kids dance

Choreography & Creative Movement For Kids

February 17, 2014 by 4dancers

by Maria Hanley

I wholeheartedly believe in creative movement for young children. It’s about educating the whole child, giving them the power of choice, boosting confidence–I could go on and on. I teach children 6 and under and this is what I love to do. Do they need to know the positions, sure! Do they need to know how to build a dance, yes! Give them variety, and you will produce well rounded little people!

A few years ago, I wanted to challenge myself to put on a performance for my young students–but not in the traditional way. I was confused in my beliefs that teaching 3 year olds to stand in a line and follow my movement was not what I wanted to do in my class. But after a while, I could see the value in learning a song, and repeating choreography week after week and then performing it on stage for everyone to see.

So I created a way to do both, choreography and creative movement in the same dance. Standing in a line, plus having the freedom to move around the stage. Here are some tips that I have learned over the years that help me put on a show for the 6 and under crowd! [Read more…]

5 Great Teaching Phrases For Tots Dance Class

April 19, 2013 by 4dancers

by Maria Hanley

When I tell people I teach 25 classes of preschoolers and toddlers a week, their eyes pop out of their head! Even though they think I’m crazy, I’m over the moon about it. Teaching that many classes can take a toll, but for me, the way to get through each week is to have clear expectations. I show my expectations for my “littles” by using specific catch phrases. I say them frequently and as the weeks go on, they catch on.

If you are a teacher with a lot of experience you probably have your favorite phrases that work to manage the classroom. If you are a new teacher just starting out, you will develop what works for you. I thought I would share mine that have developed over the years. Feel free to use them!

“Happy Dance Day!”

This is my standard greeting when I meet them at the door. If it’s ballet class I will say “Happy Ballet Day!” It’s just a little happiness to greet them before class and to let them know that they have my full attention. They say it back and they get so excited to dance. Do you meet your dancers at the door? Do you go with them outside after class to give an extra goodbye? I always do. I think that’s one of the most important touches, like two exclaimation points at the beginning and end of class!

“Watching eyes on, Listening ears up, and Marshmallows in.”

I do the motions for this one. I make glasses for eyes, and use my hands to turn up my listening ears. Eating marshmallows makes their cheeks puffy and therefore no noise can come out. It’s a fun little trick to get their attention instead of just saying “be quiet!” like a broken record.

“When I see it, I will say it.” OR “My eyes are open.”

Many times when we are exploring movement, they want me to see what they are doing. They will call out “Look at me, Miss Maria!” or “Like this?” This would be fine, except when they all do that at the same time, it gets really rowdy. Instead, I tell them that when I see it, I will say it out loud. This encourages them to continue to explore the movement while still getting the attention of their name and movement called out.

I have gathered that as attentive as I am to my dancers, they still want to know that I’m watching. Reassuring that you are is important.

“I love the way…”

Goes along with the one above. This is a phrase of praise. When you see an interesting movement or a student thinking outside the box, instead of saying “great job” say “I love the way… you are making that shape with your arms up high and your legs twisted down low.” Be specific so that the other students can hear what you like about what that student is doing with their body.

I must admit, this one takes a while to get used to. It’s important to put it in your vocabulary for added clarity and encouragement to your dance room.

“I’m looking for the quietest and most still dancer”

I use this one for picking students to go across the floor or for turning on the music. Of course once you say this phrase they want to please you. I use it mostly for management of the next exercise. Then I call out names – “Maddie looks ready” “Jessica looks ready” “Emily looks ready” and so on. It works like a charm…unless it’s Halloween! 😉

What are your favorite “work like a charm” catch phrases to use with your preschool dancers? I would love to hear and exchange!

BIO: A passionate advocate for early childhood dance education, Maria Hanley specializes in teaching ages 5 months to 6 years. She currently designs and implements creative ballet programs for the young families and after school division at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. Maria teaches a variety of creative dance and infant/toddler programs throughout New York City, including The Mark Morris Dance Group, Dancewave Center and 92Y Parenting Center.

