Posts Tagged ‘Dance instruction’

Hi all! I know there has been a huge amount of time since my last post. I am in my final year of graduate school and have been swamped with work. Well, last week was my last week of class for the fall semester. While I still have a few assignments to hand in, I am really happy about not having to run to class after having worked with my middle school students all day.  

I now feel like I can focus on Christmas, which is by far my favorite holiday! What is there not to love? the carols, the Christmas tree, family and friends. As a dance teacher I love working with my students around this time of year on a holiday dance. This year I focused on some of my middle school aged students. I taught them a tango piece using the jazzy music of Harry Connick, Jr. I am so proud of them all!      

The rehearsal process was a lot of work- to say the least. If you know anything about middle school children, then you are not surprised when I say that our rehearsals were full of drama (the good kind!), emotions and anxiety. They were excited yet really nervous about how they would look in front of their peers! Whenever my students have a performance, I am determined for them to perform well. More importantly, I want them to be proud of their hard work and accomplishments.

 The night of the show brought on even more anxiety and quite a bit of last minute changes. For example, I had dancers who had problems with their costumes, another dancer did not want to go on because, he was sure that he was going to forget the entire routine!! And, I had to replace one of my dancers at the last minute. The person who took that dancer’s place had to have a quick rehearsal. It just so happened that the new dancer sat in on many rehearsals, was attentive, and practically knew the dance. She got her moment to shine, and SHINE she did!! By the way, the fabulous christmas ornaments in the background were done by my friend and Visual Artist, Sean Council. They added that extra holiday flavor to an awesome performance!

IT’S SHOWTIME!

I think these two are ready for the prom! (Keith and Charity)

Many little girls have a desire to take dance lessons for a number of reasons: it can be a lot of fun, or they are physical and just need to move- a lot! From my experience having once been a little girl and from my experience as a dance teacher; I would say that many little girls have a desire to dance, because it makes them feel like a princess!

On December 11, 2009 Disney will present, The Princess And The Frog in theaters everywhere! This is the first Disney film to feature an American princess, who is also African American. I had the opportunity to see a short clip of the movie earlier this month at Blogalicious in Atlanta.

Set in New Orleans, this movie is about a beautiful girl named Tiana who embarks on her journey towards following her heart and living the life of her dreams. From the short clip that I was able to see, it was clear to me that Tiana exemplifies the courage and passion that many little girls have.  I cannot wait to see the entire movie, and get in touch with my inner princess.

If you’ve never studied classical ballet, or if you are not proficient in French; chances are you have no idea what plie is! Plie, [plee-AY] is a French classical ballet word, which means to bend your knees.

Many dance classes for children, as well as for adults begin with plies, because of its ability to warm-up the knees. The knees are very vulnerable to injury while dancing; therefore the proper execution of plie is crucial. I found a great picture on photobucket of a dancer in a plie position:

Dancer's feet are in fifth position

Although it is a part of the ballet terminology, plies may be used in the warm-up for other genres of dance like: modern technique, hip-hop, jazz, African, and tap to name a few.

Urban Plie, Inc is a dance program that I started in April of this year for children between the ages of 3-18. I currently offer ballet, modern dance technique, creative movement (children ages 3-5 only), West African, jazz, and yoga. Inspiring kids through dance is the mission of my program. 

I am focused on urban communities throughout the country because: dance classes are usually more readily available to children who live in suburban neighborhoods, and there are many kids who live in large cities who would love dance as a creative form of expression.

Urban Plie dance programs are accessible wherever there are children who want to learn how to dance; whether it be an after school program, a workshop at a children’s museum, a youth program at a church, or at a public library.

If you would like to know how you can set up a dance workshop, or a dance class for your event feel free to send me an email at, natasha@urbanplie.com.