This year has been…well…a lot. With the holidays upon us and the end of this tumultuous year coming to a close, it’s a great time to take pause with young dancers and give thanks for all that we are afforded. With all we are going through, sometimes it’s easy to forget to take a minute and reflect and remember what’s important. What better way than to instill a tradition with students and spread kindness throughout your studio. Not only will it evoke the feeling of thankfulness and joy, but it also serves as team building exercises, camaraderie and studio spirit. Below are some of my favorite ideas we have done in years past as a festive way to kick off the holiday season. The best part is, whether you are live in studio or conducting remote classes, there are easy ways to modify the following so all of your dancers can participate.
#1 Choreography Focus: “Giving Thanks”: Create an informal choreography night for your studio families with works developed by your young choreographers. Give them the theme of “Giving Thanks,” “Thankful,” etc, and let them run with their creativity with solo works, duets and group numbers. Have the performance right before Thanksgiving or Holiday break and it’s a wonderful way to kick off the season with the innovations and interpretations of your students.
#2 The “Thankful Wall”: Create a large bulletin board at your studio. Give dancers different color post-it notes in class and ask them to write something they are thankful for. Post the notes on the lead up to Thanksgiving and the Holiday season and parents and peers can stop and read all the wonderful things each dancer is giving thanks for.
#3 Choose A Charity: Have a studio vote on a different charity each Holiday Season. Work together on fundraising ideas and options to make collections and donations up until the New Year. This can be in the form of collecting money, sending cards and letters to our service men and women, collecting can goods and nonperishables, toiletry items, well preserved dance costumes, winter coats, hats and gloves drive, book drive, baby and new mother essentials, etc.
Have a Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving & Holiday Season!
Jess
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