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 Teaching
Dance At 50-Plus
By Karen Wells
Body-friendly exercises for teachers and tots
When I started teaching 28 years ago, I thought I was
invincible. I would do every step of every class, whether I
taught 3 classes a day or 20 classes a week. But now that I’ve
reached a “certain age,” my body aches in ways I never knew
were possible. At first I just ignored the changes in my body,
but when you’re teaching 3- to 6-year-olds and spending much
of your time on the ground pretending to be an animal, it’s
nearly impossible. I found that I wasn’t so eager to join my
young students in tour jetés and run-runleaps, and I’d tell my
preschoolers to “jump so high you can touch the sky” while I
kept my feet firmly planted on the floor.
So I started paying attention to myself, modifying my classes
in ways that would allow me to strengthen my back, increase my
flexibility, and have fun teaching. With these changes, I’ll
continue to teach for at least another decade. So if you’re a
baby boomer who’s starting to feel less than spunky, listen to
your body. Simple changes to your lesson plans can lead to
years of continued teaching success.
We all know that warming up is important. But as your body
matures, it becomes essential to avoid damaging your muscles
and ligaments. Before teaching, I do a 30-minute aerobic
workout (swimming, cycling, or on the elliptical machine) to
warm up my whole body.
Begin each class with floor exercises derived from ballet,
physical therapy, and yoga, which are great for the back. I
start my routine lying prone (on the stomach), then roll over
onto my back, then rise to a sitting position. The transitions
between exercises are just as important as the exercises
themselves. These exercises are kind to your body—they help to
ensure your own physical safety and build strength and a sense
of well-being—yet still strengthen and develop young bodies in
an age-appropriate way. They work on the children’s
neuromuscular systems, creating strong muscles and stronger
minds.
I tell the children that we’re going on a magical mystery tour
through a magic garden, and there we see a beautiful pond. We
begin by lying on our tummies. The first series of exercises
is designed to open the chest and strengthen the upper back,
counteracting the effects of poor posture.
1 Tadpole
•
Lie face down on the floor with legs straight and the hands
directly under the shoulders.
•
Breathe in and push up with both arms, keeping the hips on the
floor.
•
Exhale; lower down to the floor.
2 Fish Swimming
•
Swim through the pond using opposite arms and legs.
•
Keeping the legs and arms straight, lift one leg and the
opposite arm, keeping the pelvis on the floor.
•
Repeat with the other arm and leg.
3 Flowers
•
Lie prone (on the abdomen), then push back onto bent knees
until you are sitting on your heels.
•
Arms come up above the head to form a circle, then open to the
sides.
•
Tip the head back so that you are looking up, and open the
chest to the ceiling once you reach the top of the circle.
4 Butterfly
•
Begin this upper-body strengthening exercise by lying face
down.
•
Hands and arms form the butterfly wings—both hands are behind
your back with the palms on the lower back.
•
Lift the upper back and head off the floor and look for a
flower to land on.
•
Lower the head back down and relax the body back on the mat.
After this sequence, repeat the flower exercise before moving
on.
Next, we work on strengthening the back muscles and pulling in
the abdominal muscles.
5 Dog Stretch
•
Get into a doggy position: Kneel on all fours with hands
directly below the shoulders and knees in line with the hips.
•
Flatten the back and engage the abdominal muscles. (For kids,
use a phrase like “Pull in your tummies.”)
•
Stretch the left leg back and reach the right arm in front,
like a hunting dog pointing at a rabbit.
•
Bring the arm and leg back to the start position.
•
Repeat using the opposite arm and leg.
Our next objective is to stretch the gluteus maximus and hip
joint to create more flexibility.
6 The Letters and Numbers Exercise •
Lie
on the back with both legs straight.
•
Bend the right knee and bring the leg up to the chest and give
it a hug.
•
Release the leg and bend it out to the side so that the right
ankle is on the left knee to make the number 4. •
Repeat.
•
Bring
the right leg back up to the chest, with the knee pointing
toward the left shoulder so that the leg rests across the
body. It’s time to stir some peanut butter: Hold the right
knee with the right hand and the right ankle with the left
hand as you move the right ankle to form the letter U.
•
Rotate
the foot, tracing a U shape. You will feel this!
