Bringing the story to life: using literature and dance

At Ballet Petite, we try to bring together the magic of literature, music, and dance.  We believe that this stimulates the young child's mind to encourage the use of their imagination and creativity in the classroom.  As a teacher, it is amazing to see the kind of things the young students come up with.  I am often inspired by them, and I use their own creative material as personal inspiration in the classroom.

I found another example where children bring together stories and dance to create something wonderful!

At the International School at Dundee in Riverside, Connecticut, a group of third graders used dance to showcase what they had learned rather than a conventional test or poster project. The students picked out their own music and costumes and developed their own painted murals to interpret children's books that they had read. 

Performing Linda Oatman High's "Beekeepers"

As for the dancing?  The students watched excerpts from the ballet Cinderella and received guidance from Brett Raphael, the artistic director of the Connecticut Ballet.

The project was part of the student's "Meaningful Movements" unit which focused on expressing feelings, ideas, and beliefs through movement.  After a lot of hard work and collaborating, the students performed their masterpieces in their school gym in front of their fellow students.

I just think it is so great that this group of young students brought together all these artistic elements and created something even better than just writing a book report. 

Expression through music and literature is something that we firmly believe in at Ballet Petite, and it's something that we encourage.

Way to go, third graders at Dundee! (Click here to read the entire article.)

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com