Classes help kindergarteners learn through dance

Education was in motion Thursday at Muldown Elementary School in Whitefish as kindergarteners expressed letters, numbers, colors, patterns, rhythm, mirroring and sequences through dance.

Artist-in-residence Leslie Yancey led the children in dance to the beat of a drum designed like a colorful lollipop and played music from Ireland, Russia and Africa.

Over the past eight weeks, Yancey has worked with Muldown’s six kindergarten classes through her program, “Creative Movement.” Yancey described the program, now in its fifth year, to an audience of family members.

“Each class is action-packed with creative movement, literacy, English, languages, math, geography [and] music appreciation,” Yancey said.

Muldown kindergarten teacher Lisa Olson said what Yancey teaches overlaps with what students learn in the classroom — plus hops, skips, gallops and sashays. Movement is important at this age, she said.

“For one thing, it’s a lot of fun,” Olson said. “And at this age, developmentally, movement is huge with anything that they do.”

One of the key discoveries of self-expression through dance is that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do it, according to Yancey.

“The focus is for the mover to discover their body, their mind, their language, thoughts, imagination and ideas through creative movement. This builds one’s self-image and awareness, personal expression and direction,” Yancey said.

On Thursday afternoon, each class demonstrated one of the many concepts and dances they learned during the Creative Movement program.

“Each class has done it all,” Yancey said.

In the first dance, Yancey yells out in a sing-song voice to a slow drumbeat: “What letter does ‘walk’ start with?”

“W,” students shout back, walking around the room.

“Now freeze. Make shapes,” Yancey said.

Students either stood up with their arms spread up in the air or lay on the ground to make the shape of a “W.”

“What letter does ‘hop’ start with?” Yancey asked, beating her drum faster.

“H,” the children yelled in unison, hopping on one foot.

At the end of each dance, the kindergartrners formed a human sculpture. One by one, students went to the middle of the room and linked together by an index finger, palm, or toes in static poses.

“As you’re watching, think about what shape you want to make — how you want to contribute to the sculpture; what does it look like to you,” Yancey said.

Students did a variety of poses standing up and lying on the floor. The more adventurous — and flexible — students did a table pose or the splits.

In the finale, all the kindergartners — adding up to about 122 — made a gigantic human sculpture.

“Be sure you can pick a shape that you can hold for a long time,” Yancey said.

The audience applauded as the last student linked into the sculpture.

“This age group can do a lot more than people think,” Yancey said after the performance.

Yancey’s residency was partially funded by an Artists in the Schools and Communities grant through the Montana Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Eventually, Yancey hopes that dance curriculum will spread throughout all grade levels and schools. Dance caters to different styles of learning and intelligence she said.

“There’s the seven intelligences. Some people are more kinesthetic or more musical,” Yancey said.

Yancey said the arts are crucial for development — body and mind. Students learn life skills such as collaboration, creative problem solving, dedication, focus, coordination, confidence and nonverbal communication.

“These are all contributions that forms a person,” Yancey said. “The arts are so important for children, for adults — for everyone,”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.