Holiday Show Blues

It was the week before Christmas and we were practicing for the holiday show.  All the dancers were excited to get up on the stage and hear the cheers that they knew would soon unfold.  The costumes were sweet as "Sugar Plum Fairies" and as sizzingly as "Santa Baby", so no one would expect a confident 4 year old dancer who loves to perform to break into tears at a rehersal on show day just before noon.  I dropped to the floor, down on my knees "tell me sweet dancer why do I see tears"?  She softly said "Ms. Beth, I'm so sad my daddy isn't here and he said he'd come for the show".  I quickly spotted her mommy and inquired to make sure I had the right response and she said "Kayla's daddy is coming tonight".  I went back to darling Kayla and told her "Kayla this isn't the show it's just practice for tonight and your daddy will be here...everything will be alright".  The tears soon stopped.  The message to me was clear....sometimes we need to remember to explain things a little more clearly.  The little dancer thought the rehersal was The show and once she understood everything was just great!  Next, time someone you know is sad, mad or tuned out....check out why?  It might be as easy to fix as The short lived Holiday Show Blues.

Little Dancers Make My Day!

Little Dancers Make My Day!

If I'm under the weather and my body aches, I have a cold or a headache all I have to do is teach a Little Dancers class, because regardless of how I feel before the class starts by the end of the class I feel great.  Happy children always greet me with hugs and once the music begins wiggles and giggles fill our space and time.  With dance routine titles like: My Pony Macoroni, The Teddy Bear Ballet and The Happy Feet Tap....well, there just isn't time for anything, but smiles.  I do what I love and I love what I do. There is no greater gift that I can give or receive.  Most of my Little Dancers just dance for fun, some others have a dream of becoming a star and the autistic and specail needs children I work with... well, I pray everyday that dance will help them build a new learning pathway.  The pay isn't great my piggy bank isn't full, but if you were to take inventory of my soul....well, you'd find it's full of gold.  I know that I'm doing exactly what God intended for me to do.  I am blessed.  Little Dancers make my day!  What makes your day?

Dance Teacher Needs Bigger Lap!

I taught a Little Dancers Class for preschool children this morning.  At the end of the class we all sat down on the floor, so I could give all of them stickers for being such incredibly great dancers and several of the little dancers were trying to sit on my lap.  I told them that they all had to sit on the floor, because there just wasn't room for everyone to sit on my lap and that is when Maggie exclaimed "Ms. Beth you need to get a bigger lap"!

Singing Lyrics Helps Child With a Speech Impediment

A sweet Little Dancer with a serious speech impediment recently said to me "Ms. Beth listen I can sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame the whole song" and she proceeded to sing the entire song every lyric pure with no evidence of a speech impediment.  I clapped, gave her a big hug and told her how proud I was of her. She was very proud of herself too as this was a giant accomplishment for her. Later her mom told me that she had sung the same song for her speech therapist and her therapist was amazed that she could clearly sing this song.  Take Me Out to the Ballgame is one of the songs that we'd been using in her class at the child care center where she participates in my Little Dancer program. We'd been singing the cute lyrics of this well known song and she also had learned a fun choreographed routine to this music.  A combination of events came together in a positive manner to create this positive learning event. We listen, process, do and repeat using both sides of the brain in dance.  Next by design I create a fun stress free, safe and trusting environment that is energized, exciting, entertaining, joyful, nurturing and loving. The outcome of learning through music and dance in a fun and trusting environment is that children are using both the left and right side of the brain, they're enjoying themselves, they feel secure, they want to participate, learn and of course be the star that I tell them they are. Bottom line singing, dancing and fun creates positive learning outcomes.

What is the next step for this sweet little dancer?  Its time to learn a new dance and sing a new song!

My Feets Don't Work

After a Little Dancers toddler class today 2 yr. old Annabelle insisted that she was a big girl and didn't need help getting her ballet slippers off or her flip flops on.  After waiting awhile and watching her struggle I said "Can I help....your flip flops are on the wrong feet"?  She said no they're fine, but as we walked down the hall back towards her classroom she exclaimed "Ms, Beth my feets don't work"!  We stopped and fixed them.  Morale of the story you can't help someone until they want help.