Maria authors the blog Maria’s Movers (http://www.mariasmovers.com) where she shares creative ideas and strategies for teaching young dancers. The blog unites a community of teachers who are inspiring our youngest dancers every day. Maria holds a Master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in dance from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Maria served on the Dance/NYC Junior Committee for 2 years and presented at the 2012 Dance USA Conference.

Dance Blog Spotlight: Maria’s Movers, Move. Create. Educate.

December 9, 2011 by 4dancers

Each month we are featuring a different dance blog on our “spotlight” at 4dancers. Here’s the one we have chosen for December–Maria’s Movers, Move. Create. Educate.

1. Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?

I grew up dancing. Since the age of 3 I loved it. I think that might be why I love teaching 3’s so much. My Mom and Dad signed me up for dance because they thought it would bring me out of my shell! I think it worked, but not until later in my life.

The thing is I never wanted to be a professional dancer, I always wanted to be a dance educator. When I was at college for dance so many of my classmates wanted to be professional dancers. I remember one of my professors saying to the class of aspiring dancers, ” teaching will always be your fallback.” I never agreed. I work hard everyday to make sure I am a loving and creative dance educator who really want kids to love and appreciate dance.

2. When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it?

I started Maria’s Movers, Move. Create. Educate. because I wanted a place to keep and share my ideas. When I first started out, I had trouble finding people who wanted to talk about teaching young children. I thought this would be a way I could talk about it and whoever wanted to talk, read, and join in was welcome. It has become such an amazing resource for me and I hope other dance educators find it useful too. [Read more…]

Teaching Tips: Kids In The Dance Classroom

April 2, 2010 by 4dancers

Today we have a special feature–a guest, who is going to share some tips on teaching children dance. Stacey Pepper Schwartz has been featured in 4dancers series 10 Questions With…, and she is quite the breath of fresh air. I have noticed that most people who work with children in dance have seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm, and Stacey is no exception. I asked her 5 questions about teaching, and she had some wonderful things to share…

1. When it comes to teaching children, what can you do to help instill a love of dance?

If you instill in a child that she is in charge or her body, that she can make choices with how she wants to move, and how she wants to express herself, you are in essence fostering a life that will be open to the dance within herself and herself within the dance.

We are not just beings with muscles and bones. We can choose how we want to move our muscles, which then moves our bones. When children start to master this concept of choice, they gain self-esteem and a sense of self.

You can also instill a love of dance by having children dance with each other and for each other. Many children who have difficulty with speech can be on the same playing field when it comes to communicating through dance. Even children with coordination or spatial issues can move freely with a group because there is no right or wrong way of expressing yourself. The beauty of dance is that you can communicate with one simple gesture or your entire body. You can dance with another person, a group or be free to take the space by yourself. Both the mover and the audience share the experience. They share common ground.

When we have a joyful or meaningful experience we tend to want to do it again. When you teach remember the joy, remember the importance of body ownership, expression and in sharing the experience with others.

2. What are a few tips for keeping order in a class full of young children?

My tip is to have a bag of tricks. Not one thing will work all the time and different children need different ways of being guided.

Be consistent, be kind and be deliberate. Don’t ask “Can everyone come to the center of the room?” If you ask a question, be prepared for various answers, like “no!” Instead give the children a task to complete. “Everyone come to the center of the room in low level” or “choose a traveling step to the center of the room and end in a pointy shape.”
When they complete an activity acknowledge a job well done and be specific. “I like the way everyone found different ways of moving in low level. I saw children moving on their knees, tummies and backs.” Make sure not to use praise words without backing it up or the words become meaningless. When I was student teaching I used to say “great” all the time. The teacher I was working with pointed it out to me. She told me that the word lost its value because I said it so much and I wasn’t being specific about what was so great. I great lesson to learn!
When a child is having difficulty listening I will ask them to be my partner. This way I can talk quietly to the child and give them cues without having to attract attention to the child and the behavior.
Have children earn activities. Give them a goal to work towards, like a round of “free- dance” or stickers. Make sure the goal is obtainable or the children can feel defeated. Feeling proud of a job well done is wonderful motivation to do their best!

