skyline dancing

Lee lives in Atlanta, GA, where she is now teaching dance technique and creative movement. She earned her B.A. in Dance from Agnes Scott College in 2011.

[dancinglee-blog]

Here I am, happy to say that I am ending my third week of recovery! As you know, I broke both my wrist and foot in an exercise class. I've been back teaching for two weeks, now. It's been stressful, but I have been able to manage my time in a constructive manner.

My biggest challenge has been executing and verbalizing my choreography. While I had been struggling with my energy and patience, I recognized the need for my observation. 

Since my accident, I have heard and seen more leadership than ever. Since the dances have been learned, I am beginning to trust my dancers to use their teamwork effectively during rehearsals. It's nice to start enjoying our hard work!

[dancinglee-blog]

Teaching on your injury: Primary Ages

I never thought this would happen to me, but it did. I was taking a gyrokinesis class, and my mat slipped on a dangerously sick floor. So many questions came to my mind after the fall. "How will I teach my classes?" In a boot? On a chair? My Dr. Seuss rhyme is running out quickly as I struggle to choreograph with a broken foot and a broken wrist. After one week out, I was able to find transportation to my classes. I came to my Oak Grove class and noticed a huge absence among the students. It was a rainy, muggy day which you could tell by the look on each of my students faces. I tried my best to encourage them to work hard and be leaders since I could not be there, physically 100%. I finished my jazz dance this afternoon, but struggled to keep their attention. Since I could not demonstrate, I had to break down parts of my choreography and have them travel across the floor with this repeating movement. This was a high point of my class. I was working hard with the girls, and using my body as much as the boot allowed. After 30 minutes, I had to direct from a chair. I should have come more prepared to follow through with this. Juggling classroom behavior and verbal directions was very challenging for me. Help! What is the best way to manage this? The last 25 minutes of class consisted of each dancer getting a partner and working on the dance while I observed. After 5 minutes, the girls switched partners. Over all this was a significant help, while giving me time to rest my voice and body. I hope to come more prepared and with higher esteem in my class on Wednesday. I will definitely be reaching out to my peers- feel free to message with ideas! Best, Lee

[dancinglee-blog]

[dancinglee-blog]

On Leading: You're not a door holder.

We're back in business at EIM, and as we are nearing closer to the recital, I have been busy creating arrangements (messing around with sound clips on my laptop) and choreographing for my students!

The girls love this part of the year, but with a lingering restlessness from the holiday season...

It's time to get ourselves in gear. We have about nine classes left until the performance, and a lot of rehearsing to do. Considering this is my first time putting students on a stage, it hit me that our class needs leaders. I mean this with sincere depth. Not your average door-holder. 

A leader is an individual who encourages the process of self study, observation, desire, and teamwork. They encourage others with their tireless sense of self motivation. 

I see this impulse in my classes. At Brockett Elementary, my choreographic technique works to challenge the older students to become leaders. In only six months, children who would burst into tears over a lost sequin are now responding to leadership roles. I have been very happy with the results of empowering my students. Responsibility gives them the encouragement and desire to perform well AND help their peers.

I believe that you can take the time in your classes to respond to this need, I know I will continue to try in each class I teach.

Merde Monday to you all,

Lee

[dancinglee-blog]

A pleasant surprise

Today, I received some wonderful and unexpected news! An e-mail was sent to thank myself and the company for all we do to help this particular student remain "so excited to go to dance"!

This came as a complete shock to me, because this particular child is having a difficult time finding her place in the group. Because she is very little, she "misses her [stuffed animal]", and even an untied slipper can actually cause tears.

I have been addressing the independence factor, and it has not been a walk in the park. I try to be as creative as possible. The aforementioned student was given the opportunity to create a dance with her stuffed animal, so long as her group agreed on how they would incorporate a prop.

I used the same lesson plan for Wednesday as I did on Monday. Since both classes are wildly different, I wanted to see the pros and cons of my composition activity. My larger class was able to create groups and bevocalabout how they were/were not getting along.

