 As a newbie freshman who had just finished her first semester in college, I questioned myself at the beginning whether I would succeed during my time here. Not only have I never taken an internship before, but I have also never even taken a dance class. But, despite some jitters, I was excited to start a new experience! For my first day, the task was to simply observe the surroundings of the studio where I would spend the next couple of weeks here. When I arrived at around 6 PM, there were a couple of classes that were going on: Classics 4T and Classics 3T. After staff introductions, I found myself sitting in one of the studios, where a ballet session was taking place. In my carefully prepared business-casual attire, I felt a bit out of place in a room full of ballerinas. Expected for a dance studio, at least one pale-blue side of the wall was covered top-to-bottom with a mirror. Barres were placed in the center of the room, which seemed to me to be used as a security for balance, as the dancers relied on nothing more than one foot as they practiced different ballet positions. Other than the slogan overhead door- “Be confident. Be bold. Be you” -which was right by where I sat, the room was also notable for the palpable amount of concentration. Students swept their feet back and forth, arms were raised up and down, and made calculated movements with their limbs as a combination of music and instructions filled the room. Yet, there was also a rather lively and comfortable atmosphere that surrounded the children. The next class I visited was the tap dancing class. It was interesting going directly from one dance style to another, and comparing the two together. One of the main differences that I immediately saw was the attire of dancers. The outfits consisted of more casual clothing and black tap shoes. I enjoyed hearing the rhythms that were made from those shoes, which were clacking against the hard wooden floor. While the one word I would describe ballet is “graceful”, I would describe tap dance to be “vibrant”. There were also some identifiable similarities between the dance styles. Both placed an importance on timing and form. I am by no means a dancer- it is only by the persuasion of being covered by other peers that I will be able to go on a dance floor. But by taking an inside look of the dance lessons, I thought that I could form a connection between myself and dancers. Just like writing, drawing, or any other art form, dancing is something that is needed to be comfortable with before allowing other people to see you practicing it. Expression is a two step process: first knowing how to do it, and then being able to share it to others. It takes hard commitment and practice to be able to fluently accomplish both. So although I have never tried dance school before, with my own experiences (perhaps even including this one) I was able to understand my surroundings better and bring my memories back to the first steps that I took to achieve sharing my own expressions. -Miriam Kim We've updated our studio's perks program to bring our customers more of what they want and we know you'll love them! Check them out and be sure to enroll by June 30th to take advantage of all the perks!   Modern Motion Dance School to present ‘Cinderella’ this December!
SOMERSET, NJ. - Modern Motion Dance School will present ‘Cinderella’ on Saturday, December 15, 2018, from 2:00-3:00PM at Franklin Middle School, 415 Francis St, Somerset. The show features students ranging in age from 3 to 18, performing ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop to portray Cinderella and her adventure to attend the ball and dance with the Prince, which she has been forbidden to do by her unkind Step Mother and Step Sisters. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, and the Seasonal Fairies, Cinderella is transformed into a beautiful, confident princess and is able to live out her dream, to meet and dance with the Prince. See what unfolds when Cinderella loses one of her magical shoes running out of the ball at midnight, and the Prince sets out to find her. Reserved seating tickets for Cinderella are $14 each in advance and $18 at the door and can be purchased online at: www.modernmotion.org/Cinderella. For additional information, or to learn about classes at Modern Motion, contact the school by email at info@modernmotion.org or phone (732) 658-0301. Modern Motion’s mission is to boost confidence and nurture creativity through dance education and performance. Modern Motion is a 501c3 non-profit that builds confidence and creativity! Every student is given opportunities to explore and create movement, expand their worldview of dance and culture, and to perform for an audience.  New dance families often wonder how to determine if their child will enjoy dance as a new activity, wanting that sweet spot of finding an activity that balances fun, learning, and social development. Some parents are not sure how to approach trial or intro classes in a way that avoids putting too much pressure on the child, gives them the space to explore without the influence of adult opinions, and allows them to determine if the activity is something the child will enjoy for several months.
