Project Description
PARENT / TODDLER DANCE EXPLORATION
Our parent participation class gives your curious toddlers the opportunity to discover their bodies and explore movement inspired by the world around them. Having adults participate allows young children to have the security and support they need while giving the opportunity to bond with a parent or caregiver. As they grow, their independence is nutured to allow them to blossom on their own. The class is paced to aid your little dancer’s ability to develop focus without being overwhelming. Using basic movement building blocks, the dancers explore both free improvised movement as well as dance steps from ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and tap. This movement, inspired by everything from animals and food to modes of transportation and toys, is woven together and supported by music and tactile props, helping them to learn about much more than just dance. Students are always nurtured in a supportive manner to learn, explore, and develop skills to the best of their ability aiding them in all future endeavors dance and otherwise.
The primary focus of the Joy of Dance classes is movement and cognitive skills rather than to learn English. However, the classes support and encourage the language needs of our bilingual students. Children learn vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar consistent with the communication needs of the class.
WHAT SKILLS WILL MY CHILD LEARN?
Creative Skills: Use of Imagination and Movement Creation
Physical Skills: Coordination, Balance, Spacial Awareness, and Body Awareness
Cognitive Skills: perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning
Language Skills: Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar
Personal Skills: Patience, Kindness, Safety, Independence, and Manners
WHAT OTHER ARTISTIC ASPECTS ARE INCORPORATED?
Music: Classical, Folk, Rock, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more. Appreciation of different genres, how it can be used with movement or made with the body, and how it is structured.
Props: Scarves, Maracas, Wands, Parachute etc. Used more with the little ones and less as they age. Props add a fun element that also adds an extension to our bodies and helps draw focus when needed
Visuals: pictures and books. Coordinated with the subject of the movement lessons to reinforce English vocabulary.
Language: As a class for bilingual students, English vocabulary is used for movements instead of french ballet terms until they have the ability to differentiate.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DANCE FORMS INCORPORATED?
Creative Movement: Imaginative improvisational movement using imitation and inspiration from real life
Ballet: Vertically anatomically aligned movements with grace and form.
Modern/Contemporary: A further development of the balletic form with more freedom of invention and a greater focus on weight, momentum, swing, use of levels and the floor with curving and twisting of the spine.
Jazz/Hip-Hop: Integrating style and expanding the use of dynamics and weight to ballet/modern/contemporary aspects
Tap/Step: Rhythmic use of feet and hands
Gymnastics/Somersault: Acrobatic coordination such as rolling, hanging, etc