This Friday, April 23, Summers-Knoll families will gather to dance, dance, dance! We have rented the commons room at Allen School- in our school neighborhood- and we will begin to dance at 7:05 pm. Our Summers-Knoll students know the dances' forms and basic folk dance terminology. Siblings will be able to participate with an adult. Summers-Knoll students will also participate with an adult. You'll have fun and I promise it won't be too rigorous.
I had the opportunity to spend a day two years ago with Martha Riley, a nationally-known folk dance educator, when she came to Detroit to work with music educators. I quote her when I write " Folk dances provide unique avenues for the development of children's aural skills...Feeling musical phrasing develops naturally through dance...Folk dancing can be highly motivating
because it is a social activity. It encourages cooperation rather than competition because all must work together to make the dance complete and all take credit for its success.
Dancing is more than a set of steps: it is a joyful and natural response to the music! It allows kids the intuitive understanding of the lengthth of a phrase without counting, and the enjoyment of the interaction with other dancers. If we allow children to learn and enjoy music and dance in a natural and stress-free way, they will love both for a lifetime. "
