I've been using story dances with young learners for many years. It all started during a preschool dance class where I was having trouble keeping the students engaged. The usual routines and activities were not keeping their attention. One day, I suddenly stopped what I was doing and quietly said, "Once upon a time..." (long pause, as I tried to figure out what I'd say next) "there was a dance teacher and her students who were sitting on the floor of the dance studio." As I continued, I sat down. They sat down listening. I used each of their names, and I made up a story. A simple story describing what was happening - a story that eventually got them up and moving along with the words.
Ever since, I've been doing what I call "story dances" with students. Sometimes they are planned out with story lines, costumes, and props. Other times they are impromptu events that evolve out of what we're doing in the moment. The children are welcome to join in on the story-telling and add to it, or to change its direction. And nine times out of ten if I ask students what they like best about class, they say, "The story!"
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