Heather’s middle school dance students research limitations in dance by mapping phrases, making observations, and finally working within set limitations.
K-12
Happy Slips: Using Competition to Internalize Good Habits?
Heather had mixed feelings about the “Happy Slips” reward system she established in her elementary school dance program, however, a small change that has kids “competing” for slips seems to encourage more personal responsibility in her classes. Learn more about what’s working for Heather.
Acknowledging the Person Before the Dancer
Sometimes as educators we get caught up in the act of teaching and forget the people we are mentoring. Unless the children you have in your studio have a reason to connect to your material, the extent of your reach will be limited and your influence fleeting. Heather provides insight to help you structure your class as a guided experience rather than a traditional lesson plan.
From Questioning to Concert: Making Concert Dance Work
In the era of standardized assessment, there is a lot of talk about “teaching to the test”. While this generally refers to classroom teachers catering content and delivery to what may appear on those standardized tests, there is a fair amount of that happening in the dance classroom, too. What should be an exhilarating adventure […]
Dancer Speak: Re-Thinking How We Talk About Dance
When it comes to talking about dance, there are plenty of possibilities. Sometimes using “real-life” synonyms to the “dancer speak” that we are accustomed to allows kids to see how big ideas relate from discipline to discipline. Dance in the public schools provides an outlet for kids to express themselves but also a way to […]
Warming Up to Engage: Three Options to Get Your Dancers Moving
The role of warm-up progresses as our understanding of dance changes. This is true whether our role is that of a student or a teacher. For many young dancers, warm-up is something to be endured before set free to really “dance” in the subsequent segments of class. For my students, it is what they are […]
