Tag Archives: dancing

How To Support Musical Children

Standard
How To Support Musical Children

Music can be beneficial to children in many different ways. Playing or listening to music can be an enjoyable thing to do together, a way for children to learn new skills, develop their creativity, and explore their emotions. If your child has shown an interest in becoming a musician, how can you best support them?

Encourage Listening Skills:

Getting children to begin to enjoy exploring music can be a fun thing for the two of you to do together. As you listen to music, ask your child to describe to you what they can hear so they can start to work on their listening skills. Choose a piece of music you think they will like and ask them questions as you listen. Ask them questions like:

  • What sounds can you hear?
  • How would you describe this piece of music?
  • How does this piece of music make you feel?

Having these conversations can also help your child to begin to build their communication skills as they find the right words to describe things to you.

Play Along To Music:

Children love making noise, and a musical instrument along with something like Moon River sheet music can be a good way to channel that interest in noise into something more creative. Encourage them to play along with a song they enjoy so they can think about the different parts of the music. Suggest they try to play as loudly and then as quietly as they can with different ways of making sound such as clapping or tapping a pan with a spoon.

Another fun game to help them to build an understanding of beat and volume is to ‘wake’ a sleeping toy. Using one of their stuffed animals, ask the child to wake it up by playing loudly and make the toy go to sleep by playing softly. You could also move the toy around in time with the beat.

Move To Music:

Children often really love to dance, and you can support this with an enjoyment of music. Tempo is the speed in music, and children can get a good grasp of what this means by exploring it with their movements. Put on music and encourage your child to move as they listen. Watch to see what they do, then join in with them by copying their ideas. By mimicking their ideas, they will see that you value and are interested in what they think.

For some children, physically responding to the music might feel more natural than playing instruments or talking about music. Offer them lots of different genres of music to listen to and see how they respond and move to different kinds of music. You might be surprised by what they actually enjoy the most. Music that has a range of tempos in it can be great fun.

Try listening to music from around the world too, from a range of cultures. This is a good way to explore music and encourage them to have a conversation with you about different cultures too.

Whether your child wants to be a rock star, a drummer like Joey Armstrong, a dancer, or just loves to listen to music, supporting this will be amazing fun for the both of you!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Advertisement

Dancing With The Stars Finale

Standard
Dancing With The Stars Finale

Hellooo everyone! I got roped back into Dancing With The Stars this season because one of my favorite figure skaters and personalities, Johnny Weir, was competing. I was looking forward to him taking the Mirror Ball trophy the entire season to redeem himself from his not so hot competitive skating circuit – especially his lackluster Olympic efforts.

Unfortunately, Johnny and my other favorite – the adorable Disney channel star, Skai Jackson, both got eliminated in the semi-finals which left Nelly, Nev Schulman, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Justina Machado competing to take the cake. To be honest, I would have been fine with anyone BUT Kaitlyn Bristowe winning so, naturally, she won. -_-

Due to a lack of cable TV in my apartment, I have been watching DWTS once it airs on Hulu, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday night. However, when I showed up to work at my family home Tuesday morning, I couldn’t stand the anticipation and had my parents tell me the winner. Y’all know I hate surprises!

After finding out that Kaitlyn had won, I didn’t have much of a desire to even watch the finale but I knew that Derek Hough was dancing and I really wanted to see that. I also watched the freestyle dances of Nev, Nelly, and Justina. In my opinion, Nev’s Broadway-esque dance to “Singing In The Rain” stole the show and it was exciting to behold because I have never seen anything like it on DWTS before.

Of course, no one beats Derek Hough and his performance was the major highlight of my finale viewing. That and the fact that my Johnny watched all of the dances with me and that was really nice because I had a rough week and it was fun to see him have his mind blown by Derek’s moves!

The entirety of the season, I didn’t care for the champion, Kaitlyn Bristowe, at all. I thought that she lacked the personality of a lot of the other competitors and it showed in her performances. There is no denying that she’s a great dancer but she just didn’t move me (ba dum chh) in any way shape or form.

I don’t plan on watching DWTS again unless there’s someone I really like competing. I did have a lot of fun watching this season, though, and it was nice to have something both creative and lighthearted to tune in to. Also, call me when Tyra Banks is no longer the hostess THANKS!

How did you feel about the DWTS finale? Who was your favorite couple this season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

October 2020 Funky Time Jams

Standard
October 2020 Funky Time Jams

Hi! One of the big things that my clients and I do together now that we don’t really go anywhere is listen to music. I swear, we are constantly having concerts starring each other and honestly can make an afternoon of it. Sometimes I’m dancing the YMCA and other times I’m spitting bars to Cardi B! Lol, my job is never boring and it’s impossible to hear the following songs without thinking of the people I work with:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to these songs or videos!

This is such a random compilation of songs but each set of three are usually the first songs that come to mind when I think of a specific client. I really get a tour of different styles of music each week, going from girl power anthems to golden oldies all the way to rap and, yes, Marilyn Manson. (I got one of my guys hooked on him!)

Impromptu dance parties, sing alongs, and at home concerts have become primary sources of entertainment when I’m at work and my clients have a blast every time. In some way shape or form, I’m pretty sure we’ve developed some kind of hand movement routine or different melodies to all of my client’s top picks. We even make music videos of us singing our favorite songs together!

