Five Steps to Host Your Own DIY Dance Class

Impromptu dance parties with your kids are awesome - they’re instant mood-lifters, great exercise, and take almost zero prep/clean up work. Here are five tips to pack a little more active learning power into your DIY dance time.

1. Use Challenging Music

Kids music is often dumbed down (my biggest pet peeve).  Music is an instinct, and kids can absolutely understand complex rhythmical structures and dynamics.  Play some grown up music, and mix it up - punk, classical, folk - choose songs that give you that visceral "I-want-to-dance" feeling.  For a surefire playlist, we adore the putumayo kids collections.  Pick their ‘playground’ compilations as they’re lively and great for dancing to.   

2. Gallop Away

Gallops are a favorite for little feet.  Just let one foot lead the way, and start step-together-stepping around the room.  Music-wise, you ideally want a fast 6/8 - teddy bear’s picnic is a classic, and most irish jigs work well.  You can gallop forward and sideways, and if you’re feeling really fancy, try ‘picked up’ gallops where you tuck your feet under you as you go (like a horse jumping over a fence).

3. Don't Forget about Fine Motor Movements

Once you’re out of breath, sit down, play some slow music and dedicate a dance to your little muscles:

• Wiggle your toes, and point and flex your feet.
• Fingers like to dance too - wiggle them, open and close, and take turns touching each finger to your thumb (that one’s tricky for little ones). 
• Move your head side to side and up and down.
• Discover the way your shoulders can move with shrugs and shoulder rolls.
• Float your arms like butterfly wings then contrastingly shoot them in and out like fireworks exploding!
• Lie on your back and go for a bike ride - pedal your legs going forwards and then backwards.

4. Rhythm Games

Make a game of clapping out the syllables of your names, or your favorite fruits (or whatever you choose).  Talk about how many sounds are in each word, and make a simple rhythm out of it. For example: Plum, plum, apple, plum, sounds like slow (wait), slow (wait), quick quick, slow (wait). In music terms it’s half note, half note, quarter note, quarter note, half note.  Clap and say the words, then try and jump the rhythm!  

5. Take freeze dance to the next level with, well, levels!

Play a variety of music, and instruct your child to listen carefully first, then show with their movements what the music is saying.  When you freeze, add an instruction from the following categories:

• add a level: “freeze in a low low/medium/high level”
• add a shape criteria: “freeze in a twisty/wide/small/curvy/straight/upside down shape”
• add a dynamic or movement quality: “freeze in a heavy/light/happy/angry/melting/floating shape”
• Combine them at will for a never ending list of movement inspiration!

Bonus Material!  

Below is a free spread from my book, Learn to Speak Dance, which will guide you through “Making Your Own Dance Step”.  To download it (so it's big enough to read), just click here and scroll down to see the link. 

And of course, if you want to try out more of these moves, check out our program offerings, and join us for a free class!  Happy dancing!

Click on the image, then scroll down to see a larger version.