Story Dances in the Loft at SOPAC

The Loft at the South Orange Performing Arts Center Welcomes

Story Dances® Beginning September 16^th

Contact: Sheila Rees: 973-669-1294

(South Orange, NJ) August13, 2012 – Registration is currently underway for Story Dances, an exciting dance and creative movement program for preschool children, in The Loft at the South Orange Performing Arts Center from September 16 to December 16, 2012. Parents may register their children by visiting www.storydances.com. Tuition for the 14 week spring session is $280.00. The 45 minute classes are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays @9:30am.

Twenty years ago when Sheila Rees finished her graduate work at Temple University in the Dance Department, STORY DANCES was a way to engage young children in creative movement classes by making up stories around movement words. These stories enabled children to use their imagination and creativity to explore movement when they jumped like superheroes, twirled like spinning tops, galloped like horses, and flew in the air like beautiful butterflies. Could they jump high like a kangaroo and jump low like a frog? What level does a bunny jump?

Students responded enthusiastically and were soon using dance to express their ideas and make dances that were personal to each child. They weren't aware that they were also developing collaboration and cooperation skills, sharpening their movement skills, enhancing their coordination, and supporting their brain development. They only knew they were having fun.

One of their favorite dances was “Jay Jay the Caterpillar” who stretches his furry body, rolls around on the ground, slashes his arms and stamps his feet to get out of the cocoon in his journey from egg to caterpillar to butterfly.

Today, having fun while telling stories through dance continues to be a priority in STORY DANCES. More stories have been added to the repertoire. They are backed up by research on active learning and the ways in which the arts facilitate the education of young children. When children link dance with stories they expand their movement vocabulary as well as their literacy skills; setting the stage for learning in reading, writing, science and math. They consistently make choices, initiate ideas and actions and demonstrate their independence within a supportive environment.

Venture into the world of movement and pure imagination