This is an archive. I have retired, and dancepulse.org is no longer being actively updated. If you have questions about old posts or dance education, please contact me via email.

dancepulse

make your day dance

Entries Tagged as 'Uncategorized'

A single clear teaching point

January 10th, 2010 · 5 Comments · Uncategorized

With my classes cut to 30 minutes this year, it’s been more important than ever to define a single clear teaching point for each class, so I’ve taken to writing on the board the kernel of learning I want the kids to grasp. I start with it, I teach to it, & I end with […]

[Read more →]

Tags:····

Holiday dances? Which holidays?

December 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized

Holidays in the public schools… now there’s a topic with little agreement!  There are proponents for including all of them… for celebrating the most visible… for distinguishing between education & celebration… for celebrating none… There are legal opinions, personal opinions & curriculums… Many questions, but no prefect answer. When I was growing up, holiday projects […]

[Read more →]

Tags:··

The logistics of low-key

December 16th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Uncategorized

Last year’s winter performance, scheduled for just about now, with a performance in the afternoon for the kids and another in the evening for families, was snow- and ice-stormed out. So this year, we decided on a low-key performance: Audience: the kids Performers: instrumental musicians & anyone who wants to contribute. This afternoon.  Low-key, but […]

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Dancing through thick and thin…

December 9th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized

November was a challenging month, and I’m still looking for December to work some special magic.  Upheaval and turmoil aside, the daily schedule continues… 25 kids, 8 times a day, five days a week… sometimes I wonder how. But classes get planned, executed, tracked & reflected upon. ‘Cause appropriate instruction is the difference between order […]

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Dancers are changing the world step by step

November 29th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized

This lovely story, via Anne Green Gilbert, deserves to be passed on — along with her greeting, which is the title of this post.

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Probably not today

November 11th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized

Thoughts abound, but time is scarce. No classes today, but plenty of work: email, upcoming conferences, journals to read. Probably no blogging. Meanwhile, having me at home makes the cat frisky.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Eddie Uehara: Dance Quotes

November 9th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized

Here’s a good excuse for a smile, no matter what else is going on… via Corey Mahoney, most recently

[Read more →]

Tags:

Learning about dance & autism, or what to do when you don’t know what to do

October 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Autism, Uncategorized

With an expanded student population this year, my schedule is pretty crazy — 40 classes per week with 5 different plans per day. Also new is that I serve two self-contained classes of autistic students. Given no previous experience with autism, I’m reading up on it, but I’m also doing a fair amount of learning-on-the-run, […]

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Creating a time & place for flow

October 25th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized

Last Tuesday, my fifth graders clicked into flow, despite the frantic limitations of this year’s 30-minute classes, and it crossed my mind that I might survive. Cause flow is why I teach & what keeps me going. Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or […]

[Read more →]

Tags:···

Groove your bump!

October 19th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized

Early, early dance ed… Via Maya Soto

[Read more →]

Tags:··