The younger class is a bit trickier. 

I paired the Pre-K students with older girls and observed them guide each other with new ideas. I facilitated different ways in which they could combine movements, and learn how to count with these. (This is a big challenge.)

The problem with this challenge is that my students either want to have a tempo which is too fast, or too s l o w.

But mostly fast!

If we're being honest, I will speak for myself by saying that I struggled with counting, meter, and tempo until I probably graduated from college. (True story: Modern dancers tend to take those counts... and throw them away. But I digress...)

I am hoping that if I set an appropriate teaching example (such as my activity), this can be an early learning experience. I'm sure that these topics are covered in my students' music courses, but there is a lifetime of growth that can occur between movementand tempo.

Happy once more. Yay dance.

Lee

[letts-tesselate]

[heyail]

(2) Best Arabic Status on @weheartit.com - http://whrt.it/UeOKcn

[dancinglee-blog]

How I mixed it up.

This past Monday was the first day of class coming back from a holiday break. You can imagine the girls would be wound up, and bouncing off the walls, invincibly as they do.

I wanted to have a change of pace for the girls, since I knew that I needed to keep each moment of their attention on a rough day back. As you might have read, I've been trying to establish a sense of independence in my dancers. On the other hand, they need to begin learning from each other, collaborating, and finding a sense of "unison" or oneness. 

That being a fundamental of dance movement, I finally broke up my class of 15 into three groups of five. I separated the groups with "props" such as pool noodles, and they were so intrigued. They couldn't wait to hear about our new activity. 

In the three groups, I told them that they were going to create a dance with their classmates. They each were told to think of a movement, possibly (hopefully) something I have taught them, and put it all together. For elementary aged students, you have to establish movements with counting.--5,6,7,8-- This comes to some dancers more easily than others, which is why I wanted to break them up and observe how they are working. 

I swear to you, the pool noodles saved my class. If it weren't for the intrigue of being confined in a space together, being forced to create, I may have lost a lot of their attention.

And then it HAPPENED. I walked around to help and also observe how the students were getting along. 1 out of 3 groups did not collaborate, and wanted to perform separate dances. I, instead, offered the advice: 

Each of you needs to create a movement. Whether it is "kick, step" or "push, turn". When you do this, make it last for (2) counts only (for this exercise). You each will perform the others' move, in a tandem sequence. 

obviously... these 4 year old girls don't know what "tandem sequence" means, but I did describe it physically and effectively. BECAUSE.... 

Suddenly-- it clicked for MANY of my dancers. They were able to begin learning how to compose their dances. Did I just teach an elementary composition class? That was fun. 

As my dancers were practicing, I have gotten them into a"recital mentality". Many times, the girls will enter, perform, and bow as if they are on stage. I think it is a great way to practice and get excited for the show.

Have a great class!

Lee

[dancinglee-blog]

Yesterday, I experimented with elementary concepts in composition. It was a successful and rewarding exercise.

[dancinglee-blog]

Approaching the end of our first season.

We are approaching the end of my first season with EIM. Only five months until recital, and we're on our way! Our theme this year is "Colors of Dance" and we will be working on fun and creative ways to express ourselves through color.

I'll ask them: Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? 

I have a few creative ideas for my dancers, and I'm working hard to make ballet unveil itself as less strict and more imaginative. Of course, they are all very excited for their jazz dance.

Several weeks ago, we had a meeting to discuss classroom control, and each of our strengths (and weaknesses--in case we wanted to share). Many of us spilt our classroom management woes to one another, and graciously accepted advice from our steadfast leader.

Here are a few tips to break the ice before my next, more involved post on classroom management. I think it would be interesting to promote a dialogue about our individual struggles ( and strengths) as teachers.

"No" becomes a strict answer to your children. 

Set your rules and accept nothing but this.

Only give out ONE warning, you don't have time to keep up with more.

After the first warning, take out the child if poor behavior continues: KEY--do not let this child sit. They must stand and watch their classmates. (I will address their behavior after 5 minutes or one combination, to see if they are ready to join the class again.)

