Every week I spend a half an hour with the kids, specifically girls that attend the summer program at Carver Community Center. The reason I am writing about this is because it is a very important part of what I do and one of the many reasons why I teach. The ages I have range from 4-12 which is great because I get to work with all different age groups and they can learn from each other in a controlled and positive atmosphere. So what do we do in class?
First, it is all about having fun, creating a positive image and self-esteem while getting the kids moving and learning about a dance form along with another culture. Today we worked on flexibility and stretching and talked about the importance of both and why we do it. These girls are really smart and in fact, a few weeks ago one of the girls came to me before class and told me she forgot to do her homework. How cute!
We also worked on working together as a group and how important it is and what happens if one dancer does not do the same thing that the other dancers are doing. I have been teaching the girls the debke’ which is a circle dance holding hands. I asked the girls why we dance in a group togehter and what does it help each one of us focus on. I had answers such as moving, a few I don’t knows…one girl spoke up and said, ” it’s about working together” and she is right I had her repeat it so everyone could hear it again. I lead the girls around in a circle repeating the steps and showing them as they followed me.
As we continued around the circle, I changed the tempo as we started stepping more quickly. A few of the girls feet got tangled up and well you could imagine what happened….the circle stopped as some girls fell down and the circle became disarrayed. I then asked the girls what happened and why we talked about what we do affects those around us and those next to us. After leading the girls through simple belly dance moves such as hip thrust and the washing machine we ended the class having races walking on tip toe and playing red light green light belly dance style. The girls have fun and I do as well. Plus, getting the chance to teach them this wonderful art form!
This past week one of my students asked a very important question when it comes to facial expressions. Facial expressions helps bring the emotion that you are trying to conceive with the movements more alive and it is the finishing touch to your dancing. When performing or even practicing you should always be aware of the expressions you are making with your face. What is most important is to try and relax and realize it is not necessary to always smile. When dancing and performing it must be full bodied;meaning emotion comes from every aspect and adding emotion with the face is the key to communicating to the audience the story that you are telling because when we dance we are telling a story.