Communicating without words
Sick
After the break I caught a cold. I could blame the pollution for the coffin but sometimes your body just have to get a little bit sick. I never had fever and washed my hand properly, so I teached all classes anyway. Just added fresh ginger, lemon and honey in my water every day. I like to be an active and not passive dance teacher so I usually give full out physically in class, but first week of sickness that was a bit challenging…
Also the issue off talking/raising you voice to 15, 5-year old was quite difficult… I tried to adjust my session plans to minimal explaining from my side so first one became a repetition week. It was actually good for both parts since they also just had a break – to tickle their memory a bit, bye testing them how much the remember.
As you can see from the picture to the left, I have had some new only Physical education (without Creative movement) classes outside and october is a perfect temperature that is basicly same in and outside haha. But there are also the days when rain want stop pouring down and it feels like you live in a shower for a couple of days. It is massive amount and the streets flood at some places. Gatting a taxi on these days is a nightmare and last wednesday I had to walk 75 min in this weather with many kilos on my back just beacuse there was no change getting a cab. At that moment I did not like and appreciate my life in shanghai, china.
Taobao
My first order arrived and it felt like Christmas. Everything in this picture under 200 altogether! There are benefits of living in china and having friends helping you order from Taobao. Finally I have a yoga mat and foam roller to work on my back. Ecological coconut oil , make up remover pads, “sko-skavs-plåster”, and 2 pairs of ballet shoes (pink and white). We recently got a small oven to our apartment so now I can bake bread and spread them with real imported butter, which also ordered, but put in the fridge.
New music and movement classes
Last week I got 4 more lessons at a kindergarten teaching music and movement. The principal had seen me teach at another venue and wanted the same concept with this kids.
I just felt a little pressure going for this assignment because it is one of our biggest clients and it was super important that the change of a new teacher was a success for the continuation of working together…
But it was amazing first sessions! I was so sweat afterwards because the kids were so engaged, eager to learn and full of energy so we just went to straight from exercise to exercise and did so much! It was super fun and the staff that was super happy about the lessons and came up hugging me afterwards! I left the kindergarten dancing on clouds haha.
Communication without language
At this kindergarten (and some of my other classes) the children doesn’t speak English. Some are the coaches gets frustrated because nobody follows instruction or listens to you.
I have been taught at the Norwegian college of dance to actually use as less words as possible. Especially with young kids and that there should be no stopping to keep up a good flow of a class. So how do I get a group of 15-20 children at the age of 1-2, 2-3, 4-5 and 5-6 to do different exercises without talking to them in a language the understand?
Audio- making sounds instead of word. For example if I am shrinking (getting smaller and small) I go ILILILILILIL and growing (bigger and bigger position) WOOOOOOO. And I use music with the same qualities as the movement we are doing like fast/slow, soft/hard, sustained/edgy playful/serious and so on…
Visual –Doing the same think as them but 300% bigger so that they can copy. I have also printed pictures that might explain “where” we are or “similar to what and how” we are moving now. For example in the jungle part of the session, I show picture of different animals.
Kinesthetic – Touching them to move them between places and levels of the room, change tempo or dynamics of their movement.
As simple as possible and play with their imagination.
Let them do things “wrong”. As long as they are trying and moving I am happy. They are still discovering new ways of moving and develops body and space awareness even if they are not following the task 100 %.
Being super encouraging when the first kid is beginning to understand the new task, like clapping my hands while jumping up and down. And then the rest of the class also want this attentions and shortly after everyone is joining the exercise.
At ZY dance studio
Today I took 2 lessons with a Chinese contemporary professional dancer called Pang. He spoke no English at all but because he was so clear in the tone of the voice and showing with his body the feedback that was given made me understand without any problem. If a movement needed to be sharper or if I had to loosen up more in the upper body, slide longer, hold my center better in a turn, it was all very understandable even if the words were not… And since I know the numbers up to 10 in mandarin the counts was not an issue either.
I think it is fascinating how we can communicate by using our bodies and through dance it becomes like an international language. We speak and mean the same, just not trough words.