Mirroring and Flocking - 4 November 2016

Today we were back to dancing in the classroom like normal. However, I decided to take the challenge level up a notch: we mirrored and flocked! Now, instead of dancing independently, we were dancing with someone else (though still without physical contact).
It was really fun to watch my dancers practice mirroring in different ways--we mirrored as a whole class, in pairs scattered all over the room, and lined up like there was a mirror down the middle of the room. It also was neat to see them bring in dance moves from earlier lessons: there were lots of creative axial movements, and eventually even locomotor movements that popped up in their mirroring! Flocking was a bit more challenging, the directional switch between mirroring and flocking was tough to wrap their heads around, but they definitely were making progress--they just need a tiny bit more practice.
P.S. Today was Pajama Day. :)

 

Above we have mirroring around the room, mirroring down the center of the room, and mirroring in a mass group.

Below we have flocking as a class and in small groups.

We really enjoyed ourselves, and we're excited for next week!

"They did the Mash!" - 28 October 2016

This week was really a blast, and a change from Creative Dance. We learned and choreographed "The Monster Mash" for the school's Halloween performance, and in record time! The class split into groups and collectively choreographed the chorus of the song, and I taught them choreography for the verses. I was especially impressed by how quickly they learned--we got through the entire 3 minute dance in only 2 hours!
This was definitely a learning experience for me: this was the first time I had ever choreographed for a group of people rather than just for myself, as well as being the first time I had ever choreographed for a performance rather than just for a class. It was way fun, though, and everyone was happy with how it turned out.
Happy Halloween!

In the Manner of the Energy - 14 October 2016

This week, we had a great time dancing! We reviewed what we learned last week, and everyone remembered everything really well! After reviewing, we moved on to learning about different Energy Qualities, such as Sustained (all the same speed, like the sloths in Zootopia), Percussive (sharp, like when you hit a drum), Vibratory, Swinging, Growing, Melting, and Collapsing. Once we learned these different Energy Qualities, we played a game called "In the Manner of the Energy." This game involved doing an action (either locomotive or axial, from last week) with a certain secret Energy Quality, which the rest of the class had to guess. All the dancers were really clear when dancing with specific Energy Qualities, and it was really fun to not only see them realize how to express the different Energy Qualities by moving their own bodies, but to also see them recognize how to distinguish the different Energy Qualities in their classmates' movements. The whole class is learning and growing so quickly, it's been really neat to see how willing they are to learn!

Getting Started - 7 October 2016

After two trips out to Cedar Valley Elementary to get to know my fantastic fifth grade class, I finally got to go teach for the first time. Because they had never danced before, my lesson focused on introducing the basics: movement and shapes. We learned about axial (in place, like an axle) and locomotive (travelling, like a train) movement, and then we learned about pathways. The dancers had lots of fun playing Follow the Leader to make different group pathways around the room, and then playing Pin Ball to make individual (and non-colliding) pathways around the room. 

After learning about movement types and pathways, we learned about shapes. We learned that shapes can be straight or bent or curved or twisted or any combination of those in order to make our shapes interesting. We also learned that shapes can be done on different levels: low, medium, and high. 

The kids were really creative with their movements and their shapes. They really worked hard and moved their bodies in ways they were unaccustomed to moving them. I was very proud of their dancing, and I was really impressed with how fast they learned all the new information I gave them. I'm excited to go back, and to keep building their dance foundation!

~About Me~

Hi! I'm Dana Lambert, and I am privileged to be a BYU Arts Bridge Scholar this semester! I am currently a sophomore at BYU, and I am studying Dance Education. I am so excited to be participating in the Arts Bridge Program because I love what Arts Bridge offers to elementary students, to elementary teachers, and to me. I strongly believe that dance in schools is extremely important for students, to help them develop and learn and grow, and my plan after I graduate is to help bring dance into schools. I love that this program brings dance to students that otherwise would not have the opportunity to dance at school, while simultaneously giving me teaching experience and giving classroom teachers ideas and models to follow to bring dance into their future classrooms. I am so excited, happy, and proud to be a part of this amazing program.

A little bit more about me personally: I am from Twin Falls, Idaho, and I am the oldest of five children. On top of dancing, I love reading, paddle boarding, playing games, eating ice cream, watching cute movies, and spending time with my family and my roommates. In fifth grade (the grade I am currently teaching through Arts Bridge), I switched into a charter school, which forever changed my life. I had never danced before attending that charter school, but the school offered dance classes in place of P.E. classes, and once I started dancing I knew I had found my calling in life. I stayed at that charter school until I graduated from high school in May of 2015, dancing the whole time. If I had not danced at school, I probably never would have danced. Because I was blessed with this life-changing experience of dancing at school, I am determined to spread the opportunity I had with other students, because I know through personal experience that it guides and changes students' lives. Not everyone who dances becomes a dance major, but everyone who dances grows and develops and changes. Dance is such a positive force for good, and I am so grateful that it became a part of my life when it did, and so grateful that it was through the school system.