Teaching 240 Toes-Art Masterpiece meets Creative Dance

One of the reasons I started teaching creative dance here in Arizona is because I believe that every child should have a safe place to be creative and feel the joy in expressing their own unique movement style.

I am so excited to announce CDW new outreach program, Teaching 240 Toes! This year I will be working with 24 3rd grade students from a local elementary school teaching Art Masterpiece and appreciation through creative dance!

Last week was my second time with these students and it is an absolute joy! I love the challenge of meeting these students wherever they are (some are still trying to skip while others are very coordinated) to create movement with them. It is so fun to watch how "non-dancers" find the most creative shapes and access movement that is interesting and dynamic. I love the energy that boys bring to a dance class and how girls who have had dance for several years are trying movement they have never done before. Watching someone with an open mind try something new and enjoy it is so fulfilling!

The first artist of the year was Winslow Homer and his painting, "Snap the Whip." We discussed how art can influence the mood of a society. "Snap the Whip" shows the light, innocent, and fun tone Homer created in direct opposition to post Civil War America. Similarly, we used suspended movement to find balance and then collapse to release. The two opposite energies and movement styles matched so well with the opposite moods in the painting and society. In the painting we saw two boys pulling each other and finding a balance and then falling when that tension was released. The students loved working with suspend and collapse as it allows the body to hold tension and then release.

I am so thrilled to see how much the students enjoyed creative dance. It allowed them to explore art mentally and physically! I can't wait for next month!