Dance for AdultsDance in SchoolsMy TRS Term 5
Rachel has had a fantastic Term 5 and has really enjoyed all the varied lessons she’s taught. In this blog she shares some of the things they did and some of the quotes from participants…
St Peter’s Primary School
We had a fantastic term of dance at St.Peter’s full of fun and exploration. Th children learnt a dance containing a mixture of different styles and also had the chance to come up with their own movement ideas. They loved exploring new movements and working together creatively. Towards the end of the term we focussed on the Queens Jubilee and used coloured scarves to represent fireworks. The girls enjoyed dancing like princesses and the boys like soldiers. Together we combined lots of movement to create a creative, colourful Jubilee Dance!
“I love spinning around like a princess”
“Dance is always so much fun on Mondays”
“The colours really do look like fireworks!”
The Holmesdale School
At Holmesdale we have been working on a beautiful contemporary dance to Brave by Ella Henderson. The girls have been thoroughly enjoying the dance and have taken a particular liking to contemporary dance and the emotion felt when dancing. They have had some wonderful creative ideas such as using chairs as a prop in the dance. This was inspired by Active Armchairs! Their choreography skills have also been developed as they have had many opportunities to share their ideas and include movements of their choice within the dance. It has been lovely to see how the motif has developed and we look forward to finishing the dance this term!
“I love the emotion behind the dance”
“I think this is the best dance we’ve done”
“Using chairs is so much fun”
Hunton Primary School
We have had an exciting term at Hunton Primary where the children had the chance to work towards doing a performance at their school fair. We had a lot of fun combining two dances to create a mash up of songs. The dance started as funk to Good Times and then merged into Melody by Sigala which was a street dance. It was lovely to work towards a project and see the older children in the group taking a leadership role to support the younger children. Sadly I was unable to be at the performance but the feedback was very positive and children enjoyed sharing what they had done.
“Can we add this move!?” (Children were always full of ideas)
“I love our dance t- shirts!”
“It was good to perform. I was really scared but we had fun and everyone joined in”
Greenvale Infants School
Educating Dance at Greenvale was so much fun! I worked with reception children who were just so eager and enthusiastic to learn and dance. The theme was nutrition and healthy eating so over the course of the weeks we focused on different fruits and vegetables that are healthy to eat as well as having a balanced diet. Different fruits and vegetables were used as a stimulus for movements and it was amazing to see what children came up with. We did a smoothie dance which was great fun and then explored different balances linked to having a balanced diet. Towards the end of the term, we developed a motif I had taught the children and they performed their dance to the rest of their year group. It was wonderful to see how learning developed over the weeks and how dance brought everything to life! We used the Vegetales soundtrack which was great fun and also enhanced children’s learning. The teachers joined in each week and always commented on how much fun the sessions where. We were all sad to say goodbye at the end of the term, but what a fantastic time it was!
“I like whizzing around like the smoothie machine”
“My favourite food is donuts!”
“Rolling around like a potato is so fun”
“Jumping up and down like a carrot is fun”
“I’m really good at balances. It’s tricky but I will try”
“Thank you for such a fantastic few weeks. We are so sad to be finishing and have thoroughly enjoyed every week. We have been asked how it’s gone and given a glowing report. We hope to see you again!” Year R teachers
Active Armchairs
I love doing my regular Active Armchairs sessions each week. It has been so lovely to get to know the participants and build a relationship with them. Each week, there is such joy and laughter in the room and everyone is uplifted by the end of the session. It is wonderful to feel like you are making a positive difference to people’s lives, especially through dancing. I love the variety and how so many moves can be differentiated to suit participants’ needs. Dancing is such a wonderful way to keep people moving but also lighten their spirits. Each week we have great fun singing along to peoples favourite songs and exploring different props. It has been wonderful to hear participants’ experiences, from losing weight to just feeling happier and enjoying themselves. The feedback from the organisers has also been so positive, to the point where more funding has been asked for to keep classes running. We have become a little community and it is a privilege to see my participants each week.