All Aboard The Polar Express
Here is another and a maybe my favourite Christmas themed class ideas. The polar express is such a cute christmas story with tones of opportunities for dance inspired activities. Here is how we run our polar express themed class.
Tickets
I love love love a prop, seeing a dancers eyes light up when i tell them i've brought them something special is such a lovely feeling! So for this class they each got a ticket to ride the polar express.
Activity - we made a train from the corner, we the used different speeds and movements to ride the train. For our baby class we focused on different speeds and levels like walking, running on our tiptoes and creeping past the sleeping elves. For my older dancers we used different movements and pathways such as gallops, skips, hops and jumps.
Music suggestions - The polar express from the polar express
Ice Skating
The first stop on the train took us to a beautiful frozen lake perfect for ice skating.
Activity - we taught the younger dancers a phrase using lots of transference of weight and slides as well as holding pretty positions and we imagine ice skating round the room. For your older girls you can challenge them with a series of glissade, coupé chassé and maybe even some pas de basques.
Music suggestions - Vuelie from frozen and ice dance from Edward Scissorhands
*Then we got back on the train*
Toy Shop
Our next stop was at Santas toy shop where he makes every kind of toy you can imagine. We used this as a create improvisation exercise we pretended to be dolls, solders, teddy bears, robots, etc. You can find so many wonderful pieces of music that sounds like different characters that you can use to inspire your dancers
*Then we got back on the train*
Do you wanna build a snowman ?
The next task on our christmas journey was to build a snow man and what funner way to do that than as a treasure hunt. We hide different heads, bodies, hats and scarfs round the room before class and then gave them one song to find all the parts to build a snowman!
Want to give your dancers more of a challenge. Add challenges to the back of each shape that your dancer has to complete to earn the shape.
Music suggestions - Do you wanna build a snowman from frozen or frosty the snowman.
*Then we got back on the train*
Reindeer Ride
Next we went to visit Santa's reindeers and practised our pony trots and jumps. We used yoga blocks and blow up candy canes to create an obstacle course of reindeer jumps.
Why not create a short phrase or dance as reindeer too!
Music suggestions - Sleigh ride, Run Run Rudolf,
*Then we got back on the train*
We gave each of our dancers a candy cane with a magic christmas bell attached. I brought these super cheep from Poundland. I got ten bells in a box.
Super cute extra - Santa Visit
For a few years my grandad dressed as Santa to surprise the kids at the end of class, we took photos of each dancer chatting to Santa and then gave a copy to each family. It was magical and an amazing end to the term.