Early Childhood Dance & Math

How does a child’s kinesphere and relationship to self and others relate to Geometry and Measurement? What do Number Sense and Pre-Algebra look like through the embodied movement of the young child? This interactive workshop explores play-based dance activities that support sorting, classifying, adding together/taking away, patterning and spatial awareness through the lens of culturally relevant teaching practice.



Saturday, October 14

1-4pm Pacific

via Zoom

$190

Register here

OUSD, BUSD and MCOE ECE teachers can participate tuition-free, RSVP to jperena@lunadanceinstitute.org

Coming up: Early Childhood Dance & Literacy, December 9

Practitioner Exchange:

Engaging Families & Family Dance

What new ideas can we experiment with to allow for connection, trust, and relationship-strengthening? How can creative movement support co-regulation and communication as families dance together? How can we continue involving families in dance, even when they can’t join us in the studio/classroom? How can relationship-based dance support the social-emotional learning and community building that is so important right now? Join family dance educators Julie Lebel & Rossana Alves as they ask these questions and more in this peer-to-peer conversation. Bring your questions too! 

Monday, October 30

4:30-6pm Pacific via Zoom

$15-40, or $28 for unlimited Exchanges for 12 months

free for PL Users - RSVP to jperena@lunadanceinstitute.org

Details here

Dance educators, Practitioner Exchanges are a place for you! We hold these collaborative community roundtables each month around different inquiry topics. Bring your questions, your reflections, your experience to these conversations. All welcome.

Read about the impact of Practitioner Exchanges in Director of Programs Jochelle Pereña's research article, Through the Lens of Improvisation: Dance Educators Find Voice and Agency through Transformative Conversations.

Radical Research panel recording

Did you miss our June panel, Radical Research: deepening + disrupting dance practices with Crystal U. Davis, John-Mario Arcilla Sevilla, Pei-Ling Kao, and Rosy Simas? Check out our recording here to discover how these four BIPOC dance artist scholars are actively shaping the field of research.

Luna's hiring!

Are you passionate about creativity? Do you thrive in a collaborative, grassroots environment where everyone pulls together to create change? If you seek to apply your skills in service of social justice through the art of dance, Luna Dance might be the place for you! This fall we are hiring for two positions: a Development Assistant, and an Early Childhood Teaching Artist. Discover more here.

Join us in a Renovation Celebration!

We're so excited to begin construction on our new Berkeley home! Join us to celebrate with a street party fundraiser November 11. Dance performances, live jazz, refreshments, games and surprises await! Help us secure Luna's legacy and future as a cultural asset and global dance education trailblazer. Tickets & details here.

In the community: Teaching Artist Meetup

Our friends at Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area invite you to their Teaching Artist Meetup, Friday, October 13 for Oakland Museum of CA’s FREE Fall Teacher Night. Find them at the book release and panel discussion at 4:30pm (first 100 guests receive a free food and drink ticket!) or at a table by the pond for food and drink afterward! Details here.

In the community: Discover the Path to Become an Elementary Arts Teacher

As CA's Prop 28 opens up more arts teacher positions in schools, how can interested teaching artists and educators get the credentials needed to fill these positions? What are the pathways? Art=Opportunity hosts a free day of learning about these pathways. Enjoy activities, hear from arts teachers, and discover the pathways to becoming an arts educator. In person at CSU San Marcos, November 4. Details here.

Can't make it in person, but still curious? Check out CDEA's dance credential resource page.

Early Bird Registration: CDEA 2024 Conference

California Dance Education Association's 2024 statewide conference, Fertile Ground serves as a platform for mentorship and a supportive environment where educators can share their knowledge, experiences, and resources to enhance their teaching practices. This year's conference takes place at CalState East Bay, February 9-10, 2024 and early bird registration is open! Details here.

What's moving us:

an interview with Paolo Freire

"Teachers must be able to play with children, to dream with them. They must wet their bodies with the waters of the children's culture first."

We've been reading "Reading the World and Reading the Word: An Interview with Paolo Freire" for both inspiration and aspiration as a Leadership Team at Luna. Join us in the reading! What resonates for you?