We offer the following guidelines to help you evaluate your own young dancer, and remember, all children are different. Some of our most successful dancers started out crying for their mom, or minimally participated in the first class. Crying for their parent, asking for a drink or the bathroom, and even refusal to enter the studio are not necessarily signs that the child doesn’t like dance. It’s something new and what they might have imagined about dance while twirling and tip toeing at home is very different from an organized activity with a Teacher. As a wise woman once said, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Don’t Give Up if Your Dancer*:
The child might need a change if *:
The change could be:
*Readiness indicators used with permission from our friends at DiscoverDance.net  Jordyn as "The Rabbit" SOMERSET, NJ. - Modern Motion Dance School will present ‘Alice in Topsy Turvy Land’ on Saturday, December 16, 2017, from 2:30-3:30PM at Franklin Middle School, 415 Francis St, Somerset. The show features students ranging in age from 5 to 18, performing ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop to portray Alice and her journey through the magical Topsy Turvy Land, accompanied by the Rabbit. Through her imagination, Alice and the Rabbit take a voyage to meet a caterpillar train, some beautiful flowers, the Fancy Feline, and don’t forget about our forgetful mice! “I’m delighted to present this story on stage! The story is a classic and so many of the kids were excited when we first announced the show last June and held auditions over the fall. Alice, played by Gloria Antesana, goes on an adventure with the Rabbit and takes on a new story in this adaptation - where she meets the Fancy Feline, played by Joelle Pair, Rabbit, played by Jordyn Sutton, and Mrs Teapot played by Sarala Thompson. The main characters are rounded out by the twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum played by Josephine Saraison and Jocelyn Knight. The show is perfect for families with young kids!.” All of the classes in the school will play parts in the show and it’s sure to be a crowdpleaser! Reserved seating tickets for Alice are $14 each in advance and $18 at the door and can be purchased online at: www.modernmotion.org/Alice. For additional information, or to learn about classes at Modern Motion, contact the school by email at info@modernmotion.org or phone (732) 658-0301. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern Motion’s mission is to boost confidence and nurture creativity through dance education and performance. Modern Motion is a 501c3 non-profit that builds confidence and creativity! Every student is given opportunities to explore and create movement, expand their worldview of dance and culture, and to perform for an audience.  This season at Modern Motion, I added a new offering called "Me & My Guy" for dancers to learn and perform a dance with their father, grandfather, or other special adult male in their life. Each monthly rehearsal has been an absolute joy for me! Sure, we've learned the steps, practiced timing, fixed glitches, but what I get out of each rehearsal is pure joy! It's absolutely wonderful seeing the men putting in the time and effort to learn something new and bond with their dancers. It warms the heart of the folks in the waiting room to see the magic that happens. At the end of each rehearsal, I tell the dancers to thank their guys for being there - for doing something so special.
So many thoughts go through my mind as I watch the Me & My Guy dancers. I think of how I would have liked to do something like this with my own father when I was a child - so much so that I selected the song my father and I have loved for years, the song we danced to at my wedding, the song that my family will surely recognize at the show. I think about what beautiful memories are being created, the funny stories, the practices at home, the upcoming show and for these girls to be able to share their excitement and even fears about performing with the special guy in their life. What's so cute is seeing the little ones squeal and giggle every time we practice the lifts - it never gets old for them. It's adorable watching the older girls twirl around with their guy holding their hand. I even love watching one of our teachers dancing with her dad as part of the group too! It's these kind of special family moments that make us all feel good, that remind us that time spent together is so precious. We've got something really neat going on, something worth repeating and sharing. I absolutely love working with all the guys of Me & My Guy, I know our audience on June 17th will love seeing the final product too. I'm so filled with joy! Written by Ginger Haithcox  At Modern Motion we do more than teach dance steps, we boost confidence and nurture creativity. Our teachers help children grow in positive ways. Dancers and parents have expressed how they were able to overcome their fear of performing in front of others, how they learned to try new things, how they have come out of their shell and aren’t too shy to make new friends, they learn how to tackle new challenges and step out of their comfort zones. While our primary purpose is teaching dance, we also value the importance of encouraging children to have strong character.
