Fresh starts and a beginner's mind |
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New starts come in multiple ways and in multiple moments - the flip of a calendar, the rising of a new day, the intake of a breath. As dancers we know how to pause, clear the stage, and restart. This year we invite you to embrace and explore the restarts - and the necessary letting gos and shaking it ups - and to bring your beginner's mind, full of curiosity. Who knows what you might discover?
Wishing you a joyful 2021, a joyful new day, a joyful new moment.
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Practitioner Exchanges 2020-21
This year we're offering 1-3 Zoom Practitioner Exchange conversations each month so that dance educators can ask questions, chat about challenges and successes, and collectively generate new ideas in response to teaching dance from a distance. Topics to be scheduled as new questions emerge. Closed captioning available.
$15-40 for each one OR
$25 for unlimited Exchanges during '20-21
free for PL Users
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Teaching Dance from a Distance -
High School & Teens
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Teens are curious about making an impact in their world. How do you give them choice and voice, and support them in developing leadership skills while also holding a curriculum? How do you use dance and dance-making to address social issues, including xenophobia, homophobia, youth incarceration, and mental health? What does engagement look like now, when students may opt out of turning on their cameras? How can we continue to be responsive to the needs of our students while teaching from a distance, and how can we use the current limitations to design curriculum that is exciting for teens?
Join high school dance educators Sonja Travick and Samad Raheem Guerra as they dive into these questions – and more! – in a roundtable conversation. Bring your own questions to add to the mix.
Tuesday, January 19
4:30-6pm Pacific
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Got questions about how to keep dancing and teaching while at home? Or about how to advocate for your job while things feel uncertain? Need a pep-talk or moral support as you create new curriculum? Luna's here for you!
Sign up for one of our free phone consults and talk to a Luna faculty member for individualized support!
Tuesday, January 26
3:30-6pm Pacific
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New virtual course! Love, Move, Play: Dance in Early Childhood |
Join us for a 6-week workshop that celebrates the essential nature of movement in young children's development. Designed as a virtual course, we'll be investigating early childhood development, neurocellular patterns and the elements of dance in an embodied and accessible way. Create dance activities and lessons that feel authentic to you, with student agency at the center. Step into this whole-self art form to increase joy in your classroom!
For all who work with young children.
February 20 - March 21
Saturdays, 9:30am-12pm Pacific
via Zoom
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We want to hear from you! What do you need now? |
We continue to design our Professional Learning offerings to be responsive to your questions and needs as dance educators. We last sent out this survey in March, but so much has happened since then! What questions are you holding now? What kinds of support do you need to keep teaching, to keep bringing your artistry, to connect with your students and what's going on in the world, to remain curious and creative? Let us know in this super-short 3 question survey.
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Resource: "Valuing the Arts on Their Own Terms? (Ceci n'est pas une pipe)" |
"We say the arts should be valued on their own terms. But what does that mean and is it really a good idea?"
Constance Bumgarner Gee's article, "Valuing the Arts on their Own Terms? (Ceci n'est pas une pipe)" sparked much conversation in our Teacher as Creative Practitioner Scholar course this fall. As you continue to advocate for arts in your teaching settings and community, read this as a reminder of the intrinsic value of the arts. Plus, Gee's dry humor may cause you to laugh out loud.
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From the archives: writings on dance teaching for social change |
"Dance teachers create change. Daily we enter classrooms, centers, and studios motivated to share our passion with students who eagerly await the chance to move and liberate their bodies. In turn we witness students’ growth in confidence, skill, expression, and self-awareness."
- Cherie Hill
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What we're watching now: Jerusalema Dance Challenge |
It's been almost a year since Angolan dance studio Fenomenos do Semba – Dança first inspired dancers worldwide to join the Jerusalema Dance Challenge. We love the fun casualness and community aspect of this dance! Join in!
Discover more videos and challenges that have emerged during the Covid era here.
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Fenomenos de Semba’s
Jerusalema Dance Challenge
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