Hello!
What a month November was! We are settling in nicely to class and it was our first theme change, from Pumpkins to Tea Party.
This month we got to play dance, freeze, melt which not only experimented with different types of movement, but also had us counting the beat.
We introduced our balancing pods. Not only do they have different textures, but also different levels of firmness so we constantly challenged core muscles to adapt as they moved between the pods, creating different combinations every time.
Our Sparkling Stars 2-4 also worked on baby bridges in acro this month. This trick helps to strengthen the back of the legs, glutes and back. It is an excellent starting point for actual bridges and helps them develop the strength they need to execute that.
Our littlest dancers added in more large motor skills work where we got to jump, gallop, march, tip toe and start skips.
Our small prop this month was scarves. We can use them to practice hand eye coordination by tossing and catching as well as speed changes (fast/slow) and directional changes (front/back, right/left). Sometimes we just like to put music on and let our dancers move where it takes them!
After all that we still had time to play ball, and add more ballet and tap steps to our repertoire.
As if that were not enough – our 6 and older students put on not one, not two but three performances of the winter showcase! The first two took place on Sunday, November 17th at Park Crescent and Job Haines Homes respectively. Our final and big performance took place November 22 at the Doris M. Byrne Performing Arts Center at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell. They worked so hard to pull this together in just 8 short weeks and I cannot express how proud I am of them, not only for their performances, but also how when needed we shared shoes, provided hugs to each other and truly came together as the family we are to support each other.