In the spring of 2016, we introduced Character Cards., Our five Character Cards represent the values that we believe are important: Confidence, Creativity, Caring, Cooperation and Commitment. We’ve found that by highlighting dancers for their character and encouraging positive behaviors, children really thrive - they look forward to collecting the cards and knowing that Teachers notice and value them for more than their dance ability. Here’s how it works: Teachers give out the cards to dancers when they demonstrate one of these great characteristics in the classroom, and they are not based solely on their dance performance or technique. When the card is given, a small note is included to explain why the dancer earned their card. While most students will not go on to become professional dancers, the values, confidence, and creativity learned through dance can help them prepare for careers in any field. Written by Kate Raymond and Ginger Haithcox  SOMERSET, NJ. - Modern Motion Dance School will present ‘Scrooge - All Jazzed Up’ this holiday season on Saturday, December 17, 2016, from 2:00-3:00PM at Franklin Middle School, 415 Francis St, Somerset. The show features students ranging in age from 3 to 15, performing ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop to portray Ebenezer Scrooge and his life-altering journey one Christmas Eve night. The story of Scrooge follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy businessman, and his transformation into a gentler, kinder man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. “I’m really looking forward to this year’s holiday show” said Ginger Haithcox, Executive Director. “We are expanding the dance student’s horizons by offering acting opportunities, and the audience will get to enjoy this timeless classic based on “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.” Each class of the Dance School will be performing in this production, as well as special solo and duet dances and actors comprised of friends and family of the Dance School. Reserved seating tickets for Scrooge are $14 each in advance and $18 at the door and can be purchased online at: www.modernmotion.org/Scrooge. For additional information, or to learn about classes at Modern Motion, contact the school by email at info@modernmotion.org or phone 732-658-0301. Modern Motion’s mission is to boost confidence and nurture creativity through dance education and performance. Modern Motion is a 501c3 non-profit that builds confidence and creativity! Every student is given opportunities to explore and create movement, expand their worldview of dance and culture, and to perform for an audience.  Every parent wants to see their child sparkle in the spotlight, here's some quick tips:
Contemporary dance allows for the dancer to explore their feelings, emotions and thoughts through the widest variety of movement.  Photography by Vincent, Property of Modern Motion Dance School, 2015 Contemporary dance has become one of the most popular dance forms over the past century. However, there is a lot of confusion about what this new popular form of dance actually is. The roots of this technique come from many different styles of dance. This is what causes much of the confusion about the technique. Stemming from ballet, modern, jazz and even African dance techniques, contemporary is a fun fusion of different aspects of many styles of dance. Taking the control and strength of the body rooted in a classical ballet training and morphing it with the freedom and fluidity of other dance techniques allows the dancer to push the boundaries of their own movement.
The contemporary technique is often geared towards growing not only the physical capacities of the dancer but also the creative mind. The technique allows for a lot of variety in movement. Since the body is the artistic medium of the performer, there needs to be a heightened connection of the mind and body. This connection is often built through improvisation within the technique. Contemporary dance allows for the dancer to explore their feelings, emotions and thoughts through the widest variety of movement. This form of dance is one of very few techniques that really has no limitation within the exploration of movement. Typically set to modern music and often pushing the limits of the musical accompaniment, contemporary dance allows the artist to truly explore the possibility of the moving body. From endless turns seen in ballet to creative floor work of modern dance to intricate rhythmic patterns of African dance, the contemporary technique generates well rounded dancers. It fosters creative growth within the individuals mind and full capability to execute movement within the dancers body. Hannah Sego Read Hannah's Bio Here |
AuthorModern Motion Dance School Archives
January 2020
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