Class One Jazz (Younger):
We had a fun day today! I decided to try and do the isolations seated, for both classes, to try and help them distinguish movement of their hips and their ribs. It worked pretty well! It is a lot harder to use your hips to move your body when you have both sitz bones on the ground, and they looked good! I think it will still be a while before I can have them move just their ribs while standing, but I think this is good progress, and a good solution to the problem.
We still worked on the usual things; pirouettes, kicks, leaps, chaines, side leaps, and normal leaps, but I began to combine things together. I had her do 8 counts of kicks and then an 8 count pirouette (the music was kind of slow) and it worked pretty well! She got mixed up about which foot to use when starting the pirouettes, but I think that was more me confusing her as I tried to mirror her (I may have done it backwards the first few times). I think with practice we'll be able to get them down really well!
The stag leaps are coming along pretty well too! She gets mixed up with which foot should leap, but they're getting better. I had her practice a high chaine and a low chaine with out the leap before we started the stags, and that seemed to help. She still bounces between each step, which throws off her momentum, but that'll come with more practice.
Class One Jazz (Older):
This class went well too! The girls are getting a little more rowdy, and want to play tag through all the exercises, but they are doing well. We did pirouettes, kicks, kick and pirouette combination, side leaps, leaps, chaines, and I began to teach them how to do a floor roll. We started by doing one chaine and then tucked the back leg to allow us to do a bum roll so we could come back to standing and turn under ourselves. It was pretty rough, but I think they'll get it with practice. I am hoping we can do chaines into a bum roll into two chasses and a side leap, but it'll probably be a few weeks before we attempt that. We made it farther in the hip hop routine, and they are doing well. They understand the counts pretty well, (even if their counting with the music still needs a little work). They all take corrections really well and are a delight to work with.
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Session Two Day Nine (TR)
Class One Jazz (Younger):
This class went quite well today. The dancer's tumbling classes ended so she is able to stay for the whole hour for the rest of the session! I was quite excited. I decided to add isolations to the warm up for both classes to help them with the hip hop routine, and it is fun to see them learning a new concept. We worked on our leaps, kicks, chaines, pirouettes and I began teaching the stag leap. It was fun to see her attack a new challenge, and I think she'll be able to get them down quite well by the showcase.
Class Two Jazz (Older):
We had a fun day in this class as well. The students are very engaged and well behaved (even if they are quite talkative). We worked on our kicks, pirouettes, side leaps, chaines, leaps, and really pushed straight legs today. They are all improving a lot and it is a fun group! I also talked more about spotting in this class especially. It can be a difficult concept to pick up, but they are doing pretty well. With the spotting their chaines are staying straighter, but there is still a lot of wobbling with each step, which will be the next thing we work on.
This class went quite well today. The dancer's tumbling classes ended so she is able to stay for the whole hour for the rest of the session! I was quite excited. I decided to add isolations to the warm up for both classes to help them with the hip hop routine, and it is fun to see them learning a new concept. We worked on our leaps, kicks, chaines, pirouettes and I began teaching the stag leap. It was fun to see her attack a new challenge, and I think she'll be able to get them down quite well by the showcase.
Class Two Jazz (Older):
We had a fun day in this class as well. The students are very engaged and well behaved (even if they are quite talkative). We worked on our kicks, pirouettes, side leaps, chaines, leaps, and really pushed straight legs today. They are all improving a lot and it is a fun group! I also talked more about spotting in this class especially. It can be a difficult concept to pick up, but they are doing pretty well. With the spotting their chaines are staying straighter, but there is still a lot of wobbling with each step, which will be the next thing we work on.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Session Two Day Seven (TR)
Class One Jazz (Younger):
This class went really well! My one dancer is progressing quite well and I think I'm going to start her on some harder things. We did leaps, kicks, pirouettes, chaines, and leaps, and I think she could do stag leaps as well. She is doing better with the hip hop routine and told me that she has been practicing it. She is doing really well, I'm very excited to get to continue to work with her!
There was another applicant today, and she did really well! She came at four and stayed until partway through the second class. She had a good aerobic warm up, and got along well with the students. It was very fun to see them interact with a new teacher, and it was nice to have someone there to help give corrections and keep the class going.
Class Two Jazz (Older):
This class went well today too! We worked on pirouettes, kicks, leaps, chaines and began learning side leaps today. I've had them do 8 counts of kicks and 8 counts of free dancing, and am trying to work them up to counting on their own. It's kind of fun, and I think this will be an excellent way to teach them how to count music and do each movement on the assigned count. They are doing really well with their hip hop dance, and are all very excited to learn the whole thing!
We had a talk today about failure. Some of the dancers seemed a little frustrated about their progress, and so I decided that it was time for a talk. I told them a story about when I was learning to ice skate from a professional ice skater, and she said that if we weren't falling, we weren't learning. We then talked about what this means in dance. I told them that it doesn't matter how many times we don't get it quite right as long as we keep trying. They took it a little bit literally, (there was a lot of talk about falling when we dance) but I think it helped. The rest of the class seemed to go smoother, and they all seemed determined to keep trying to progress.
