Get Up and Dance!

Believe it or not, everyone can dance!

Even babies

Even if you’ve never taken a dance class and you have two left feet

Even if your feet don’t work at all and you are in wheelchair

You can dance and move to music with your child!

Dancing and moving to music allows a child to:

• Physically experience music

• Feel the rhythm, beat and vibration of music with his body

• Learn to organize his movements

• Clarify his relationship to time and space

• Gain control of his body

How to dance in a few easy steps

1. Listen to some stimulating music and start swaying back and forth.
2. Then move your arms in a waving motion or make large and small circles.
3. Next pick up your feet.  Step side to side.  Add a few kicks.  Walk in a circle.
4. For extra pizzazz add some dancing ribbons. 

Dancing ribbons are so popular with my students.  Every week they beg to use the ribbons.

The ribbons turn every song into a special event.  The handles make them extremely easy to hold.

With ribbons you can:

• Dance like a princess
• Dance the season-rain, snow, falling leaves
• Write words, waves or squiggles in the air
• Twirl
• Experiment and have fun!

To make your own ribbons you will need:

1. Shower curtain rings ($1 at The Dollar Store)
2. Ribbon, tulle, or caution tape cut into 40-60 inch long strips.
3. Tie and knot 2-3 ribbons to each shower curtain ring.  They will hang down doubled so you will have 4-6 ends hanging off the ring.

Music Ideas to Dance to:

The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky

Water Music: Menuet  by Handel

Now put on some music and get moving!