Nichelle's Notes

Be sure to share your photos (via Flickr) and videos (via YouTube). Follow the link for instructions!

@TheDanceBuzz posts a list of online dance directories - most are free or have a free option to include your dance school.

@mariasmovers (Maria Hanley) reviews this newly released children’s book @DanceBooks (Picture Books & Pirouettes). Sounds like a great story for little ones, teaching that rewards in dance must be earned.

@SuzanneGerety gets featured at @4dancers. Learn more about my friend Suzanne & DanceStudioOwner.com - a favorite of DA and its readers!

@CoachBarrie wrote this response after her article 12 Critical Things You Should Never Tolerate received reactions on opposite ends of the spectrum. Interesting how offended some are at the suggestion that they may have to cut off that arm.

I thought it was a good list. It doesn’t offer answers necessarily as to how to do these things but no one can really do that work for you, can they? It’s YOUR arm after all.

@abcfordance has written K-12 curriculum downloads that could be adapted for many settings. Get them free at the NDW website!

It’s nice to be included in these lists from time to time, but it’s hard to say what criteria is used for the list. Some very fine dance blogs are absent. However, there are interesting links to a number of fine arts blogs so it may be worth a look.

@TightsandTiaras uses the ‘L’ word (…lazy!) and some no-nonsense language to motivate you beyond excuses.

Circle dances are a great way to work on eye contact, spatial awareness, dancing in unison, and it is great when you have limited space. 

K-12 teacher @dancecookie on how not to respond to chaos (and what to try instead).

“By silencing others, many leaders gain a false sense of effectiveness, but often nurture a greater sense of insecurity because the effects often lead to less positive feedback as well.

So what do you do in a situation of chaos?  It would be nice if leaders were always able to avoid chaos by leading by example (listening to everyone, remaining calm, reciprocal positive feedback and challenging ideas).  We all know this is nearly impossible to sustain 100% of the time.  It would also be ideal if leaders were able to simply ask for order and followers comply, but this is problematic when emotions are involved, which they often are.  So…what to do?”

Another super @DanceBooks & @mariasmovers collab - My Many Colored Days by Dr. Suess
So why recommend this book for a creative movement class? Well, first of all, it includes a lot of actual movement words—like kick, flap, drag, and jump—that children can have fun exploring. It’s also full of words that inspire movement—like slow, low, and busy. And, My Many Colored Days gives children plenty of fuel for interpreting different emotions through both movement and sound.  

Global Water Dances (@gwdances) event organizes in Boston and elsewhere (June 25, 2011). See more at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

via @TightsAndTiaras from knitting your own to raiding the lost-and-found (psst! check the comments for more ideas).

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TEMPORINA DANCE: in this dance game, the students have learn how to change their movement-tempo as the music changes. I usually let the students dance free-style, so their focus is purely on exercising their musical abilities. You can use any music or instrument you like, but I prefer to use Walt Disney’s Fantasia, because it has a variety of different tempo’s all on one disc. Here is the step-by-step process…”

@dancehunter’s article at @CultureMap on Blood, sweat & sacrifice: In the world of dance, practice really does make perfect