Let’s Get Moving! GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is now closed. Winners have been contacted!

The holidays are coming and I’ve got a gift for you!

‘Tis the season for giving, and giving big. So this time I’m bundling four great giveaway items. Each one presents a unique strategy for inspiring children to investigate different movement forms, including ballet, creative dance, and yoga. Great for families OR teachers, these products encourage creative ways for kids and adults to explore movement together and are sure to spark a child’s interest in the physical practice, art, and delight of moving.

TWO lucky readers will win the “Let’s Get Moving!” package which includes the four products featured below. Parents, teachers, all are invited to participate. All that is required for entry into the contest is a comment on this blog post. Scroll down for additional details.

Up, Down, and All Around

Up, Down, & All Around is structured like a creative movement class and feels very much as if creator Stacey Pepper Schwartz is leading a class in your living room. Over a period of about 30 minutes, Stacey directs her participants and viewers through warm-up, fundamental skill practice and movement exploration. She provides time for students to slow down with some yoga-inspired breathing and balancing, allowing the movers to refocus while building head-tail awareness in the spine and length in the body. The movement in the DVD is accessible to all experience levels. There is nothing pretentious about the material, the environment, or the contributors. There is even a bonus, create-a-dance activity which demonstrates choreography building through chance as the children pick out a random sequence of movements which are then performed and practiced to spirited accompaniment. Read the full review!

Creative Yoga Games for Kids

“Flash cards” for yoga and pilates are not new. However creator, Edna Reinhardt from Over the Moon Yoga & Dance Studio in Victoria, Australia, has created a unique educational kit, pulling the best from both yoga and creative dance practices to allow children to explore and create movement. The colorful set of 48 cards are big and bright with pictures of adorable children doing the described poses. Four of the cards offer activities to try, but Reinhardt has also packed a wealth of information and games into the accompanying booklet. She blends creative movement ideas with yoga in ways I never would have considered, yet they make a perfect pairing. Parents and kids will love the challenge and long-term benefits of combining yoga and dance in such a creative way. Teachers will love the clear instruction on incorporating these into their lesson plans.

My First Ballet Collection

My First Ballet Collection is a great choice for those wishing to nurture enthusiasm for ballet among children of all ages. Younger children will enjoy being introduced to colorful characters and beautiful dancing. Older children will benefit from the opportunity to sample a mélange of ballet specimens. Twenty-six ballet excerpts are introduced with a caption indicating the ballet’s title, music composer, and excerpt heading. The DVD also conveniently offers the option to view by chapter for easy navigation among the selections. The excerpts are highly accessible and are well-chosen to stand alone. Read the full review!

My Mama Had a Dancing Heart

This book is a personal favorite. I haven’t been asked to review it but I am happy to share it with you. I particularly love the earthy toned images of Raúl Colón’s etched watercolor illustrations. They dance on the pages to the musical “tip-tapping, song-singing, finger-snapping” text. The author, the late Libba Moore Gray, is a respected poet, actress, dancer, and high school teacher from Knoxville, TN. A mama herself, Gray’s children and grandchildren are accomplished dancers who continue to make their mark in Eastern Tennessee. In My Mama Had a Dancing Heart, a young ballerina fondly recalls how her mother’s unique energy and outlook has inspired her dancing. However, this frolic through the seasons feels universal in its celebration of the bond between a parent and child. A poignant reminder that we experience life through movement as much as any of our other senses, the lilting rhythms of Gray’s verse honor the everyday moments which shape and give meaning to our lives.

How to Enter & Contest Details

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you or your family get moving (It doesn’t have to be dance-related. Just describe what gets you up and active. If you are not as active as you’d like to be, you can talk about that too!)
2. Be sure your comment is linked to a valid e-mail address (very important if you want to win!) – Your email will NOT be stored except for the purposes of this giveaway. It will be seen only by the site administrator and you will not be contacted unless you are a winner (no need to place your address in the comment itself, just put it in the mail field when you leave your comment!
3. You have until Monday, December 7 at Midnight (Eastern Standard Time – U.S.) to enter.
4. I’ll do a random drawing, contact the winner, and make an announcement here on Dance Advantage on Tuesday afternoon, December 8.
   
5. I’m afraid I must limit winners to those within the U.S. My sincerest apologies to loyal readers beyond!

Dance parents, teachers and students, if you are new to Dance Advantage, I encourage you to look around. The posts found here are great starting points or just use the navigation bar at the top to find articles of particular interest to you. Contact me if you have any thoughts or questions and subscribe via RSS feed or email!

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Giveaway Disclosure: Leaping Legs, Inc. Edna Reinhardt, and Naxo USA sponsored this giveaway by providing their product for myself as well as two additional products to give away to randomly selected winners. I did not receive any other compensation from any of the above for review of their products. My review is my honest opinion, and has not been reviewed or edited by the entities mentioned above. For more information on how reviews and giveaways are conducted at Dance Advantage, please read my disclosure policy.