This class went really well! My one dancer is progressing quite well and I think I'm going to start her on some harder things. We did leaps, kicks, pirouettes, chaines, and leaps, and I think she could do stag leaps as well. She is doing better with the hip hop routine and told me that she has been practicing it. She is doing really well, I'm very excited to get to continue to work with her!
There was another applicant today, and she did really well! She came at four and stayed until partway through the second class. She had a good aerobic warm up, and got along well with the students. It was very fun to see them interact with a new teacher, and it was nice to have someone there to help give corrections and keep the class going.
Class Two Jazz (Older):
This class went well today too! We worked on pirouettes, kicks, leaps, chaines and began learning side leaps today. I've had them do 8 counts of kicks and 8 counts of free dancing, and am trying to work them up to counting on their own. It's kind of fun, and I think this will be an excellent way to teach them how to count music and do each movement on the assigned count. They are doing really well with their hip hop dance, and are all very excited to learn the whole thing!
We had a talk today about failure. Some of the dancers seemed a little frustrated about their progress, and so I decided that it was time for a talk. I told them a story about when I was learning to ice skate from a professional ice skater, and she said that if we weren't falling, we weren't learning. We then talked about what this means in dance. I told them that it doesn't matter how many times we don't get it quite right as long as we keep trying. They took it a little bit literally, (there was a lot of talk about falling when we dance) but I think it helped. The rest of the class seemed to go smoother, and they all seemed determined to keep trying to progress.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Day Nine
Today went pretty well. I came prepared with a dance for them to learn, and they got most of it down! I kept it pretty simple because I was worried about the younger dancers being able to remember it and execute it, but with the older girls leading it's going well.
The youngest dancer still refuses to do a lot of the things. She starts to pout when we do the combinations but she came and did them (if in an upset manner) after I told her they would be in the dance. She did the first part of the dance well and happily, but when we added kicks and turns she started to pout and wouldn't do anything. I didn't really baby her today; I wanted to get through as much of the dance as I could, and didn't really want to stop the other girls learning by stopping class to convince her to participate. I'll probably try and do more next class to help her, but I'm not sure what...
I had each dancer pick a stretch to do after warming up today, and that worked pretty well. I wanted to keep everything quick and simple, so we could get to learning the dance, and we were still able to stretch pretty well in all directions. I kept all the practicing technique pretty simple and quick since most of the steps were in the dance.
After the other girls left we practiced chaines and pirouettes and then did some free dancing and walking through the jungle. I wish we had more students that stayed longer so that this one student could experience imagining and dancing with others her age better, but it was still fun.
The youngest dancer still refuses to do a lot of the things. She starts to pout when we do the combinations but she came and did them (if in an upset manner) after I told her they would be in the dance. She did the first part of the dance well and happily, but when we added kicks and turns she started to pout and wouldn't do anything. I didn't really baby her today; I wanted to get through as much of the dance as I could, and didn't really want to stop the other girls learning by stopping class to convince her to participate. I'll probably try and do more next class to help her, but I'm not sure what...
I had each dancer pick a stretch to do after warming up today, and that worked pretty well. I wanted to keep everything quick and simple, so we could get to learning the dance, and we were still able to stretch pretty well in all directions. I kept all the practicing technique pretty simple and quick since most of the steps were in the dance.
After the other girls left we practiced chaines and pirouettes and then did some free dancing and walking through the jungle. I wish we had more students that stayed longer so that this one student could experience imagining and dancing with others her age better, but it was still fun.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Day Eight
Today went well. We did the Rhythm game to warm up (a song that has you move and rest for specific times) which was more aerobic than I'd expected, but it was good. Nest we did some stretching, and I tried to do some less strenuous stretched and do a little bit more fluid movements. We worked on pirouettes, kicks, leaps, and chaines. Then we learned a new combination (eight counts of kicks and one pirouette) which they didn't like but that they did very well with and then practiced our combination from last time. We ended with freeze dance because they seemed a little worn out in mind and body.
Having the girls freeze dance while coming back from drinks has worked pretty well. It makes me feel like we aren't wasting time, but that none of the girls are missing anything either.
After the other girls left, we played the Jungle Game, the Rhythm Game and did some stretching (only one of the late comers came again). Both of us were pretty tired, and it was hard to come up with things to do that filled the time enough but didn't take up a ton of energy.
The youngest girl didn't actually cry, but she hid behind some chairs and wouldn't come out until I offered to let her "be the teacher." I had her tell us when to start our combination, but she didn't really perk up much or dance with us again until freeze dance at the end. I am not really sure what was wrong. One of my friends suggested that she is doing it for attention, and maybe I'll have to single her out a little bit more, but my natural reaction to people seeking attention is to ignore them. I don't want to baby her or stop the class for her, but I want her to dance and learn as well...