My students have been shaping up, and not just in their dance vocabulary. This past week, I've had dancers shine. Some of my students who were previously unable to grasp a concept (or keep up with a combination) were coming into class with a mission to succeed.

I had a conversation with each class about Speaking with Our Eyes. In dance class, it is very important to speak with your eyes. This is...

One way to SHOW your teacher that you are focused and paying attention. 

It is also a good way to communicate with your audience.  

Of course I made funny aversions to get the point across, but it worked.

It has taken MORE time with my larger class to gain the control and respect of each student. In my smaller class, we are working on gaining independence, which seems to be the biggest challenge for the young ones.

 Since my students are now aware of the recital-- the lights, the stage, the music, audience, and curtain, too-- we are having to learn that Miss Lee will not be able to hold your hand for much longer. 

It is very hard. Especially when your youngest students are upset about any number of things unrelated to dance. With focus, fun, and freedom... I'm hoping to have stable groups of performers. 

but it's only (almost) December!

[dancinglee-blog]

A brief lapse into a guided victory.

The past two weeks, I have been battling all sorts of colds and viruses. I'm finally finishing my second round of antibiotics in the past 3 months, though I battled it like a hyena for its next dinner before settling on a better, a quicker recovery. (A Doctor's appointment. Who has time?)

There have been a lot of changes in each of my classes, and I have decided to begin updating weekly with the progression of both classes. 

Management 

My dancers now line up their backpacks, politely take care of (3) important dance guidelines, bathroom/changing/water. 

At Oak Grove and Brockett, we have snack before, and wait patiently for dance class. Oak grove is very large (17) for a class to behave, and we share the gym with the older class. They now sit and watch the older girls warm-up, while not making bread crumbs with snacks by running amok. 

We now have (1)Teacher's Helper per class. This is blind draw, and changes weekly. A teacher's helper is a LINE LEADER, a technique corrector, and generally a positive influence on the other students. Great for leadership, and this worked very well with a shy student who "acts out" (yet can recall what had been learned). Leadership for <1st graders is tough, and I believe that this is a positive challenge aside from the dance technique.

At Brockett, we have the same rule. This is a much smaller class, held on the stage in the cafeteria. We have a Teacher's Helper who also gets to choose the student who will open the curtains at the end of class. This week I was so pleased that my youngest, most "attached" Pre-K dancer was chosen as Teacher's Helper. She finally felt assertive! I'm not ashamed to say that it kept her busy. Those who teach the very young know how the attention span can be a big issue in classroom management.

This week was miraculous, and I hope that yours is, too!

-Lee

[dancinglee-blog]

Brockett Beauties 9/26

Are you familiar with baby ballet barre?

I came into class wanting to wipe my slippers across the stage with ballet. As I suspected, I would need to keep the class at a high energy level to follow my lesson plan. 

I have two very little girls in my Brockett class, but they love doing just what I do. The older girls love to be exact with their technique, so I give them new and different challenges each week. 

Today, I structured a barre routine that had my girls "squishing bugs" with tendue, and "mixing the batter" with ron de jambs. We were able to cover both sides of our body, and I corrected each exercise after we completed. 

This kept my dancers occupied and focused on their positions while helping me gauge the interest of each little girl.

There is a reason why dancers are some of the most diligent and patient kinds of people! After 20+ years of this, I would hope so!

We also covered our "Bubble Bath" song with gestures Of course, each little dancer forgot her tiara and promised to bring it next time.

Great job today, Brockett Beauties!  

[dancinglee-blog]

Oy Vey!: Oak Grove 9/24

If you all didn't know yet, I share the gym at Oak Grove Elementary with another awesome teacher, Brooke. She has a class of older girls, while I have 1st grade and under.

Today, we decided on a more rigid schedule for our classes that would help our children stay focused and motivated. 

Brooke is now beginning her class right at 3:30- while my little girls silently observe, with their snacks, until about 4:00. During this time, they can change into their dance shoes, use the restroom, and quietly come back to their seated observation. This worked out SO WELL for classroom management. Which is tough in a class of 17 girls under the age of 6. 

