 Hi folks! I sat down (virtually) with my team and came up with some great ideas to help everyone get the most out of their online dance classes. Here's the list, compiled by our own, Dustin Ciano, Business Operations Associate here at Modern Motion! Making the best of your dance space:
Technology Tips:
General Tips:
We are currently uploading all recital songs to the portal and rolling out weekly teacher notes to the classes as well as recording instructional videos. Learn how to find these new elements with our screenshots located at https://www.modernmotion.org/online.html
Dear Dancers and Families,
The current health concerns around COVID19 are impacting all areas of our community and CDC guidance around protecting our community of all ages involves social distancing, handwashing, and considerations around gatherings. The very nature of dance education for children presents several challenges to preventing students from coming in contact with each other. I have decided to temporarily move all dance classes to an online learning experience to protect our community by minimizing the chances for spreading illness and to continue teaching. This change is effective Saturday, March 14, 2020. Our online learning experience may include recorded lessons, worksheets or visual aids, and choreography for at home playback, and possibly interactive online learning or rehearsal that allows teacher to dancer feedback and a platform for questions. As I work with my team of faculty and staff, I appreciate your patience. As of now, we are proceeding with our plans for a show on June 20th, however, all additional community performances at nursing homes and assisted living facilities are cancelled. Our community partners are or will be closing the doors to all visitors for the safety of the residents. Plans for performances at Great Adventure and Somerset Patriots are on hold at this time. If you have not already elected to purchase your costume on autopay which will run March 15, the account balance can be paid online in the Customer Portal. The portal link is https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/modernmotion In the meantime, in order to prepare for practice at home, find a spot that is clear of obstructions, if possible, so your dancer can move freely in a small area of your home. Our recordings will allow you to log on at your convenience and to rewind and replay breakdowns of steps or choreography. If you have a tap dancer, consider a small plywood board to protect floors. In lieu of a ballet barre, the back of a chair or a counter make a great support surface. Lastly, do not dance in socks on tile, laminate, or wood as it can be slippery. As a community, we can work together through most anything. We look forward to connecting with dancers in a whole new way, strengthening our teaching methods and rejoicing when we can gather again safely at the studio. Links to online learning will arrive shortly. Yours in Dance, Ginger Haithcox Executive Director | Modern Motion Dance School We are in the midst of cold and flu season and the Coronavirus is also a concern in our community. Modern Motion continues our long standing practice of encouraging frequent hand washing, disinfecting surfaces including the barres, door knobs, bathrooms and cubbies. If you or your child is sick, please stay home to prevent the spread of illness.
We are following guidelines from the CDC recommendations for safety. In the event of a local cancellation of public gatherings, we plan to use a combination of live webinars and recorded lessons to continue the dancer’s lessons and learning. Spring Community Week As has been our tradition for many years, our dancers have performed at local nursing homes and assisted living facilities twice per year. Given the current recommendations to prevent the spread of viral infections, we will not be visiting our usual locations, instead, we are working on a fun new way to connect with our community partners without being on site.  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 |
AuthorModern Motion Dance School Archives
April 2020
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