Minute Masterclass Episode 140

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance and creator of the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Dance Educators and the DiscoverDance Experience Membership. Today, I am sharing a Frozen-themed Braindance. 

Breath: Let’s blow into our hands to warm us up. Take big breaths. Repeat several times.

Tactile: Let’s rub that warm air into our hands, on our arms, up to our shoulders, and all the way down to our toes. Let’s rub up the back of our body to our head. Look! It’s starting to snow. Feel the snow fall (tap skin) down the front of your body, all the way to your toes. Let’s brush the snow off the back of our body to our head.

Core/Distal: I see the trolls coming! Let’s curl into a tight ball and roll like the trolls. Now, let’s pop out, stretching our arms and legs away from our belly button like a big troll. Repeat several times.

Head/Tail: Now it’s time to be like a reindeer. Everyone, down on your hands and knees. Let’s catch the snowflakes on our tongue. They are flying all around. Get them! Time to shake the snow off our head. How about our tail? Now, let’s shake the snow off our whole body!

Upper/Lower: Time to stand. The snow queen’s powers have taken over. She has frozen our lower body. Our feet are frozen to the ground. We can’t move our legs! We can only move from our belly button up. Swing, sway, reach, stretch, etc. while keeping your lower half frozen. And, unfreeze! Oh, no… now she has frozen our upper body. Our head, shoulders, arms, and back are all frozen. We can only move our lower half. Swing, kick, tap, march, jump, etc. while keeping your upper body frozen.

Body Sides: Now one side of our body is frozen. Let’s draw a line down the middle of our body and freeze one side. Only the unfrozen side can move. Swing, stretch, reach, shake, etc. while keeping one half of your body frozen. Now, let’s freeze the other side and move the unfrozen side.

Cross-Lateral: The snow queen’s power has moved into our bodies. Let’s freeze the space around us. Crossing the midline, freeze high, low, and all around. Repeat several times. Time to see if the water is frozen. Crossing the midline, tap your foot to test the water. Repeat several times.

Vestibular: Is the water frozen? It is! Let’s step onto it. Spin around and look at everything we froze in the space. Spin 3-4 times. Stop! It’s so cold. Take a few more breaths into our hands to warm up. Let’s test the water behind us, now. Is it frozen? Let’s step backwards. Now, spin the other way and check out the frozen space. Spin 3-4 times. Stop! Take your hot cocoa out. Put some marshmallows, whip cream, and sprinkles on top. Blow to cool it off. Take 2-3 breaths. Drink your hot cocoa. Now, we’re warm again.

For more information, to enroll in the Foundations Course or join the DiscoverDance Experience, visit DiscoverDance.com.