Our Top 5 Recommends: Dance Resources
We all know that some sneaky dancing in your kitchen can make your day so much better and that keeping moving especially during lockdown can boost your wellbeing as well as keeping you and your family fit. There are resources available for everyone – whether you attend dance classes usually, whether you fancy something different to Joe Wicks to keep you all fit and healthy, whether you want to get creative or whether you just feel like turning the music up and having a home disco.
1. The Garage and Dance East
For those who already attend dance classes, many teachers, schools, companies and venues are offering live classes via zoom, on you tube or on live video feeds through social media sites. I am really enjoying getting a sneaky peak into their homes as I join in!
The class offers from The Garage and from Dance East are great for a breadth of style, level and age group. The Garage have a daily programme of 40- 45 minute classes on zoom which you can book onto via their online portal – everything from contemporary to street dance to ballet to toddler dance. There are also free facebook live classes.
You can find Dance East’s Home is Where the Dance class programme on You Tube. Each class lasts between 15 and 20 minutes and is available online free of charge for 24 hours. I enjoyed the warm ups especially but found I needed much more coordination for the ballet class! Granted it had been a while since I donned ballet shoes!
Extra tip: there is a lot of support for students doing GCSE Dance. Have a look here.
2. Oti Mabuses kids dance classes
As an alternative to Joe Wicks for a family workout Oti Mabuse’s kids dance classes are being streamed to her Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at 11:30am every day. The Strictly Come Dancing star teaches a different routine in each 30 minute session – I tried The Greatest Showman themed routine and loved it. Disney tunes also seem popular – Frozen, Madagascar etc! The classes are saved onto her YouTube page after the livestream has finished, so they can still be enjoyed even if families aren’t available at the exact start time.
3. Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
New Adventures is Sir Matthew Bourne’s dance company famous for the male Swan Lake and many other creative approaches to classic stories. Reel Adventures has great online content about all their productions. This week is The Car Man – a brilliant version of Carmen. You can watch the show and access behind the scenes interviews with the dancers and crew.
I really like the DanceVenturers series where Paul Smethurst uses dance and action to help teach phonics at home. The 5 minute videos are energetic and lots of fun as well as being filmed in a gorgeous roof top garden.
4. Royal Opera House
To create your own dance at home, I love the Royal Opera House weekly home learning activities where you can be creative with movement, inspired by one of their productions. Lesson plans are easy to follow at home with easy steps to follow, inspiration comes from stills and from video and you’re encouraged to share what you have made with your family and at #ourhousetoyourhouse. This week the challenge is to make a dance where your feet move so fast they might catch fire!
5. Cosmic Yoga
Finally here’s a top tip for calming children down at the end of the day. Cosmic Yoga is a YouTube channel that uses yoga to tell stories. I really loved Alice in Wonderland. The presenter gives clear instructions and the flow is great so children stay interested throughout.
So whether you looking to use dance for fitness, for creativity, for phonics or you’re a dance student, turn up the music and have a go!
By Steph Peachey