Positions Open in NC Triangle....

We're giving a quick shout out---we are looking for a dynamic teacher for the NC Triangle area region for this summer!  We've had a great response with our classes and are in need of an instructor!  If you or someone you know would love to spend the summer working with young ones in dance---contact us ASAP.

Have a great Monday!

Parent Observation is Coming Up!

LPCW Parents~

Our spring parent observation or "Informance" will be coming up soon!  Be sure to mark your calendars for the week of May 21-27 at your child's regular class time.  Students are getting excited about inviting you to come and see a special class---showing off what we have been learning since January!  Hope to see you then!

Free Local Events for Families...

Now is a great time to start researching what will be going on in your community for summer family fun!  Many communities host 'Music in the Park', or 'Movies on the Lawn' or 'Theatre in the Park' type events for families that are free.  These are wonderful opportunities for your children to experience theatre and music at a great price:  FREE!!  Check your local papers or call your local chamber of commerce or tourism office.

Many National Landmarks host great art events for families in the spring and summer---any that are surrounding you are great ones to check!

Happy Spring!

Fun for You & Your Children....

Check out the Eagle Cam at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens!  You can get an up close look at three eaglets and their parents in the nest.  It is a live cam--and so fun to watch.

The past few months we have been working on tempo--one of our exercises was 'Birdie in the Nest, Birdie Out of the Nest'; so your children will have a neat connection with what is going on inside this real nest!  Enjoy!  {Warning:  it has been known to be addicting to watch this cam!}

Eastern NC Summer Info....

Summer is almost here!  We are gearing up for a great summer program here in Eastern NC---not to be missed!  In addition to our weekly classes offered onsite at daycares and preschools, here are extras being offered in Greenville, NC for Summer 2011:

Weekly Preschool Community Dance Classes at the Music Academy:  Wednesdays, 11:30-12:15, June 8-August 10  (for students not in daycare or preschool during the summer)

Preschool Dance Camps:  weeks of June 20-24 & July 18-22, 9am-12pm each day at the Music Academy on Red Banks Rd.

2011 ACTING CAMPS FOR AGES 6-14:


Half-Day Camps:


Lights, Cameras, Action!:  June 20-24, 1-5 pm each day at The Oakwood School

Phantom of the Theatre:  July 11-15, 1-5 pm each day at The Oakwood School

Theatre Rocks!: July 18-22, 1-5 pm each day at The Oakwood School


Full-Day Camps:


Acting Campservatory #1:  August 1-5, 9am-5pm daily at the Music Academy

Acting Campservatory #2:  August 8-12, 9am-5pm at the Music Academy

_______

Don't miss the exciting summer---give us a call today to register your child!

Young Child's Creativity....

The movie Monsters, Inc actually came from a 30 year-old man's drawings that he did when he was 3!  Don't discount your young child's early creative endeavors----they could lead to big things! And always be sure to encourage them--we were all meant to be creative.

Ballet in Cinema!!! Not to miss!

Be sure to check out www.balletincinema.com!  This is a great opportunity to see professional performances at wonderful prices! See if there is a cinema in your area that will be showing one soon.  These are not old performances--they are shown in the theatres sometimes within hours of the stage performance!

Many of these are even shown LIVE!!!  Your children will love them!

New Region in New York!!!

We are so excited to announce the opening of our new region in the Central New York Area! What a wonderful area to be a part of---and with a wonderful Regional Director, Annie Latterell. Annie Latterell has trained in dance for 16 years in New York State. She graduated Cum Laude from SUNY Brockport with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children and Childhood Education earning teaching certifications in Elementary Education and Special Education. Annie has been a featured performer in three musicals in Elmira, N.Y., and won the award for Best Overall Performance at the Stars of Tomorrow dance competition. She co-managed an after school Drama Club for students at Southside Academy Charter School in Syracuse, N.Y. Annie loves the theatre arts and is so excited about bringing her special love of dance to young children here in Central NY. Welcome, Annie!

Summer Dance Camp!

In just a few weeks we will be hosting our Summer Dance Camp for ages 3-5 in Greenville, NC. It is a wonderful, fun week of dance, pantomime, acting, making props and costumes and then using them in an original piece, watching children's theatre presentations, learning about dance history, and much more! At the end of the week the campers present a special class just for family and friends to watch---if you have a child aged 3-5 years-old you will not want them to miss it!

It has been a wonderful summer for LPCW so far. It is hard to believe that over half the summer has already flown by. We have been learning lots of wonderful, new things.

Lehigh Valley Story on LPCW

During demo classes today a reporter from the Lehigh Valley Times came and did a story on Little People's Creative Workshop---here's the link:

Link to story

Dance workshop

Added by Bill Adams on April 22, 2009 at 11:51 AM

Teacher Liz Story shows children how to stretch their legs and shake their feet Tuesday at the Little Peoples’ Dance Workshop at the Family YMCA Early Childhood Development Center in Forks Township. Express-Times Photo | BILL ADAMS

Tags: dance workshop | Family YMCA Early Childhood Development Center | Little Peoples' Dance Workshop | Liz Story

This photo is part of the Day in Photos April 22, 2009 gallery

Dance Teachers and Director Needed....

We are searching for a preschool dance instructor in the Philadelphia suburban area; as well as western NJ area with Little People's Creative Workshop.  Our program is expanding quickly!  If you (or anyone you know) is interested---be sure to send your resume and cover letter to:  LPCWphilly@aol.com  It is a great opportunity for anyone that loves dance and young children.  Don't miss out!  Pass the word.

Little People's Creative Workshop is also looking for an individual to fill a Regional Director position in the Raleigh, NC area.  Resumes need to be submitted by April 15th to:  LPCW@me.com  This position oversees the program and instructs classes.  Great opportunity!

Our New Northern NY Regional Director

Welcome, Jaymie!

Jaymie Boudreau, a native of Elmira, NY, graduated with her B.A. in dance from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. While at JMU she performed with the Virginia Repertory Dance Company and the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Jaymie has continued her performance career in the professional outdoor drama productions of Theatre West Virginia and as a touring member of the West Virginia Dance Company. She has been a teacher and choreographer for many years and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance and theatre with children. She is excited to become a dance educator and the Northern New York Regional Director of Little People’s Creative Workshop. 

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.

Red Hot Franchises to Feature Little People's Creative Workshop!

Red Hot Franchises will featuring Little People's Creative Workshop beginning next week!  LPCW was founded in 1991 by Daune Pitman and has grown to be the largest organization in the nation teaching dance to young children.  LPCW has grown to over 10 locations nationwide, covering 6 states; and will be continuing expansion and growth through franchising beginning in March 2009!  Lots of exciting things are happening around here!