When I began my dance class, the girls lined up to march over to our side of the gym (it is partitioned) for class. About 15 minutes into our warm-up, the FIRE ALARM went off. So I immediately took myself back to elementary school for a good old fashioned fire drill. Oy. Vey.

It was really too bad, since they were having such a good time. Finally, we went back into class and did a full warm up, reviewing our jazz squares and love for Justin Beiber. We also worked on stretching, and the beginnings of learning splits. 

Though we weren't able to learn our choreography for this week, there has been a lot of retention, and MUCH better listening!

Hallelujah, 

Lee

[dancinglee-blog]

Brockett Beauties 9/19

Last week, I decided that my Brockett beauties needed some versatility in their lesson plan. I have two Pre-K aged dancers, and four slightly older students. 

While some pick up  movements quickly, others are learning best with gesture. I taught them a song with gestures that I l was taught as a little girl in my mother's dance studio. My mom actually just gave me this music, and I need to find a way to get the tape copied to MP3. 

I taught them "Tiara", where they pretend that they are getting ready for a dance performance. This week, my little ones are bringing in a tiara to dance class. They're very excited!

So our main points of interest for this class were:

Pivot turns

Songs and gestures

Recap: Bouree, arabeque

[dancinglee-blog]

Oak Grove 9/17: The Sick Clique

    Teaching primary aged students takes on a whole different perspective if you aren't used to the idea of teaching little ones who are just developing boundaries and respect. You're constantly having to correct behavior at this age!

And that's okay! So long as you don't let your students run your class, or eat you alive.

    This is a particularly hard skill to gain with a large group, and I'm finding that I'm struggling a bit. Today, there was an outbreak of "sickness". You know, the kind where they tell you "I might throw up" and in twenty seconds they're doing gymnastics behind your back? That kind!

Luckily, my gracious and supportive boss took a visit to the school to observe. She then told me that these students had pulled the sick card on the old teacher, too. Hard and fast, she implied. If they are truly sick (not "sick with friends") let them puke. You're dancin' today.

I'm finding it really helpful to meet parents, so that I may introduce myself and discuss a variety of great and ...not so great behaviors. Anything from bullying, to not joining the class, participation, listening, etc. 

My favorite part of this class was the RETENTION. I would say about 1/3 of the class remembered their jazz squares from last week. I was pretty excited.

I used a helpful cool down tool for my girls. This exercise can aid in teaching your students respect for others! We sat in a circle and showed the class at least (1) thing we learned today, and what it is called. (Eg. Tendue, Plie, Arabesque) After each child showed, we clapped. They were excited to "show and tell" which gave them pride, and well, if you're in dance class, this is a good skill to have at a young age. 

All adventurous girls do.

And so, my Oak Grove class is growing as a group of little dancers one building block at a time. Here was our schedule today:

Warm up, sun stretches, pointe and flexes, butterflies, rainbow L to R

Plies, tendues and releves 

Simon's positions

"Pump shampoo" combination ctn.

Across the floor: Jazz walks, chasse, skips, leaps over props

BREAK/WATER

Songs and gestures

End, show and tell dance.

[dancinglee-blog]

Praise from my Brockett class.

[dancinglee-blog]

Brockett Sept. 12, 2012

Hittin' the stage with style at Brockett this Wednesday. 

We have moved my girls to the stage, which has its strong and weak points. Unfortunately, after-care happens on the other side of the curtains before our class begins, so I have to keep a close eye on my little ones.

I am pleased, though. The stage has available chairs, which are helpful for classroom control when I need to change music or blink the eyes in the back of my head ;)

These girls have a fabulous memory and are very respectful. I don't believe I will have any bullying issues with these girls. Especially since I implement the same rules that the school would follow!

We were able to complete:

warm-up

Simon Says positions (1st-5th)

Word-of-the-week "bouree" (boo-ray)

across the floor combinations of walking, skipping, jumping, bouree and more

Dancingly,

Lee