The saving grace of Mondays is cutting out of my office an hour early to spend time at
Project Row Houses. I have the privilege of teaching dance to 15 K-1st graders in PRH’s after school arts program. The kids are able to do all sorts of things that remind me of my wonderful preschool classes with
Arts Alive. Like they know their right from their left! Well, that might be an overstatement, but they understand the general concept and will certainly know the difference by the end of the semester.
Saving grace was just what the doctor would have ordered today if I had in fact been to see one. I injured my foot last week and the pain has been building and building until yesterday when I ended up crying on the sidelines at my sand volleyball game. I wasn’t crying from the pain, I was crying because I knew it would be a week or two until I could dance again without furthering my injury.
What does a dance teacher do for an hour and fifteen minutes without two working feet? My first response was to call my sub. She was unavailable, so it was up to me to lead this class one way or the other. I knew I could get away with a hefty dose of Freeze Game which seems to be all these kids ever think about. Ever. Instead of “Hi, Miss Andrea,” I’m always welcomed with, “Miss Andrea, can we play Freeze Game today? Still, though I knew Freeze Game was my way out, these kids are 5 and 6 years old and I’ve got a responsibility to uphold. As a part of every class, I like to show them a video from past a Dance Houston concert and let them imitate what they see. They seem to like it. With that in mind, I decided today would be “dance movie” day. I picked up some popcorn on my way to class and we were all set.
The main video I chose to show them was “Hip Hop in Whoville” from this year’s hip hop festival (henceforth never to be referred to again as the “Winter Formal”). Clocking in at 25 minutes, it’s the longest video in our archive and for that reason I would have never showed it to them during a regular dance class. With my foot elevated above my heart, I pressed play and watched their faces. “Hip Hop in Whoville” is a piece by Planet Funk about the Grinch who stole hip hop. The kids were glued to it the minute the little girl on stage begins, “Uncle Suess, tell me a bedtime story…”
It’s with those words that a masterful work of children’s dance theater unfolds, one filled with magic and delight. The kids were enthralled with the pop music samples coupled with krumping, popping, and dizzying head spins. I paused the movie every 5 minutes or so to make sure they understood the story…
“Okay, so who are these people?” I asked.
“Boys and girls in Whoville!!” they screamed
“And who’s the bad guy?” I asked.
“The Grinch! He hates dancing!!” they screamed.
A few minutes and remarkable technical moves later, the little ones could hardly sit still. I had to bring them back in for the story.
“What are the kids in Whoville doing?” I asked.
“Practicing for Dance Day!” they screamed (after a little coaching).
“What’s the Grinch doing?” I asked.
“Stealing their shoes so they can’t dance!!”
Mario Jaramillo as The Grinch who Stole Hip Hop
On screen, the Grinch, played hilariously by Mario Jaramillo of Havikoro/Fly/Urgeworks, steals all the dancers’ shoes while they sleep. He is sure he has ruined “Dance Day”. But alas, as the dancers wake up, they realize they don’t need shoes to dance. “Dance Day” turns into a more contemporary version of the hip hop moves they were practicing earlier in the piece. In one movement, the dancers tut to Moby. It’s beautiful.
At this point, I’m kind of beside myself. I’ve got tears in my eyes watching the kids watching this piece. I feel amazing to be able to share this story and art with them. But, you know me, always the responsible one, I’ve got to make sure they’re getting it.
“So, kids, the kids in Whoville danced without any shoes. The Grinch thought they would need shoes to dance, but they didn’t. Do you need shoes to dance?”
“NO!!!” They cheered.
“Do you need leotards?”
“NO!!!”
“What about fancy pants?”
“NO!!!”
“That’s right! There’s only one thing you need to dance. Do you know what that is?”
Silence.
“You need heart,” I told them as I put my hand on my heart. “Put your hand on your heart.” And behold, these little precious kids all put their hands on their hearts and grinned.
“What’s the only thing you need to dance?” I asked.
“Heart!” they cheered in unison.
Elated, I looked at the clock with a good 30 minutes left and I looked at my bum foot and then I looked at my dear students who could hardly wait another second before expressing their inspiration. I realized that, just like Shawn Welling taught me, not only did I not need shoes to dance, I didn’t even need two working feet. I played every one of those kids’ favorite songs and boogied in my chair while they did all their favorite dances (Casper’s “Cha Cha”, South Africa’s Vulani Ringi Ring, and the choreography I’ve been teaching them to Daddy Yankee’s “Pose”).
We ended with 10 minutes of Freeze Game. It might have been their favorite class ever. It certainly was mine.
~Andrea
Fresh Arts Coalition and Discovery Green Conservancy close the Fall Fresh Fridays’ season with a gathering of local dancers and the community presented by Dance Houston. 19 dance groups and over 100 dancers will converge on Discovery Green’s Anheuser-Busch Stage on November 21 from 7-9PM and show their stuff in an impromptu festival where all are welcome. Houstonians will experience all forms of dance from hip hop to ballet; jazz to contemporary from local dance groups like Revolve Dance Company. Dance Houston will hold a special warm-up session open to dancers and non-dancers alike before the festival at 6:15pm. Show up early to stretch and move with the dancers. Beginning at 7PM pre-registered dance groups will take the stage and rock the audience with their amazing moves for two hours. At 9PM Dance Houston will keep the music playing as dancers, audience members and families are invited to join in an open dance hour. 
