Keep Dancing!

 

“You don't stop dancing because you grow old,
you grow old because you stop dancing.”

                       - Unknown

This quote sums up my love of both dancing and teaching young children. It's such a delight to see my students have so much joy when learning their plies and tendus, dancing like Safari animals or finally mastering that tricky polka step. Their smiles and laughter are a constant reminder that I have the best job in the world! I hope your child's love of dance inspires you to dance with them and feel like a kid again, even for just a moment!

Have a great rest of the summer! See you in September!

"I Feel Like I'm Flying When I Dance"

"Hey Miss Annie! I feel like I'm flying when I dance!"

These are the beautiful words that ended our school year curriculum a couple of weeks ago, and they've stayed with me since. They came from a student who continues to inspire me and who is able to make you feel instantly better just because she's there.

I feel like I'm flying when I dance ... how true this is! Through the arts we are able to escape our every day lives and go into a special magical place where anything is possible. Watching students during class you believe anything IS possible. You can see them flying like a kite, becoming a terrible dragon, and even leaping over an entire river. Dance helps us tap into our creative thinking and therefore become whatever and whomever we like. Watching the children's learning/thinking/moving process in an LPCW is magical, and the glorious words from one of our students prove that ... I feel like I'm flying when I dance.

Lets all learn to fly with our children. Summer classes start this week and it's not too late to join the experience!

Registrations in Central New York!

What a FANTASTIC start to summer here in Central New York! Lots of new centers in this area are now offering our curriculum to their students, and how happy they are to express themselves creatively through the arts with LPCW!

LPCW has been in Central New York for a year now and we've done nothing but grow and grow. Not only are we offering classes in the Syracuse area; but we're expanding to Elmira, Corning, and Ithaca! The support of the arts in this area is great, and I couldn't be more thankful for all of the great response and positive feedback about what our program brings to the arts community.

We are so thankful for the chance to teach young children the joy of dance and theatre and look forward to many more years of learning and growing through the arts! It all starts when we're kids ... lets get them involved now!

Thanks Central New York for your passion for the arts!

20 Years Later.......

Being involved with teaching dance to young children brings back all of the wonderful memories of when I was that age and learning to dance.  20 years later, the skills and simple techniques that I learned at that young age are still useful for me today.  The other day while my hands were full of groceries, I balanced a 12-pack of diet cokes on my leg while I fished my keys out of my purse to open my car door.  The balancing act was entertaining for the people around me, I'm sure, but I was proud of myself for making it work.  I didn't drop a thing!  Imagining an invisible straight line going down the center of my body in order to keep myself balanced is something I learned from my dance teacher when I was 3 years old, and I will never forget it.  The lessons we learn at that young age follow us into adulthood and become part of who we are and how we think.  So, acquiring the ability to think creatively and exercise that ability through movement in dance is one of the best things a child can do at that age.

~ Southern New Hampshire University Student/LPCW Dance Teacher

Marching into Spring

It's getting closer and closer to spring and up here in Central New York the snow is beginning to melt (hope I didn't jinx it!) but our love for the arts is growing and growing! It has been so wonderful to watch the students growth through the arts. This month while posting pictures for parents who have students in class I decided to take a look back at pictures from their first class in September ... My goodness! What growth and development! In the beginning "parallel first" was a new concept that took quite a bit of effort to execute correctly. Now, when we stand up on our carpets the student's feet magically know where to be! Terms like "Tendu" and "Echappe" are now part of the children's vocabulary. These classical ballet terms may not be a part of our children's every day use, but soon as they step into class they know exactly what it is, how do do it, and how to pronounce it! Their ability to grow and learn is just amazing and usually it passes us right by. How wonderful it was to go back, critically look at, and appreciate just how much our children learn, and want to learn each day. I'm so thankful for the role that the arts play in this magical development!

Balance, Flexibility, and Coordination

What an amazing month October has turned out to be! Our students have LOVED the classes and have had so much fun they haven't even noticed how their balance, flexibility, and coordination have improved! It's spectacular to see the growth of students, and their growth is abundantly clear in just a couple of the moves we learned this month. Let's take one student for example:

During our first lesson in October we learned how to stretch our arms and legs while balancing on our bottoms. We stretch out, say, "Hello!" and then crumple up into a ball saying, "Goodbye!" all while balancing on our bottoms. Needless to say this is pretty tough for young ones. It not only requires balance, flexibility, and coordination but the heavy use of their abdominal muscles. During our first class she rested on her arms, rolled onto her back, and continued to touch her feet to the ground for stability. We kept at it though! After a couple of weeks of practice, continued encouragement, and reminders of what our muscles should feel like while balancing she now is able to do the stretch beautifully while balancing, all while pointing her toes!! Isn't the picture above just beautiful! Fantastic job!!

