Welcome to the St. James Dance Program blog! We'll update this page every week with new information about our lesson plans and curriculum activities, so that everyone can follow along with the progress we make as we glide and slide and jump and twist and dance through the St. James Parish Hall.
In January and February, the Kindergarden, First and Third Graders are all participating in dance class once-a-week. This week, we began our Community Dances! To start, we brainstormed a list of answers to the question:
WHO MAKES UP OUR COMMUNITY?
The list was extensive! Friends, family, neighbors, artists, dancers, teachers, St. James staff, doctors, dentists, florists, therapists, police, firefighters, President Obama, President Obama's dog Bo, librarians, postal workers, bus drivers, archaeologists, fashion designers... what a rich community indeed.
Then, using Build-a-Phrase techniques from the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, each class devised their own 16-count phrase, taking everyday gestures from the physical work performed by these different community members, and abstracting them into a choreographed dance!
Soon, we'll put all the dances together, and post a video here so that everyone can practice at home! For now, feel free to visit the Dance At SJSLA page for more information about our process, AND the Resources page to learn more about our theory and practice!
Looking forward to dancing with everyone next week :)
- Ms. Laurel
In January and February, the Kindergarden, First and Third Graders are all participating in dance class once-a-week. This week, we began our Community Dances! To start, we brainstormed a list of answers to the question:
WHO MAKES UP OUR COMMUNITY?
The list was extensive! Friends, family, neighbors, artists, dancers, teachers, St. James staff, doctors, dentists, florists, therapists, police, firefighters, President Obama, President Obama's dog Bo, librarians, postal workers, bus drivers, archaeologists, fashion designers... what a rich community indeed.
Then, using Build-a-Phrase techniques from the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, each class devised their own 16-count phrase, taking everyday gestures from the physical work performed by these different community members, and abstracting them into a choreographed dance!
Soon, we'll put all the dances together, and post a video here so that everyone can practice at home! For now, feel free to visit the Dance At SJSLA page for more information about our process, AND the Resources page to learn more about our theory and practice!
Looking forward to dancing with everyone next week :)
- Ms. Laurel