Minute Masterclass Episode 144

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, we are talking about our approach to early childhood dance education. One of the most unique characteristics of the DiscoverDance program is our conceptual approach. We teach through a clear emphasis on the exploration and discovery of the concepts of dance. This means each of our lesson plans focuses on one concept. The accumulation of the concepts throughout the year builds upon the previous, so that even our youngest students begin to understand the essence of movement and mechanics of dance. This component is a huge factor in our all around skill development. We are, of course, working on our conceptual skills by creating the space for our students to explore all the amazing ways their bodies can move. When it comes to foundational skill development, these concepts naturally apply as we crawl through a tunnel (concept of relationship) or jump (concept of level). In addition, when you break down any codified skill you are left with the concepts that create that skill. Therefore, by approaching everything we do in class with a concept, our students learn the concepts that lead to successful codified skill development. 

We explore 11 core concepts in the DiscoverDance program. They are place, size, level, directions, pathways, speed, energy, weight, body parts, body shapes, and relationships. I did an entire series breaking down each of these concepts and why they are important in episodes 45-56. Go take a listen if you would like to learn more. 

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