dance section this weekend at the library, I found a new book on ballet. I am quite selective about children's ballet books, as way too may perpetuate stereotypes about ballet and only little girls dancing.

    Today I would like to recommend the 2011 DK book How To…Ballet. In the common DK aesthetic, the book contains clear photos of young children (both boys and girls) dancing. The titles are clear and interesting. The book covers "ballet basics" – hair, shoes, posture, positions of the feet, barre work, and more. 

    This book is a nice gift for a young person curious about ballet, and a good book to keep on your bookshelf at your dance center for students to enjoy before classes. It could also be a quick reference book in a ballet class, to show a visual to students when talking about steps such as passé, développé, and pas de chat. 

     

  • Suggest Some Themes for Summertime

    Dear Blog Readers,

    As we prepare for summer and teaching classes and camps, I welcome your suggestions and questions. What are your themes for summer? I will gladly make the postings in June and July to share ideas around these themes. 

    Email ideas to jillhrandall@sbcglobal.net (h in the middle).

     

    Sincerely,

    Jill 

  • Rockets

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    I am the mother of two boys, and they have loved the idea of rockets over the years. I recently found a fun board book called Rocket Town by Bob Logan. The book will easily inspire 3, 4, and 5 year olds to soar into the air, move slowly, move quickly, blast off, and land. Use the book in a preschool dance class as a springboard for improvising and exploring rockets. 

     

  • Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

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    I am excited to try out this new book. For creative dance and modern dance teachers, the idea of "a spiral" is an important concept in the body and moving in space. 

    Joyce Sidman's book Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature is a beautiful book of poetic language and rich artwork to inspire multiple explorations of spirals in our own bodies, with a partner, and pathways in space. From the book….."A spiral is a growing shape. It starts small and gets bigger, swirl by swirl."

    I would recommend this book for students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. 

    For Bay Area dance teachers, the following public libraries have a copy.

    Berkeley

    Oakland

    Alameda

    San Francisco

  • New Book for the Little Ones

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    Today I would like to recommend the new book I Love to Dance by Anna Walker. This book is a great read for a parent and child. The language and images are perfect for 1-2 year olds who love to move.

    Ollie is a zebra-like creature. He loves to dance in various ways – quietly, loudly, twirling, and jumping. 

    Families can read the book aloud and then try some of the movements themselves.

  • Remembering Maurice Sendak

     Almost a year ago Gigi Arrington wrote a post about using Where the Wild Things Are in dance classes. I thought today would be a perfect day to repost it, as we think of Maurice Sendak when hearing of his passing. Sendak is considered one of the most important children's authors and illustrators of the twentieth century. 

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    I first met Gigi Arrington in 1997 when I was teaching at her daughters' elementary school in Salt Lake City. Gigi has been the Educator Director for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company for many years. That year, she created a dance with her daughter's third grade class based on the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes. I believe it was based on the book Sadako by Eleanor Coerr and Ed Young. Fourteen years later, this dance sticks with me – its story and the beauty and elegance of seeing young people dance this tale.

    I invited Gigi to write a post here on books in her dance classes over the years:

    I've used many books in my 34 years of teaching dance to children. My teaching mentor was Dee Winterton who was a master of inspiring children to move.  I watched him teach two books — Giant John and Where the Wild Things Are and those experiences helped set my own teaching philosophy.Where the Wild Things Are is my favorite children's book to use in teaching. I learned something quickly when using books to teach dance; just because it says "dance" in the title doesn't mean it is a good book to use to teach dance. Dee taught me to look for a book with movement potential —words that generate and inspire children to explore with their bodies. I love challenging children to show me what "mischief" looks like in their eyes, their fingers, their elbows, their knees. How does mischief move? Max goes through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost a year–great space words for children to experience through movement. And who wouldn't want to roar and gnash and roll? And finally–THE WILD RUMPUS!! The pictures for the rumpus are the inspiration; not a word is needed. I love this book. I think it is important for children to know that being "wild" is part of growing up; and that you are still loved after you make mistakes . . . "he found his supper waiting for him  and it was still hot!"

     

     

  • Jazz Age Josephine

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    I was excited to find out about the new book, Jazz Age Josephine, in a recent NY Times Sunday book review. Accomplished author Jonah Winter and illustrator Marjorie Priceman share the life story of dancer Josephine Baker, who lived from 1906 until 1975. As mentioned on Wikipedia, "Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer."

    While the rhyming text feels forced at times, the book is still a valuable addition to American dance history and more specifically African American dance history. 

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