It's great achievements like this that prove how important it is to keep on trying! Our students learn this important lesson during class and are able to transcribe it to their every day lives. Giving up is not an option. Not in dance class and definitely not during their school work. We teach not only balance, flexibility, and coordination but life skills that will continue to shine through in each of our students' lives!

I can't wait for November and all of the great times it will bring us!

Greetings from Central New York!

What a fantastic fall we're having here in New York! The leaves are all changing bright reds, oranges, and yellows ... just gorgeous! The new program is up and running with some absolutely wonderful students! I must say I already see the benefit of the program with a couple of the little ones and would love to share one story!

One of our little ones happens to be very shy. In the first class she did not want to participate at all. It was even hard to get a smile! Five weeks in and she's now participating, and I must say her technique is fantastic! Her school teachers have informed me that she has been dancing in her classroom between lessons and reaching out to more children since she started with LPCW. How amazing and rewarding!

We're so excited for October and the new centers that are signing on. We look forward to many more stories like this one!

Happy dancing! Happy fall!

School Teachers' Comments on Benefits of Dance

A few comments from teachers---and how they think dance benefits a child's education:

“Dance for children is much needed-- along with physical education, because it explores their potential in movement ... on any size, shape, or color of body.” “I get a lot of feedback from classroom teachers who say, ‘I can tell these children have been with you and had dance because they are more assertive — not aggressive, but more assertive in their thinking and being able to share their thoughts.’” “Dance is a good experience for children who have a hard time sitting down. Once they come to dance and burn off some of that energy, they can focus on more sequential, factual information.” “Boys do like to dance. I start them off using the word ‘movement.’ Some boys are beautiful at movement. They get to explore that. Girls widen their perspective. They see that it is not just one style — dance is about what you think, what you feel, what you see.”

Benefits of Dance in the Early Years.....

 

Physical Development 

 

• Moving safely, imaginatively and with confidence 

• Moving with bodily control, co-ordination, flexibility and balance 

• The development of spatial awareness 

• Dancing with props; developing manipulative skills 

• Experiencing a range of gross motor movements and fine motor movements 

• Keeping healthy - dance as part of a healthy lifestyle 

Creative Development 

 

• Communicating ideas, thoughts and feelings non-verbally through movement 

• Using the imagination to create ideas, characters and narratives 

• Making movement responses 

• Having an enjoyable, exciting and motivating time 

• Working individually, with a partner and as part of a group 

• Developing trust and co-operation 

• Selecting and using movement ideas independently and with others 

• Exploring feelings and views of self and others - including other cultures and beliefs 

• Accepting the moral code on which discipline and courtesy within the group is based 

• Interacting with a new social group 

 

 

Communication, Language and Literacy Development 

 

• The use of sounds, music, words, poems, rhymes, texts and stories as stimuli for, and 

   accompaniment to dance 

• The use of language to imagine and recreate roles and ideas in the dance 

• Interaction - negotiating plans and activities and developing conversational skills 

• Appreciation - talking about personal dance performance 

• Observation - talking about the dance performance of others 

• Developing a vocabulary of movemen

Dance for Young Children Being Used in Many Powerful Ways...

Nationwide we are finding that dance for children is now being used as a method of treating social, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems. Throughout the ages, people of many cultures have used dance to express powerful emotions, tell stories, treat illness, celebrate important events, and maintain communal bonds. Dancing harnesses this power of movement in a comfortable setting and uses it to promote personal growth, health, and well-being.

Quality dance programs for children are based on the premise that the body and mind are interrelated. Many dance therapists believe that mental and emotional problems are often held in the body in the form of muscle tension and constrained movement patterns. Conversely, studies have shown that the state of the body can affect attitude and feelings, both positively and negatively.

Dance movements promote healing in a number of ways. Moving as a group brings children of all ages out of isolation, creates powerful social and emotional bonds, and generates the good feelings that come from being with others. Moving rhythmically eases muscular rigidity, diminishes anxiety, and increases energy. Moving spontaneously helps children learn to recognize and trust their impulses, and to act on or contain them as they choose. Moving creatively encourages self-expression and opens up new ways of thinking and doing.

On a purely physical level, dance provides the benefits of exercise: improved health, well-being, coordination, and muscle tone. On an emotional level, it helps children feel more joyful and confident, and allows them to explore such issues as anger, frustration, and loss that may be too difficult to explore verbally. On a mental level, dance seeks to enhance cognitive learning.

