winners of the imovesdance 2011 schools dance comp.

They produced a fab super hero themed routine that mixed up styles such as street with contemporary, working beautifully in group formations and really attacked their performance.  They obviously worked very hard on their routine and it showed.  Well done little ladies – keep up the hard work.

I’ll be working with school soon delivering a variety styles to the children and their teachers so cant wait to meet you all in person.

Imogen

Our competition aims to create a unique Urban Dance scheme of work for 7 – 16 years using Urban dance poses created by children in British schools.

We are looking for 20 urban style group poses to create our scheme of work.  The scheme will be a free resource to any school who enters, even if your entry doesn’t make the final 20.

Step one: you and your students create a dynamic street style pose that could be held for at least 8 counts of music – i.e. no action shots! other children should be able to look at the photograph and recreate the pose.   We would like a variety of work that show cases poses featuring pairs of students and groups of either 3, 4,5 or 6 students, who must be aged from 7 – 16 years.

Step two: Photograph the poses the children have created

Step three: send in your schools selection of entries to imogen@imovesdance.com or post them on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/imovesdance.

Our deadline for entries is Friday 29th June 2012.  The scheme will be ready for September 2012.

Get involved and help us to create an extra special scheme of work that’s by the kidz for the teachers.

we are so excited by this idea – we hope you are too.

Good luck – and hope to get your entries in soon.

Imogen

i’ve put together a little something for you to try with your very little ones.  Its a simple christmas story and actions with flash cards to help you control your group.

Please let me know how you get on if you have a go at teaching it.  Music wise you will need a CD of jolly Christmas songs playing in the background.

A Magical Christmas Flash Cards – 3 to 6 years (print off in colour if possible)

A Magical Christmas – 3 to 6 years (these are your lesson plan and session notes)

Good luck!

Imogen

This case study was conducted during term times (2011) in PE lessons with teachers from Infant and Primary schools in South Yorkshire, UK.  All schools have been using imovesdance.com resources for 1 year.  Imogen Buxton Pickles – company director – led the case study by working with each teacher and their class on a one to one basis, demonstrating and teaching a lesson in week one. In week two the participating teachers and assistants then followed on from that scheme adding to the previous sessions movements.  In week three Imogen returned to assess the work they had done in week two and to start another scheme.Here’s what some teachers had to say…

Teacher 1 - The Circus – The children loved the various parts of the dance. We adapted it to suit our class and they thoroughly enjoyed performing to others.  They learnt to work together with dance and adapt movement in time to music

Teacher 2 – I think the lesson plans are well presented and layered well. It allows a non-dancer the opportunity to teach dance well. Being a dancer I found that I use the plan as a base and then added my own things to it (which I think it’s designed to do) so as people become more confident teaching dance they will begin to make it more their own.

Teacher 3 - Creative Combat – lots of movement and concentration is required and that’s just what the children need.  The style (Combat) was instantly appealing to all members of my class. Children still practice the moves from this scheme as a warm up – so it must be a winner!

Teacher 4 - Countries – The group loved the music and the theme. They also enjoyed talking about their own experiences in the counties where we visited during the lessons (France, Spain, America and India), which inspired them to think of further movements we then added in to the dance.

Teacher 5 – This scheme (Yoga-Dance 5 – 7 years) doesn’t have video just photographs of the poses which are very useful – A video of the performance would be nice but not essential.

Read the rest of the case study in full: imovesdanceUK Ltd Case Study results 2011

Picture of children performing the Circus theme at Stocksbridge Infants School.

Its been a crazy September, with lots of training sessions delivered into schools with a view to kick starting dance programmes for this term.  Birley Spa Primary School is one of those schools using our Start – Up Resources and have a fantastic group of teachers driving their dance programme forward.  In just one hour we were able to cover 6 schemes, a brilliant bunch and pleasure to work with.   Thanks to Gareth Morgan for making it all happen – Gareth wrote…

“Thanks once again for a superb twilight session! Teachers commented on the Friday how good it was and are planning units of the next half term”

Here’s a little taster of what we did…

The Haunted House for 4 – 7 years is a simple 1 – 2 lesson idea to  the theme from Ghostbusters. FREE LESSON Ghostbusters Scheme of Work for Halloween (4 – 7 Years)

Thriller for 7 – 11 years is a more structure routine you could easily have ago at teaching.  Click here for the choregraohy notes. FREE Thriller Routine for 7 – 11 years

Let us know how you get on – or send us in a video!

Imogen

You asked and we listened… You asked for more photograph based resources like our freestyle resources as you said its so easy to teach, you also said  that your younger children love to sing as well as dance,  so we have been busy creating a whole host of goodies for you to try:

Foundation – Short Scheme for 3 – 5 years

• Nursery rhymes. Its a real cutey sing – along theme and focuses on beat, verse and chorus and working together

Key stage 1  – Short Schemes for 5 – 7 years

• Yogadance is our brand new creation using photographs of fun Yoga poses to help you build up your routine

• Do Re Mi a sing a long scheme using flash cards for props and simple choreography  Example Flash Card Do Re Mi

Key stage 2, 3 & 4 – Short Schemes for 8 – 16 years

• Freestyle Funky YogaFit is a scheme that helps you to build up a funky routine using photographs of yoga poses – no yoga experience necessary!

• Funky Urban Freestyle is a new scheme to help teachers with little or no Streetdance experience, build up a funky urban freestlye performance using photographs

“i have recently started teaching dance in nurseries and I am currently teaching a week long summer camp.  i am stuck for ideas with such young children! Can you help?”

I thought my answer may be of use to other teachers, home schooling parents and activity leaders too.

“Pre-school can be tricky, the key is to make it FUN.  Keep it simple and repetitive, and make sure you change the activity every 10 – 15 minutes to keep their focus.  For example:

Warm – up:  you could try the warm up idea from our free resources range (it says key stage one warm up, but its easily adaptable for early years). If you have signed up for free trial resources you will automatically get them uploaded in to your account.

Activity – Under the Sea (this is also a free trial resource you can use as its suitable for 3 – 7 years) This builds up a theme using different activities to keep focus and then they do a performance at the end.

Cool down – The shape circle – the children sit in a big circle in pairs.  Each pair run in to the centre of the circle and make a shape with each other, either touching hands, or feet or heads! It’s up to you to guide the children. They hold it as still as possible, applause and praise,  and then the next pair come in to the circle to make their own shape.  Once the children get the hang of it, they get quicker and quicker at getting in to the circle and making a shape.  It’s simple and fun and easy to negotiate.

If you like these ideas have a look on the Early Years /KS1 pages at out short schemes and choreography ideas http://www.imovesdance.com/key-stage-1/

If you need music to inspire check out our Little Stars CD.   CD 1 is a mix of funky nursery rhymes, I use this a lot and make up little actions to them.  CD 2 is happy boppy party music which I use to have on in the background for games and activities.  Click here for more information http://www.imovesdance.com/music/

Sign up for free trial resources here http://www.imovesdance.com/

Let me know if I can be of any more help. Good Luck!”

We are very excited to announce that “Kings Camps” - The Kings Foundation dedicated to developing children through sport, are now using imovesdance.com resources to help train their Jump Leaders all over the UK to teach great dance sessions.   Jump is a new programme available to all children who attend their fantastic summer camps.  Dance and Gymnastics is the focus of the Jump Programme and is in association with British Gymnastics.  Check out your local camp for your kids!! http://www.kingscamps.org/jump/