Dancing Words Blog

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  • Dancing Towards Halloween

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    Today I would like to highlight two playful books of monsters and skeletons, to add to your Halloween collection.

    The 2013 book Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters, by Jane Yolen and illustrator Kelly Murphy, portrays some very busy monsters. The text will engage 4-7 year olds. "Monsters stretch. Monsters twirl. Monsters catch. Monsters hurl." The action words in the book vary from some easily danced and improvised ideas – hopscotch, teeter, totter, stretch, and twirl. Other words are very literal – eating, playing with balls, etc. 

    I would suggest reading the book to your group and then pulling out the strongest movement options to make a dance or improvisational activity. Exploring monsters can lead to talking about big/small, heavy/light, and slow/fast. 

    With Halloween Hustle, the 2013 book by Charlotte Gunnufson and illustrator Kevan J. Atteberry, your preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade students will get in the Halloween spirit. With rhyming words and repetition, a skeleton dances (and keeps falling apart) around town.  

    The dance ideas include:

    -toe tapping

    -twisting and shaking

    -shuffling and scuffling feet

    -high hops

    -jumping

    -shimmying, swinging, and swaying

    Playing with the repeating words – "Bones scatter! What a clatter! Spine is like a broken ladder!" – the text can inspire exploring falling to the ground or "falling apart movement" from high to low (and angular actions). Teaching students to safely fall to the ground is a great skill, and they love falling.

    For both of these books, find some classic Halloween music, whether it is "Monster Mash" or the "Fossils" section of Carnival of the Animals (great for skeletons dancing).

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    For more Halloween ideas, please click on the subject "Halloween" in the column to the right.

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  • Dr. Seuss Books (Even With Middle School Students)

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    I love the Luna Dance Institute's TwitterMoves project on Twitter - 140 characters to convey a movement idea or warm up. Over the past few years, I have used the tweets numerous times with students in grades 5-8. I encourage dance teaching artists working with middle school students, high schoolers, and even college students to follow the Luna Dance Institute on Twitter, and to explore these cool movement activities within your classes. These short posts can inspire a warm up, group exploration, or even a concept for a full dance.

    A post from last week was:

    TwitterMoves679: Select your favorite Dr. Suess Book, pick a page and dance to it; play w/ realism, abstraction, rhythm, invention.

    This morning, I quickly gathered a stack of Seuss books at our school's library. In my 7th/8th grade Dance Elective course (which has a theme this fall of dance and technology), we explored "inspiration from the internet." I printed out the tweet for the students.  

    In small groups, the students selected a book and used the language of the Twitter post to make a short movement sketch. We worked for about 10-15 minutes and then shared.

    You can easily try this out with students in 4th/5th, middle school, or even high school. My middle school students dove right in.

    Check out the Luna Dance Institute on Twitter. This TwitterMoves post in particular was a perfect blend of language and movement.

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  • Firebird – by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers

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    I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book! The book brings together two powerhouses – the professional ballerina Misty Copeland and children's book author and illustrator Christopher Myers.

    Copeland created a poetic text to highlight the story of an older dancer encouraging a younger one. The book affirms the power of believing in somebody and her potential. It is a timeless message, and we always need more books on this topic. In the world of children's books on dance, we still need so many more books that portray children from a variety of backgrounds, showing that dance and the arts can be in their lives and in their future. Children want to see themselves in a book and relate to the characters.

    Misty Copeland is an important figure in ballet in the United States. She is only the third African American soloist to perform in the American Ballet Theatre.

    Myers's signature artwork – I believe a combination of collage and painting – just adds another layer to the power and beauty of this picture book. It is a must for your library collection.

    Check out Firebird today!

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  • Rupert Can Dance

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    For me, it is always a tough sell to use books about dance with animal characters. Some dance teachers love this….I am more of a skeptic.

    This week, the imaginative cartoonist and author Jules Feiffer has won me over! This is now one of my favorite children's books for 2014 – a book entitled Rupert Can Dance.