Dance has a broad range of health benefits. It has been demonstrated to be clinically effective at improving body image, self-esteem, attentiveness, and communication skills. It can also reduce stress, fears and anxieties, as well as lessen feelings of isolation, body tension, chronic pain, and depression. In addition it can enhance the functioning of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems.

Dance has also been shown to benefit adolescent and adult psychiatric patients, the learning disabled, the visually and hearing impaired, the mentally handicapped.

Your Child's Development and Dance....

Children naturally communicate through movement.  They express their fears, excitement, and all other emotions with movement.  LPCW classes for young children focuses on the following:

*  developing creativity
*  expressing emotion
*  building social skills
*  encouraging independence
*  building their self-confidence
*  stimulating mental processes
*  enhancing their physical development
*  expanding their rhythmic and body awareness

These young years are so important---and the very time to encourage these traits.  These are building blocks for the rest of their life, that will be used and needed in every arena.   So many studies have proven the benefit of dance and a child's development:  mental, physical, and emotional.  Children who have participated in dance/music/theatre from a young age score better on SAT's, have better attention spans, are creative problem-solvers, and are more well-balanced and adjusted.   These are just a few of the benefits children reap from participating in the arts.  Parents that invest in their children with these classes are making the wisest investment around!

More Benefits of Dance for Young Children:

Here is a great article by Rachel Kemp, dance teacher:

Benefits of Dance, by Rachel Kemp

Toddlers love to move, stretch and jump. Teachers can introduce kids to new ways of moving their little bodies in entertaining and constructive ways. All forms of dance, and creative movement can be very beneficial. Kids should be introduced to exercise and physical exercise as early as possible. It might take a little more money, but in the long run it can pay off. Introducing your child to dance is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

Dance promotes discipline, coordination, memory, flexibility, strength, line, grace and stamina. Performing builds positive self-esteem and confidence, helps with other sports, and is just great fun! All kids are capable of relating and understanding basic techniques that are shown to them and demonstrated properly.

The vocabulary they learn through dance can help them express themselves through movement and naturally incorporate it into their lives. Signing your child up in dance as soon as possible can be a great thing for him/her.

As long as children can listen and stay focused, no age is too young to get them started. Of course, forcing children into any activity is never healthy. It’s important to observe how they respond.

As children get older and more serious, the length of the class and the amount of class per week may increase. Again, it might mean more running around for you, but if your child is fortunate enough to find something he or she loves to do, it’s well worth the extra time and money. My parents ran around for me 4-5 times a week to participate in many classes, I don't know how they did it, but I’m so grateful, because I am now blessed to be making a living doing what I love.

Remember the 4 D’s: DISCIPLINE, DETERMINATION, DEDICATION, DESIRE. Dance class can help your child conquer all four.

Mind and Body Benefits of Dance for Children

ARTICLE 

Dance provides youth with mind and body benefits 

By Debra Strickland 

FamilyTalk Magazine, March/April Edition 2006 

  

Many different types of dance classes are available for children, from modern dance, 

ballet, tap and jazz to dance that celebrates unique ethnic and cultural traditions.  What’s 

the most important thing for parents to keep in mind when choosing a dance class?  It’s 

that research has proven that dance provides physical, developmental and artistic benefits 

to your child. 

 

Physical Benefits - Students build muscle strength while increasing flexibility.  Young 

dancers develop a sense of balance and improve agility and coordination.  Importantly, 

children also develop body awareness and learn correct posture. 

 

These benefits extend beyond a student’s involvement with dance, helping youth involved 

in other disciplines, such as sports and martial arts.  Studies have shown that physical 

activity helps children relieve stress and feel relaxed.  It also is a great way to help your 

child develop a positive lifelong attitude about staying active and healthy. 

 

Developmental Benefits - Dance classes are fun and a great way to meet new friends.  

Young dancers develop essential social skills through interaction with other students.  

Group choreography fosters teamwork, communication, trust and cooperation.  Dance 

also has been proven to nurture important life skills, such as discipline and focus.  

Dancers naturally display confidence, self-esteem and poise.  These skills are developed 

through participating in dance performances. 

 

Artistic Benefits – One of the greatest benefits of dance is that it sparks a child’s 

imagination and nurtures individual creativity in a unique way.  Dance classes share the 

joy of physical self-expression in a supportive and structured setting.  This can have a 

positive impact on children who have limited physical abilities, who act out or who have a 

difficult time sitting still.  Involving children in dance also teaches the basic elements of 

creative movement, such as time, space, rhythm and design. 

