I still have a few hours to wish you all a Happy National Tap Dance Day! I taught ballet and movement all day today to the babies, but I was surely thinking about tap dance while I was doing it! Did you do anything to celebrate today? I hope you went to class or tappy hour! . . . → Read More: Tappy Day!
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Move. Create. Educate.
As the school year comes to a close and summer is on it’s way, can you believe I am already thinking about classes for summer and fall? Please tell me you are too? Yesterday was registration for fall classes at the JCC and one of the new classes I am offering has been on my . . . → Read More: Step Lively Next week and the week after I am bombarded with parents days and end of the year celebrations. Woohoo! I like to give the kids something on the last day to remember me by. Since I have SO many students, it would get expensive to buy something for all of them. This is what I came . . . → Read More: Thank You Notes This semester, circles have saved my life. I usually start my class in a circle, but many times I go back to a circle in the middle of the class. I feel that circles are a way to bring the class back together and calm the excitement. With my 3 year olds, we start in . . . → Read More: Circles This week, in ballet and creative movement we are celebrating the garden! Growing as different types of flowers, caterpillars to butterflies, ants, worms, and birds! My 4 year olds loved the idea saying “I wish we could visit the real garden!” We have been doing the caterpillar to butterfly dance for a while in ballet class and . . . → Read More: Exploring the Garden I thought I would post this just for fun! Last week I had a photo shoot with my friend Kiasa and she took a few headshots. Thank you Kiasa! What do you think? I am thinking I look a little sleepy! And in the spirit of recital season, I thought I would post this picture . . . → Read More: Headshot- Now and Then Today in ballet, my 3 year olds became super helpful! It was all their idea. I am sure they get the idea from school. Every time we used a props or star spots, they offered to help me collect them! What a great idea, and a great lesson to incorporate into class. I will add it . . . → Read More: Little Helpers Can a plastic table cover be a prop? Have you ever used them in dance class? I am thinking of trying it out but wanted to see if my fabulous readers have ever tried it? I remember going to a workshop with Ann Green Gilbert (total dance education guru) and she recommended cutting them into squares. . . . → Read More: Table Cover Prop Check out this video of my tap dancers at Mark Morris. I have had a few of these students for 3 years of tap, a few of the others are teens and have just started this year. We have been working on an acapella phrase. I took my flip yesterday to video it and thought I . . . → Read More: Tap Combination I need to tell you a story. I tried something today in class that worked! But, I need to know what you think…Here is the story: I have about 5 boys in tap class and they are all around 9 years old. All great boys, but I have one boy who is a major disruption to the . . . → Read More: Asking Students for Help? |
Maria Hanley is an independent early childhood dance educator in New York City.
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Maria serves on the