FIRST GRADERS MOVE WITH GUSTO (AND SOME GIGGLES

Dancing Dynamos

FIRST GRADERS MOVE WITH GUSTO (AND SOME GIGGLES)

The girls of 1GA were all smiles as they moved their way around Norfolk Academy’s dance room. The fact that they were doing some strenuous exercises wasn’t bothering them one bit.

These youngest students at Academy were taking part in a dance class that has become a regular part of the first grade program; the 45-minute classes happen once every other week. But they’re not doing dance that most people might envision.

Taught by Dance Master Elbert Watson, who works with the boys, and Instructor Suzy Gunn ’01, who works with the girls, the goal of these classes is to help students build an appreciation for dance but also to improve their hand-eye coordination, balance, and even memory.

“They’re having fun together, they’re moving — it’s healthy,” Mrs. Gunn said.

During a class in November, the 1GA girls were dancing around each corner of the room, shifting their hands and feet in good form. But they also were doing bear crawls, and a game called Mirror, Mirror, in which students watched and tried to copy the motions of their partners. To close, they performed a canon, during which a first dancer performs a movement that is then identically copied and performed by the rest of the group.

Such exercises require students to use their brains to analyze what classmates are doing, and it gets their bodies moving, burning off the energy that young children have in abundance — before they return to the classroom. “They’re discovering things,” Mr. Watson said.

The 1GA girls were loving every minute, from dancing to zombie music at Halloween to hip hop dancing. And while “It’s fun!” was a phrase many used to describe what they liked, they recognized a bigger value.

“We get to move around, and that helps you get more energy,” Adelaide ’33 said. ◆

Mike Connors is Digital News and Social Media Specialist. Dance classes are helping first graders like Anya, TOP, and Townley, BOTTOM, build an appreciation for dance, and improving their hand-eye coordination, balance, and even memory. The classes are taught by Dance Master Elbert Watson and Instructor Suzy Gunn ’01.