 

While people may not be as familiar with modern dance as with ballet or jazz, modern   

 

dance in particular honors the creative spirit and celebrates the individual.  Modern dance 

does not simply conform to conventional movements, shapes and patterns.  Instead, it 

requires the young dancer to learn movement from the inside out, nurturing the body and 

focusing the mind.  This form of dance especially is welcoming to children of all shapes, 

sizes and genders. 

  

There is one final reason to get your child dancing.  Research proves there is a strong link 

between involvement in the arts and increased educational achievement.  In fact, one 

study showed that “students who participate in the arts are not only more likely to 

participate in a math and science fair, but also out-perform their peers on the SATs by 87 

points” (www.artsusa.org).  These educational benefits are gained by students regardless 

of their socioeconomic status.   

 

There’s sure to be a dance class that fits your child’s interests and your schedule, so why 

wait?  Enroll your child in a dance class.  The lessons she or he learns will last a lifetime. 

 

Debra Strickland is the executive director of Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, southwest 

Michigan’s only professional modern dance company.  Debra holds a Master of Public 

Administration degree from Western Michigan University and has been passionate about 

working in the arts and women’s issues for nearly a decade. 

Great Spring Opportunity.....

Classes are in full swing and with the weather we have had lately it is so important for children to get exercise!  Dance is such a healthy form of exercise for any age---and is a wonderful outlet during the turbulent, unpredictable weather that we experience in spring, when many children do not get to go out and play.  Just because there are only 3 months left in the regular season---it is not too late to register for dance.  When you register your child for dance you are giving them a wonderful gift!

Notes from One of Our Directors:

As a dancer and performer since the age of three, I cannot think of a better way for young children to explore movement, enhance creativity, and build self-confidence than through dance classes. I have taught many age groups and with many companies, but Little People’s Creative Workshop provides a completely rewarding experience. 

Dance and LPCW, is more than just another form of exercise for the children, it provides an exploration into the arts that all children should be exposed to.  Through LPCW, children are able to learn how to use their bodies as a form of expression and a possible outlet for creative thinking. Learning this at an early age can provide life long benefits for our students; such as better problem solving skills, more self confidence and of-course better coordination.

Personally, there are few things more rewarding than being able to see a child’s creative mind grow and see them move and explore on their own.  I enjoy seeing children approach the lessons in a completely different way than I expected them to and everyday is a surprise! I have grown as a dancer with LPCW because it caused me to look at movement from a child like perspective; giving me a new approach to dance.

I look forward to continue to share my love for dance with young children through Little People’s Creative Workshop.

       ~Jennifer Delfin, LPCW Northern Virginia Regional Director

Investing in Your Children with Live Performances....

If you are a parent of a little one we cannot understate the importance of taking your child to performances that are geared to their age.  Sure, going to the movie theater is a treat----but it is a wonderful experience for a young child to attend a live theatre performance that is geared to their age.  In most areas there are children's theatre groups---and colleges and universities usually host a Family Fare type of season of performances for young ones.   Take a second to check into it today for your area.  You and your family will have so much fun! 

A Month of Growth

February is off to a great start!  We appreciate all of the wonderful notes that we have received about parent observation.  Thanks to those of you that responded with kind words and excitement about the program.  

February is the month that we see great growth in our students when comparing their skills to the beginning of the year.  We hope those are being shared with parents at home.  We see increased balance and depth perception; as well as stronger bodies and better flexibility.  These are wonderful skills and abilities that will be taken throughout life.  We recently had a parent ask if they could sign up for our class---they thought they could use some of the great skills that their child was acquiring!  We might have to look into offering that in the future---A Parents' Class. :)

The Obvious Benefits of Dance

We wanted to share this great article written by Sarah Wilkiamson:

"The Obvious Benefits of Dance School"

www.romancetracker.com/the-obvious-benefits-of-dance-school/

Here is an excerpt------

"There are many benefits to your child when they attend dance school.  It not only enables them to realize creativity within them but gives them training for other areas in life.  Dance is a wonderful creative art that can enrich your child's life for many years to come."

Ms. Wilkiamson goes on to list several benefits such as:

Learning the art of creativity

Dance is good exercise

Confidence

Dance leads to learning respect

Dance helps develop social skills

Dance helps with bonding

Be sure to click the link above to read the entire article.  All of us here at LPCW see the many benefits before our eyes each day---it is a pleasure to invest in young lives with what we do.

Benefits of Children's Dance Classes.......

Children---boys and girls---who participate in dance when they are young enjoy many benefits.  A few are increased self-esteem, coordination, balance, poise, and many others.  Parents are beginning to see the importance of enrolling their children in dance and theatre classes; and seeing the investment that doing so creates.  Take a moment to read this short article about some of the benefits of dance for children:

http://www.essortment.com/all/childrendancec_rczk.htm