3. How do you deal with behavior outbursts in a dance class setting?

I was the director of an arts camp and I went in to observe the dance class. I asked a child to move to a different spot in the room and she started screaming at me. I had her sit and watch class while I called her mother. Her mother told me she was dealing with anger management issues. This was a great lesson for me.

Make sure you are partners with the parents or teachers. Having information about any special circumstances will keep you and the children safe and will enable you to have a productive teaching environment.

After talking with the mother, I learned techniques to be helpful to this child and we did not have any other problems. Information will not always be available to you but I feel the more you are aware of specific issues or needs the better equipped you can be.

When I worked in a studio, after class, I made sure to tell each parent one thing their child was working on, something they did well or achieved. I found this very helpful in not only having a successful class for the child but I gained the support of the parents as well.

When I teach in schools, I always try to share my lesson with the teacher and ask if there are any ideas or concepts he or she would like me to work on. I try to model the classroom management style of the teacher to be consistent. I want to partner with the teacher, not only for educational purposes, but for disciplinary purposes as well.

Lastly, if I child is having a difficult time listening, following directions or is being disruptive, I will ask him or her to sit and join the class when ready. I have found this works very well because the child is not getting attention for the negative behavior. Most of the time, the child will join back in after a few minutes. Remember after you discipline a child to follow up with positive reinforcement to engage the child and give him or her attention for good behavior.

4. What was the best piece of teaching advice you ever heard?

By far the best advice I have ever received was accentuate the positive. When I was student teaching, I broke the class into smaller groups to work on a movement activity. I was focusing on a group that was not listening and reprimanding them. The teacher I was working with pointed out to me that the children who were doing a good job were not getting any attention. She taught me that when I praised a group, it influenced the group that was not listening because they wanted attention as well. My class went smoother after this and I was actually accomplishing two things. I was providing positive feedback and was managing the behavior of the class!

Barbara Bashaw, a wonderful teacher I had when I attended Teachers College, Columbia University for my Maters in Dance Education, taught me to always be prepared to improvise. You might have a wonderful lesson prepared but the children might have had a fire drill before your class or if you are teaching in a studio maybe they had off from school that day. You can plan for the class but not for the energy the children will be bringing. You have to ultimately take your cues from the children. This was a hard lesson to learn for me, but an absolutely valuable one!

5. What is the one thing you would tell someone who is new to teaching children dance?

I would tell them they are the student as well. Make sure you are patient with yourself as well as your students. Give yourself permission to experiment, try new things and don’t be afraid to fail. I find I have to do a lesson a few times before I am happy with it. Don’t be afraid to repeat an idea or concept. Kids learn by repetition and so will you. Remember that everyday is a new day for you and the kids. Make sure you smile, laugh and know that you are giving a precious gift. You are teaching more than movement, you are teaching an avenue to experience life.

Bio: Stacey is the Founder and Director of Leaping Legs Creative Movement Programs. The focus of Leaping Legs Creative Movement Programs is to help people regardless of age, experience or ability, become educated about their movement potential, develop kinesthetic awareness, and become more physically fit and healthy together as a family, and community.

Leaping Legs promotes its goal through the original Up Down & All Around DVD. Utilizing the elements of movement, the video entertains as it motivates kids and their families to exercise together using movement games, silly exercises and challenges. The DVD received Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products 2009 Award and 10 Best Active Products 2009 Award. The DVD has also been featured in many magazines. In its August 2009 issue, Dance Teacher called the DVD “an essential tool for teaching the fundamentals of movement.”

Stacey received her BFA in dance performance at Montclair State University and her MA in dance education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught as an artist in residency and guest artist in public and private schools for over twelve years.

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