It has been kind of a struggle for me energy wise lately. It has been hard to find the energy to do all that I need to do body wise (I have 3-4.5 hours of dance before each day of teaching) but the students seem more worn out as well. I wonder how to help with that... Maybe do some yoga or slow sustained movements? I am hoping to teach maybe one combination more and then put together the dance. It's cutting it a little close, but I think we can make it work. Hopefully. I think a good deal of it will be poses or tricks, and then the two combinations that I have already taught them. The girls decided to name the one with the fan kick "The Happy Combination" and the one with the kicks and pirouettes "The Straight One." It was pretty cute.
It has been so exciting to get to work with these girls and see their progression and excitement. I am realizing that if they come back for next session I am going to need to have a lot more lesson plans and a greater variety of movement and activities for them though!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Day Seven
We did the usual exercises today, but we went through them faster so we could learn new material. The students are beginning to remember how to do each step and how they start, which is very exciting because it means we can focus more on technique and begin adding other concepts and steps.
We learned a simple combo today (it was very cute to see how wide-eyed they got at the new word) and it went very well! They learned it quickly, and were able to do it by themselves by the end of class. It was quite fun and exciting!
The main technique we focused on was spotting during all of the different types of turns that we practiced. We talked about spotting without tilting our heads and I used the image of your chin staying on a table, but I think it was a little difficult for the dancers to understand. I think I might try a book or something on the top of their heads, and see if that helps.
We also attempted to do kicks on a beat, which was fun, if a little messy. There was definite improvement from last class though! Mostly it is a struggle to get them to do the step before the kick on a beat as well, but we'll keep working on it. It will be exciting to see them continue to improve.
After we practiced each exercise I had the dancers try and do it on their own (without my verbal ques or physical example). They did quite well and I was very impressed with their willingness to step up to a challenge.
Our youngest dancer got discouraged at one point, but she cheered up after we did silly high fives. I think she is doing better at facing new steps and not getting discouraged.
It's very funny and interesting to see the different parents who are so involved in their child's dancing and proper technique. In a way it is very exciting and fun, but it also worries me. If a child has too many authoritative figures giving them corrections it is easy for them to become discouraged, but so far the children have seemed fine.
One of the late comers was absent today, so I only had one student until 5:30. We did some simple games (freeze dance, a rhythm game, and a creative game involving jungle animals). Then we stretched and left a little bit early because we were both a little worn out.
Overall I am pleased with the progress that these dancers are making and I really enjoy keeping them on their toes and trying to not do the same type of class twice in a row. I think it makes the class more engaging for the students and for me as a teacher.
We learned a simple combo today (it was very cute to see how wide-eyed they got at the new word) and it went very well! They learned it quickly, and were able to do it by themselves by the end of class. It was quite fun and exciting!
The main technique we focused on was spotting during all of the different types of turns that we practiced. We talked about spotting without tilting our heads and I used the image of your chin staying on a table, but I think it was a little difficult for the dancers to understand. I think I might try a book or something on the top of their heads, and see if that helps.
We also attempted to do kicks on a beat, which was fun, if a little messy. There was definite improvement from last class though! Mostly it is a struggle to get them to do the step before the kick on a beat as well, but we'll keep working on it. It will be exciting to see them continue to improve.
After we practiced each exercise I had the dancers try and do it on their own (without my verbal ques or physical example). They did quite well and I was very impressed with their willingness to step up to a challenge.
Our youngest dancer got discouraged at one point, but she cheered up after we did silly high fives. I think she is doing better at facing new steps and not getting discouraged.
It's very funny and interesting to see the different parents who are so involved in their child's dancing and proper technique. In a way it is very exciting and fun, but it also worries me. If a child has too many authoritative figures giving them corrections it is easy for them to become discouraged, but so far the children have seemed fine.
One of the late comers was absent today, so I only had one student until 5:30. We did some simple games (freeze dance, a rhythm game, and a creative game involving jungle animals). Then we stretched and left a little bit early because we were both a little worn out.
Overall I am pleased with the progress that these dancers are making and I really enjoy keeping them on their toes and trying to not do the same type of class twice in a row. I think it makes the class more engaging for the students and for me as a teacher.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Day Four
I began class with a game to warm up (free dancing with different challenges; fast, slow, high, low, together, separate, etc) and added some new stretches. I liked having a moment to collect myself at the beginning of class and let the students dance some of their energy out to get warm.
We continued to work on technique for pirouettes, kicks, chasses, leaps, and chaines, and we got an new student! She hasn't danced before but is willing to try everything and will be coming from 4:30 to 5:30 which will be so much fun for the other late comer to have a friend instead of being stuck with just the teacher for her last half hour.
I have also discovered that when I allow them to do fast chaines the momentum helps them continue to go in the correct direction instead of flipping back and forth. They are doing pretty good, and it was very exciting for me to realize that they were doing better than expected!
We continued to work on technique for pirouettes, kicks, chasses, leaps, and chaines, and we got an new student! She hasn't danced before but is willing to try everything and will be coming from 4:30 to 5:30 which will be so much fun for the other late comer to have a friend instead of being stuck with just the teacher for her last half hour.
I have also discovered that when I allow them to do fast chaines the momentum helps them continue to go in the correct direction instead of flipping back and forth. They are doing pretty good, and it was very exciting for me to realize that they were doing better than expected!
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