Synergy: Self Expression through Dance

People of all ages use dance as a form of self expression. From living room dance parties to dancing for exercise, dance is a way to express creativity, enjoy music, and release tension.

Read the recently published children's picture book on this topic, then learn more at the website:

HOW DO YOU DANCE? by Thyra Heder is a picture book exploring the joy of dancing. Readers learn that dancing is a form of self expression for all ages. Dancing allows participants to enjoy creativity and humor while having fun.

DANCE RESOURCES from ARTSEDGE is a website containing dozens of teaching and learning materials related to the topic of dance such as lessons, collections, articles, videos, tips, field guides, interactives, and much more related to the topic of dance.

ARTSEDGE: DANCE RESOURCES
https://bit.ly/35cneKz

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams.

Synergy: Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky (about 1889-1950) was known for his ballet dancing and choreography. Considered the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century, he was part of the Ballets Russes.

Read the recently published young adult biography, then learn more at the website:

THE GREAT NIJINSKY: GOD OF DANCE by Lynn Curlee traces the life of a dance prodigy and cultural icon from the early 20th century. Using original paintings along with artwork, documents, and photographs, the book chronicles his tragic story including his obsession with artistry and famous love life.

Vaslav Nijinsky: Creating a New Artistic Era is a website from the New York Public Library that provides a biography, information about Ballets Russes, Nijinsky’s experiences as a choreographer, his time in America, and an essay about his life and work.

Vaslav Nijinsky https://on.nypl.org/1Oa5DUd

ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge Teens.

Website Review: Performing Arts

PERFORMING ARTS from Google Cultural Institute provides 360 degree views of the world’s greatest performers on stage.

The Performing Arts element of Google’s Cultural Institute provides access to a series of performances on stages around the globe. Each short performance can be viewed from different camera angles. Performances can explore the areas of music, opera, theater, dance, and performance art.

Librarians will find these interactive experiences provide an amazing introduction to different types of performing arts. Ask students to watch one in each category and compare the different forms of art.

To visit the website, go to https://performingarts.withgoogle.com/en_us.

Digital Collection: Jerome Robbins Dance Division

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
The New York Public Library

Contents: This collection is the largest and most comprehensive dance archive in the world. It focuses on primary sources related to dance including ballet, ethnic, modern, social, and folk.

Classroom Connections: Primary sources used in teaching history often explore topics related to conflict or war. Consider a unit on primary sources that examines materials such as dance scrapbooks, dance performance programs, oral histories, photographs, and video archives. These items provide a different perspective on the use of primary sources to learn about history.

Featured Digital Objects:
African Dance - https://goo.gl/UcFD0R
Costume and Set Design - https://goo.gl/MOX87D
Dance Programs - https://goo.gl/xuNHih
Alvin Ailey’s Blue Suite - https://goo.gl/Bsk7wj

To visit the collection, go to http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/…/jerome-robbins-dance-d….

Website Review: Joy2Learn

JOY2LEARN is a website that brings art, music, and theater alive through multimedia experiences featuring famous artists.

Through seven, engaging interactives, learners explore topics including painting, piano, jazz, theater, dancing, sculpture, and architecture. For instance, actor Gregory Hines explores the history of tap dancing, the creative process, the techniques of tap, and the artists of tap. Along with the video segments, users examine images and complete activities. Teacher resources include artist biographies, online resources, and other materials.

Librarians will find these fascinating, interactive programs to be popular with art, music, and theater teachers seeking a multimedia way to introduce their students to key concepts.

To learn more, go to http://joy2learn.org/.

Book Review: Grace

GRACE by Kate Parkinson features a young ballerina who dreams of dancing, but lacks the form and finesse to be successful.

In this adorable picture book, young Grace is told to “Give up, Grace” by her ballet classmates. Discouraged, she goes home and draws a picture of a cat finding solace in the arts. She soon realizes that she has a talent and joy for painting. Her ballet classmates applaud her drawings and she becomes the set designer for their performance. It’s unlikely she’ll become a professional designer, but she’ll continue to enjoy dancing.

The front endpapers feature a cat demonstrating the five ballet positions immediately drawing in young readers. The large-print, easy-to-read font presents sentences that are perfect of beginning readers. The attractive illustrations include a diverse group of characters with memorable facial expressions that will connect with young children.

Librarians and classroom teachers will appreciate the simple but important message. The large, simple drawings are perfect for a read-aloud experience followed by a drawing and dancing activity.

Look for other early readers in Holiday House’s I Like To Read Books collection.

Learn more about the author/illustrator at http://www.kateparkinson.com/.

Published by Holiday House in 2015.

Website Review: Artsedge

ARTSEDGE is an educational program providing lessons, activities, how-to’s, and resources related to the arts including dance, theatre, music, and visual arts.

Sponsored by The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of Education, the website contains sections for educators, families, and students.

The Collections area allows users to search by art genre, time period, place, and big idea such as STEM or global cultures. Or, enter a topic of interest.

The Multimedia Finder provides access to images, audio stories, music, video clips, and interactives. In addition to a text search, users can search by art genre or media type.

The Educators section users to search for lessons and how-to guides. It’s also possible to search based on the National Core Arts Standards. By registering at the website, teachers can store and organize their favorite resources for easy access.

The Arts Days app provides a full year of events connecting the arts to inventions, artists, and milestones.

To learn more, go to http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/

To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arts-days/id622294390.