Maine Arts Education Conference
Samoset Resort:
Teaching Traditional Dance and Singing Games to Children
Peter and Mary Alice's workshop notes for Friday, Oct 5, 2007
Dear Dance Workshop Participants,
We were really impressed with your level of dancing and participation and enthusiasm, THANKS!
Here are some notes on the dances we did in the workshop:
Highland Gates p. 5 in notes
in NEDM's Down in the Valley collection
This is a great dance for opening a community dance.
Folks can join in the dancing as they straggle in.
Blaydon Races p. 1 in notes
in NEDM's Chimes of Dunirk collection
We used 'Old Favorite' from NEDM's
'Other Side of the Tracks' CD for this.
We did this is a mixer, but you can also do it with
younger children without changing partners.
We often call this at weddings.
Tree Song
In NEDM's Down in the Valley collection
Lorraine Hammond, who composed this wonderful singing
game, is a songwriter and musician, and the best known
Appalachian dulcimer player in the country. She is in the
greater Boston area. The piano arrangement on the CD
is Peter's.
Old Brass Wagon p. 5 in notes
In NEDM's Down in the Valley collection
This can be an a cappella singing game, or, with the
CD (or live music) a great early dance to instrumental
music. When Peter teaches it he walks through the
figures first, and then says "Now just do whatever
Mary Alice says," and puts on the CD.
Kindergarten Reel p. 1 in notes
In NEDM's Listen to the Mockingbird collection
but just in the book, not on the CD, because the
idea is that you lead this with whatever instrument
you play: piano, French horn, recorder, electric
guitar, whatever!
Galopede p. 1 in notes
In NEDM's Chimes of Dunkirk collection
We often end a community dance with this dance.
If you have a live band, have them play an extra
C section the last time through at the end of the
dance and have each of the successive top couples
keep going down the middle while the rest of the
dancers move up the outside. Sometimes we practice
this ahead of time, sometimes we don't.
Sicilian Vowel Dance p. 2 in notes
In NEDM's (forthcoming - Nov 1 release) Sashay the Donut collection
We used 'Golden Keyboard' (actually, the piano only comes in
at the end of the cut) from NEDM's 'Any Jig or Reel' for this.
Do this with 5th or 6th graders who have a fair amount of dance
experience, and who have already learned the grand right and
left ('Lucky Seven' from our Chimes of Dunkirk collection
is a good teaching dance for the Grand Right and Left figure).
It can work at a community dance if you have all the younger
children dance with an adult or older experienced child partner.
The main teaching point is, once folks are in the formation
of couple facing couple (Sicilian circle formation), having
everyone point to the left. Those pointing to the inside of
the circle say "I am an insider." Those pointing to the outside
say, "I am an outsider." That is the direction they start going
when they do the big, no hands, stay-with-partner grand
right and left.
La Bastringue p. 1 in notes
In NEDM's Chimes of Dunkirk collection
We used this as a vehicle for a lot of teaching tips:
Mittens; front of your mitten on the front of your neighbor's
mitten, thumb lightly on back; take hands drop hands take
hands drop hands; posture; teach the forward separately
from the back in the forward and back; shake partner's
hand, hang on, take partner's left hand for teaching promenade;
while promenading: inside person is the moon/gent, outside
is the star/lady; four steps of making a circle from a
promenade: "Hang on to partner stop walking, hang on
to partner face the center, drop hands, take hands.";
9 ways of keeping the circle big and round on circle
left and right; dosido (gents start on inside, ladies start
going outside) flowing into two hand turn flowing into
promenade; when music starts clapping the first of
each 8 beats; doing the dance with your hands; "thick"
calling, then "thin" calling then no calling; saying the
call right before the 'clap' or before the first beat of
the phrase and figure.
Kings and Queens p. 2 in notes
In NEDM's (forthcoming - Nov 1 release) Sashay the Donut collection
We used 'On the Danforth' from NEDM's 'Other Side of the
Tracks' CD for this dance.
Before we teach this dance we will dub each child a King or a
Queen, and talk to them (sometimes while the music is playing
to help sustain the mood) about what it means to be a King and
Queen: They have royal posture, they never rush, they make
good decisions, they are very attractive; basically describing
the ideal King/Queen or, which, in my mind is being the
very best person they can be. This is in the style of an
historic English country dance.
Keep on dancing!
Best,
Peter and Mary Alice Amidon