    Let me begin by describing the illustrations – excellent capturing of movement and the energy of dancing. This is seen in both characters – the young girl and the cat.

    Second, the storyline is just fun, and with a great message. Mandy is a girl who loves to dance, and her cat Rupert eagerly watches her. While Mandy sleeps, Rupert secretly dances. One day this secret is discovered. Mandy, excited, wants to teach Rupert about dancing. He does not want to be pushed into learning from her — a common feeling of many young students who want to do something on their own terms. With some "reverse psychology," Mandy gets Rupert to show her some moves, and then he opens up to experiencing dancing together. 

    Check out Rupert Can Dance for the artwork and the positive message of the story.

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  • Deer Dancer

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    Deer Dancer is a playful and sweet addition to our dance book collections.

    The book brings together an author and illustrator I love. Mary Lyn Ray also wrote the book Stars, which is a beautiful story to explore in dance classes with 3rd-5th graders. (My 7th and 8th graders even made a dance based on the story.) Lauren Stringer  also illustrated the unique and informative book When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky.

    In Deer Dancer, a hesitant and awkward young dancer finds a quiet place outside to dance, explore, and build confidence. She meets up with a deer, and a playful dance dialogue ensues. The story actually captures many wonderful ideas around confidence, being a dance student, and finding a place in our lives to “try ideas on.”

    For schools that use the social-emotional curriculum called the Toolbox Project, I think this book can be a nice addition to your program and conversations with students.

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  • The Bunnies are Not in Their Beds

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    For many dance teaching artists who work with preschool and kindergarten students, we have an  improv that has a format like the following. Whether it is statues in the garden, or toys in a toystore, the students pretend to be still when we — the gardener or store owner — come by. When our back is turned, the students come alive and dance all around. The students LOVE these dance games.

    I recently found another story that can inspire a new take on this improv. The book — The Bunnies are Not in Their Beds — tells of bunnies who are put to bed for the evening but keep getting caught playing in their rooms. In the story, the bunnies play with trains, cars, horses, and instruments. You can riff off of each idea and get the students scooching on the floor, galloping, marching, and more. 

    Check out The Bunnies are Not in Their Beds by Marisabina Russo.

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  • New Resource for Dance Teaching Artists

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    From Blog Director Jill Randall:

    I am excited to announce my new book, with co-author Valerie Gutwirth,

    Dance Education Essentials: 55 Objects and Ideas for New Preschool-12th Grade Teaching Artists.

    This pocket guide provides valuable information and tips for new dance teaching artists. Subjects include: getting work, caring for your body, supplies for teaching, scheduling, and much more. The book can be purchased online at amazon.com.

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  • Feature on the Stance on Dance Blog

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    I am honored to be featured on the Stance on Dance Blog this month. To read the full post, click here.

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  • Inspiration and Ideas for the Upcoming School Year

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    Books about dance, and books that can inspire dance explorations, are very special finds. Over the past 3 years, I have highlighted and categorized many books that can be used year after year, with timeless ideas.

    As you plan for the upcoming school year, check out the categories on the right side of this blog page. For example, click on "seasons" or "pathway."

    Best wishes as you prep and plan for the 2014-2015 school year!

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  • Lupita’s First Dance/El primer baile de Lupita

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    I was excited to see this book on display at the library this summer. It is a great story to share with kindergarten and first grade students. With beautiful watercolor illustrations – and text in both Spanish and English – Lupita's First Dance shares a story about a young girl in first grade.

    Lupita's class is learning "La Raspa" for an upcoming performance. Excited about the dancing, costume, and performance, Lupita is an eager, young dancer. The night of the event, unfortunately, Lupita's partner does not show up. This is a common problem to juggle with young students – what do you do if your partner does not make it to the final performance? 

    Lupita bravely performs "La Raspa" as if her partner was there. She was proud and loved performing. The message of Lupita's First Dance is a great one to discuss with young students.

    Lupita's First Dance is by Lupe Ruiz-Flores with illustrations by Gabhor Utomo.

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