Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Children and dancing-just my opinion

Okay so I will probably get a few negative comments with my opinion on this but really-Why spend money on classes for children under 5 when all you need to do is turn on some fun music and dance with your kids yourself??? Seriously-you get an exercise as well plus you get to find out how creative your kids are. Some dance classes are closed-which means they don't like parents to sit and watch. This way you actually get to watch your kids dance and spend quality time with them. Please don't put your youngster in a dance class to brag about their talent. I get really tired of hearing how someone has danced since they were 3 and so they are a talented dancer. If you see that your child has a natural movement to music and feel they show potential-please go ahead and put them in technical training classes when they are 8 maybe 7. This is the best age to start your children in classical ballet and really they won't be behind. This is the age where they can safely train their bodies and also they are a bit more mature to handle the repetitive motions that come with that training. But dance classes for kids under 5 are usually creative movement classes and are for just fun. I would put my kids in it for the sole purpose for them to have fun with a group of other kids-but they can get that playing a day at the park with friends. Now I am not telling you how do be the best parent for your children and you are going to do what you want anyway. But here are a few things that I hope you will listen to:

Please don't give your children false hopes by making them think they are a prima ballerina when they aren't yet. Please tell them they can do anything with alot of hard work and dedication!

Please don't pressure your kids to do dance because it's what you wish you could have done or it's something you love or because it's something "all" girls do. Please tell your child you love them no matter what they enjoy doing and give them the freedom to choose.

Please don't suffocate them with lessons and activities. Please allow them time to relax, rest and be a kid without constant scheduling.

And above all-Let your Kids be Kids!!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Random Dancing-What's wrong with that???

Maybe I am crazy but sometimes I can be caught dancing in the most random places. The other day I was in Walgreens and they were playing a fun upbeat song over their system-not the samo lamo elevator grocery store music. Anyway I had a hard time not dancing along so I pretty much cha cha cha'd my way down the aisles with my daughter seated in my shopping cart ahead of me. At least from the front I looked as if I was speed walking-but anyone walking behind me probably thought I was Weird. Anyway this got me thinking that I am probably not the only on who does this-but I have to admit, excluding myself and my sisters, I haven't personally witnesse anyone else get down in public places other than dances. So I searched out a few viedoe cips with people dancing in random places and then I felt more NOrmal. If you are like me and want to know you are not alone check these out:

Best Buy
Public Bathroom
ComicCon International
Concert??
The Mall
Train Station
In Iraq
The Great Wall of CHina
An escalator can move you
Ellen's commercial :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1dRCfGEJo

Me I dance anywhere-although I do hold back a little for my children's sake.

Where is the strangest place you have busted a move?? How public was it?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Move

When we were babies we couldn't do much else besides cry, wet our diapers and sleep. But we moved. This is something that all of us did and continued to do more of as we grew older. I remember my parents always playing music in our house and my siblings and I would bust out our sweetest dance moves. If I could go back in time and watch I am sure I would faint in hysterics at our creativity. This vital part of my upbringing taught me coordination and rhythm and the love for music. Those moments were my stepping stones to reaching my passion for dance in all of it's genres. Anyone who wants to, can dance-they just have to move to a beat, with music, or something that pulls you out of yourself to create beautiful shapes and sometimes unique and distorted movements. It can even be silence. Something that inspires us to share something so deep that the only way to communicate it is through the movement. As some people are talented to speak using words, others are talented to form moving sequences of motion that describe a story and pull emotions from the observer. As anyone can learn to be a great speaker, so can one learn to be a great dancer. Move and let your body communicate what your heart is feeling. That is the beginning.