•
Release the knee and ankle and bend the leg straight in toward
the body to form the number 7. Rotate the leg in the hip joint
by pretending to open and close a door. (The femur is the door
and the ball and socket of the hip joint is the hinge.)
•
Repeat with the other leg.
Next we want to stretch the hamstring muscles of the leg.
7 Battement
•
Lie on the back with both legs straight.
•
Keeping it straight, lift the right leg toward the right ear
with the foot flexed, then lower it back down.
•
Repeat.
•
Bring the straight right leg across the body toward the left
shoulder, then lower it to the floor.
•
Repeat.
•
Bring the leg straight up and hold the calf with both hands;
the foot is flexed.
•
Ask the children, “Can you walk on the ceiling?”
•
Repeat on the other side.
Next we will work on opening the inner thighs by stretching
the abductors and adductors and strengthening the adductors,
neck, and abdominal muscles.
8 V and L Shapes Exercises
•
Lie on the back and bring the feet together like butterfly
wings or frog legs.
•
Breathe in and extend the legs to form a V shape.
•
Bring the head and upper body up, reaching the arms between
the legs. Tell the children to wave at each other and say
“Hi!” •
Lower
back down.
•
Bring the legs together, straight up, to form an L
shape with the body.
•
Bend the knees, bringing the feet together again in the
butterfly or frog position.
•
Repeat.
9 Spiral Spine Stretch and the Letter T
•
Lie on the back and stretch the arms out to the sides to form
a T.
•
Bend the knees and drop them over to the left, keeping the
torso still.
•
Turn the head to the right and say, “Hello neighbor!”
•
Bring the knees up and drop them over to the other side.
•
Turn the head to the left and say, “Hello neighbor!”
•
Repeat on each side.
10 Semi-Bridge
•
Lie on the back with both knees bent.
•
Arms are straight with hands reaching toward the feet.
•
Imagine that a string runs from the belly button to the
ceiling.
•
Lift up so that the belly button reaches to the ceiling and
the bottom comes off the floor.
•
Lower the torso back to the floor.
•
Repeat five times.
11 Open the Gate
Now while doing the bridge, we’re going to “open the gate”
using one leg at a time.
•
Lie on the back with both knees bent.
•
Arms are straight with hands reaching toward the feet.
•
Lift up so that the belly button reaches to the ceiling and
the bottom comes off the floor.
•
Straighten the right leg, aligning it with the left knee and
extending it at a 45-degree angle (not straight up toward the
ceiling).
•
Keep the pelvis straight.
•
Lower the right leg and place the foot on the floor.
•
Repeat with the left leg.
•
Return to the starting position.
•
Repeat on each side.
•
Keep the extended leg straight and the foot pointed; engage
the entire body. Help the kids keep their legs straight by
telling them to make a crayon with a pointed end.
12 More Letter Shapes: L, V and I
•
Lie on the back.
•
Lift both legs straight up to form an L shape with the
legs and the body.
•
Lower the legs forward a little to make a V.
•
Return to the L position, keeping the legs straight and
the feet pointed.
•
Lower one leg at a time to the floor, keeping the abs in and
the back on the floor in a neutral position (maintaining the
natural curve of the back).
•
Repeat. • Bend the knees into the chest, then
straighten the entire body and reach the arms above the head,
stretching out to form the letter I.
13 Sit-Up V
•
Sit upright with legs extended in front of you.
•
Open the legs out and flex the feet.
•
Walk the right fingers out along the right leg and say,
“Walkie, walkie, walkie” as they walk to the right foot; then
touch the foot and say, “Touch, touch, touch.”
•
Form an umbrella with the left arm, stretching over the right
leg while holding the right foot with the right hand, and say,
“S-t-r-e-t-c-h, s-t-r-e-t-c-h, s-t-r-e-t-c-h.”
•
Sit upright, keeping legs open.
•
Repeat on the left side, walking the left hand down the left
leg to touch the left foot and making an umbrella with the
right arm while stretching over the left leg.
•
Keep the feet flexed.
•
Repeat on both sides.
•
Bring the legs together and shake them out.
Photo captions (top to bottom):
Karen Wells instructing students at The First Step CAC Spring
Break Sports Camp in Atlanta, GA.
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