How to Teach Technique Correctly to Children
We're starting a new series over in the Facebook group! Every Tuesday, we'll be sharing a set of Teaching Technique Tips. Today, I'm sharing one on the blog. Tomorrow, I'll be sharing a different one in the group!
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Today, we're talking about posture!
You might be thinking, "Posture? For preschoolers?"
Yes, posture! And it's important beyond ballet aesthetics.
In fact, in today's world, with more and more kids spending more time indoors, watching TV, and playing on tablets, they can greatly benefit from being encouraged to have correct posture in dance class.
We focus a lot on posture in Once Upon A Ballet even from early on. Posture is important in the early years to promote good habits in the future. We focus on students’ posture mostly during the more technical portions of class like centre barre or barre, centre allegro, and traveling exercises.
Obviously, a 9-year-old will have an easier time standing and dancing with correct posture than a 3-year-old.
Age-Appropriate Images and Words to Use
In the early levels, we don’t want to nag students to use correct posture. Instead, we want to inspire them to use their imaginations. For young children, pretending to wear a beautiful diamond necklace is much more concrete (and fun!) than being told to lift their collarbones and relax their shoulders, for example.
For students to stand taller with their chins slightly lifted, have them imagine they are showing off a beautiful tiara. You can use the image of a crown or a knight if you have boys in class.
For students to lift their collarbones while relaxing their shoulders, have them imagine they are wearing beautiful necklaces. You can also have them pretend they have a sunshine where their collarbones are and to show you how bright their sun is shining.
If your students are still having difficulty dropping their shoulders and keeping their necks long, have them imagine they are wearing fancy, dangling earrings. Or have them try standing with their necks as long as a brachiosaurus.
Have fun with these images. You can have your students imagine they are wearing silver or gold, diamonds or other gemstones. Or, even better, let them be creative. Ask them to tell you what their tiaras, necklaces or earrings look like! You’ll be amazed at the images they come up with AND at how much even your very young students’ posture improves by using images such as these throughout class!
Things to Watch Out For
There will be times when it will be difficult for a student to retain correct posture due to their development at their current age. For example, it can be very difficult for some students to keep their backs long and straight (especially their lower backs) when seated on the floor with their legs straight in front of them. Remember that there may be times when a student will not be physically able to retain correct posture.
It is important to look for whether the student is working correctly toward good posture. In this particular example, students around age 5 and under may need to use their hands on the floor beside them to help them sit with their backs straight. As long as students are using their arms to sit tall (rather than as a crutch to slouch while sitting), this is perfectly fine. Around age 5, however, students should begin to have enough strength to sit tall without the use of their hands for short periods of time. As they practice, they will be able to sit tall for longer and longer time periods.
Also, students sometimes tend to look down, losing good posture. This is usually because they are focusing on what the lower half of their body is doing or because they are focusing on where they will be traveling next. In this case, reminding children of a particular image (such as the tiara or necklace, above) will help them improve their posture. For the younger age groups, props such as a play tiara or necklace can do wonders to help students remember to stand tall while dancing and keep them having fun!
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