Month by Month: March

In the midst of competition season and as the push toward recital time begins, you may be feeling your classes could use a bit of fun to break up the “blahs.”

March offers some opportunities to try something a little different. Here are some ideas:

A Night at the Oscars

Sometimes new accompaniment is all that is needed. Use movie soundtracks and classic cinema songs to spice up your classes one evening this month.

For fun, you might host an awards ceremony during the last 15 minutes of class – this could be your own version of “paper bag” awards… the presentation of silly or teasing award categories with low-budget trophies (like paper bags). The point is not to hurt anyone’s feelings, though, so create your awards with care. Encourage your students to dance their acceptance speech, and be sure to cut them off before they are finished!

You could even try some choreography inspired by last week’s Academy Awards dance segment.

St. Patrick’s Day

This holiday is coming up soon! You might use any music connected with Ireland (Riverdance, U2, Clannad) or the color green during your classes on or during the week of March 17th.

Why not try some Irish dancing? You can find an introduction to the basics at E-how. Or, better still, hire an Irish dance teacher to conduct a class.

World Meteorological Day

My husband is a meteorologist so this March 23 day of recognition (spearheaded by the World Meteorological Organization) stood out for me. You can do a lot with a weather theme, including everything from song choices (Singin’ in the Rain, It’s Raining Men, Here Comes the Sun…) to dancing about weather, water cycles, and more.

I own and have used these two books by Thomas Locker with dance classes to build choreography as a group. They feature poetic reenactments of the water cycle (Water Dance) and an introduction to cloud-types (Cloud Dance) accompanied by beautiful illustrations. With clouds that march, drift, and burst, and statements like “I grow ever wider, broader and deeper. I am the river.” The descriptive language lends itself to movement.

You may also want to check out this Weather & Wind Dance lesson plan from the Kennedy Center’s Arts Edge website.

Women’s History Month

March is also Women’s History Month so this is a great opportunity to educate your students with a little history lesson. Introduce through books, film, photos, or words, dance visionaries and groundbreakers like Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Martha Graham, Maria Tallchief, Anna Pavlova, Janet Collins, Eleanor Powell… and so so so many others! In my post 9 Biographies for Students, some of these women are covered in books for juvenile readers.

Print or photocopy photos of a few legendary women in dance to informally post on the walls of your studio with small index cards highlighting their life and contribution to dance. Allow students to peruse the gallery and encourage them to practice spotting pirouettes with Pavlova’s picture or chassé toward Eleanor Powell. At the end of the class, week, or month quiz your dancers on these dance luminaries.