It’s hard to believe the first term of 2018 is done and dusted, and we’re already in to Term 2. Its been a busy and exciting start to the year for the Dancify team:
New year, new dances
Every year we launch a series of new dances that make up our various dance programs (along with some old favourites that continue to make the odd appearance by popular demand). But where do all of these dances come from?
Inspiration and research
As we approach the end of one school year, and throughout the summer holidays, we’re busy listening to as much music as we can. From current chart-toppers, to classic tunes, to soundtracks from new release movies, anything that gets us tapping our toes, singing in the car, or busting a move in the aisles of a supermarket goes onto a shortlist of songs we might include in a program for the coming year.
Brainstorming sessions (a.k.a office dance parties)
With songs selected, we put on our dancing shoes and start compiling our funkiest moves to build the dances. Some songs inspire their own unique moves, and some call for our favourite moves to make a reappearance (Erin loves a bit of disco!). Sometimes we also use moves created by the schools we’ve worked with during the year – “oven cleaner” is a move taught to us by a creative group of Year 6/7s, and we love using it dances now!
The Dancify family is growing
February was particularly exciting for Heidi and family, who welcomed Sydney Isaac to the world. Big sister Leni is glad to have another audience member for her frequent dance performances.
This year there’ll also be a new face out and about visiting Dancify schools and kindergartens, when we welcome a new instructor to the team in the coming months.
Back to Darwin – but who invited Marcus?
Our annual visits to the Northern Territory are always a highlight of the calendar, but this year we had the weather to contend with. Cyclone Marcus moved through Darwin shortly before our visit, causing widespread damage to the city and surrounding areas. Arriving only days after the cyclone had passed, we were amazed by the trail of destruction it had left – it was quite a sight to see enormous trees ripped straight out of the ground!
Unfortunately the damage to facilities meant students were not able to return to school in time for the first day of our visit. However, thanks to the incredible hard work of school staff and Darwin residents, schools were able to re-open before too long, and once again we were able to share the awesome energy, creativity, and funky style of our NT friends.
Jumping and jiving in the school holidays
Before we knew it the school holidays had arrived. We love working with schools and community centres to keep kids dancing during the holidays with a range of vacation care programs. Our dance workshops are back in 2018 – where participants get active, learn some hip hop and breakdancing basics, and harness their own creativity – as are dance parties, for some classic disco fun. This year we launched our mini-Olympics, where teamwork is the name of the game; and Acro sessions, for participants to learn basic tumbling and balancing skills from a qualified instructor.
The cooler weather is on the way this term, and what better way to stay warm than busting a move… We look forward to dancing with you soon!
Heidi and Erin x
