Each year my 5th graders build a dance together before graduating. It’s a process fraught with difficulties , but the end result is a real high: they come together to share their work. One year, my 5th graders performed a medley of dances, which included a dance from every continent. Most were dances I taught […]
Entries Tagged as 'why dance matters'
Why Dance Matters: it’s a respite for body & mind
April 21st, 2010 · Comments Off · why dance matters
Third graders are learning dances about clapping for their end-of-year performance now. Their first dance is d’hammerschmiedsgselln (that’s duh-ham-mair-shmeets-guh-seln, I’m told), which has a great clapping pattern for a quartet. I dragged them through learning it last week, and now that they finally have it, they love it. The second is the Virginia Reel, which […]
Why Dance Matters: it’s fun!
April 21st, 2010 · 8 Comments · why dance matters
Ely arrived mid-year, straight from the bilingual orientation center, which meant he was barely beginning to understand English. He agreed to step inside the dance classroom on two conditions: his shoes & socks would stay on his feet & he would watch from 6″ inside the door. The intervention specialist stayed with him, in case […]
Why Dance Matters: it’s for yourself alone
April 19th, 2010 · 2 Comments · why dance matters
When Rosedah and Rita started dancing in kindergarten, in their hijab, they were both lively & enthusiastic. But as time passed, they internalized the disapproval of their particular community, a fundamentalist faith which discourages music, dancing & the artistic representation of the human form. They always participated, but in a reserved way — gestural instead […]
Why Dance Matters: it nurtures our better selves
April 18th, 2010 · 4 Comments · why dance matters
David was another reluctant dancer. A fifth grader, new to the school, he was pretty hostile to both teachers and students. A loner, he swore, picked fights, and lashed out at whoever was nearby. David blossomed late in the year as a dancer — inside a full-length stretchy bag. From the safe anonymity of the […]
Why Dance Matters: it’s contagious — in a good way
April 17th, 2010 · Comments Off · why dance matters
Fifth graders at my school, who have danced since kindergarten, generally accept dance — like recess or PE or math — or the air they breathe. But when transfer students make their first trip to the dance classroom, they often look like they’ve landed on Mars without oxygen. Geo was one such 5th grader, clearly […]
Why Dance Matters: it transforms
April 15th, 2010 · 6 Comments · Uncategorized
Join the discussion about Why Dance Matters here & here. Here’s one of my thoughts… & I have almost as many more such thoughts, as I’ve had students! When Tiffany arrived in my class as a 5th grader, she often refused to take her place in class, or even take off her coat. Standing against […]