Coming up with enticing activities to do at home is the name of my work game now. Whether that be dancing the Hokey Pokey or the Electric Slide in someone’s kitchen to going for a drive with the windows down and music blasting, my brain is always working overtime to help my clients stay safe while still enjoying themselves. I love having “our songs” with each person I work with and nothing warms my heart more than when one of them hears a tune and says “this is our jam”. ❤

Is there a song that reminds you of someone whenever you hear it? What is your favorite song to dance to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Guilty Pleasure: Dancing With The Stars Edition

Standard
Guilty Pleasure: Dancing With The Stars Edition

Hi! I have plenty of guilty pleasure TV shows that I am always eager to put on when I have the apartment to myself on Wednesday evenings. Johnny has band practice so when I get home from work I plop myself in front of the TV and binge to my heart’s content. We’re talking America’s Next Top Model, My 600 Lb. Life, Dr. Pimple Popper, and most recently: Dancing With The Stars.

I used to be a HUGE DWTS fan back in the day and would tune in season after season with my parents. This bonding time was officially dubbed “Middle Aged Monday” and I lived for it. Despite such fond memories of watching the show, I became uninterested after a while. I was so sick of all of the crappy reality stars and D list celebrities that the show just fell by the wayside.

However, when I learned that one of my favorite figure skaters, Johnny Weir, is competing this season, I snapped back like a rubber band and turned my free Wednesday evening into DWTS time. Because I haven’t been watching in forever and also COVID, I didn’t realize how much the show has changed.

Not only is Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews not hosting but Len Goodman is also not a judge, replaced by Derek Hough. Len will be popping in from time to time this season via video chat as it is not safe for him to travel from England at the moment. This switch is fine because I adore the Hough siblings. But if Tom and Erin aren’t hosting, then who is? Tyra Banks, of course.

Now, normally, when I hear “Tyra Banks”, I am stoked. I love her often times more than I love myself and I was ready to see her in action. Unfortunately, she was so GOTDAMN annoying I was almost ready to fast forward her talking. All she did was speak about herself, try to relate dancing to modeling, and give meaningless commentary. By the end of the episode, I had a Tom and Erin sized hole in my heart and felt completely unimpressed by this swap.

Despite not being a huge fan of the new hostess, I forgot how much fun DWTS is. The costumes, the fantastic music, excellent judges, uber talented pros, and (occasionally) enticing celebrities makes for TV heaven for me. I so enjoyed seeing stars like Johnny Weir, Nelly, AJ McLean, Skai Jackson, and Nev Schulman take the floor and all it made me want to do was take up ballroom dancing myself.

Dancing With The Stars is a perfect show for me to put on after work because I can still get chores done and make my dinner during celebrities I don’t care about. I’m already ready for them to “trim the fat” by eliminating the people who don’t have a change in hell of winning. But, for now, I am okay with sitting back and watching the spectacle. 🙂

Do you watch Dancing With The Stars? Who do you think is going to win this season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Few Vacation Pics

Standard
A Few Vacation Pics

Hellooo! I didn’t take too many pictures during my recent family vacation to Asheville, North Carolina but, of course, I took a selfie or two and had my dad snap a few as well. My dad is a great photographer and usually does the majority of the picture taking when we’re on vacation. And, I was so busy enjoying my damn self that I guess I just forgot! Anyways, take a looksee:

vaca1vaca2vaca3

^^^ These pics were all taken at Altapass Orchard.

Now, you might find yourself wondering who that handsome man is in the last person and that is the one and only BILL CARSON. He is the owner and face behind the Altapass Orchard on the Blue Ridge Parkway and he is an absolute delight. The orchard in itself is gorgeous but the real fun happened shortly after we got there and a country trio began to play music in their gift shop.

In the gift shop was a stack of bumper stickers boasting the phrase “Honk if you survived a dance with Bill Carson” and I thought it was hilarious. I had no idea who he was at the time but I did know I wanted that bumper sticker for my car desperately. So, as luck would have it, Bill just so happened to be at the gift shop with his wife to enjoy the music and cut a rug on the dance floor.

And, dance we did. Bill and I shared a lovely hoedown to the country music and it was a complete blast. After our dance, my dad bought me the bumper sticker that I had my eyes on because I earned it, damnit. My family had a riveting chat with Bill afterwards about his life story as a NASA engineer and how his sister and himself came in possession of the Altapass Orchard.

Long story short, Bill’s sister purchased the land which developers were very interested in to build along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was a massive “no no” though and the Carson family refused their offers to buy it. They have since had the land recognized by the National Parks of North Carolina so that it can never be built on and have its vast beauty appreciated forever.

Bill Carson was a joy and I loved learning his story and the hard work that was put in to keeping the Altapass Orchard afloat during the past five years of insufficient crops thanks to climate change. The orchard serves not just as that but as a sort of clubhouse where local music is played and anyone can get up and dance. And, if they’re lucky, they can survive a dance with local celebrity Bill Carson too!

Are there any local celebrities in your neck of the woods? What is your favorite fall activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Alternatives To Running: Cardio Workouts That You Can Do Indoors

Standard
Alternatives To Running: Cardio Workouts That You Can Do Indoors

Running is undoubtedly the cardio workout of choice for most people and it’s for a good reason: Running at a six-mile per hour pace lets you burn up to 557 calories an hour, while jogging lets you burn up to 398 calories an hour. It is also a form of stress relief for some, especially outdoors when the weather is pleasant. It becomes tricky to stick to a regular running routine during the rainy months, so it is always best to consider workout alternatives that you can do indoors. Here are some cardio workouts that burn as many calories as running:

Jump rope:

There’s a reason why jump rope is essential in boxing training: It enhances footwork, strengthens your shoulders, improves your coordination, and stimulates sprinting. Also, it lets you burn 500 calories in just 30 minutes. To make the most of this indoor workout, do intervals of fast and slow jumps. Or you can jump as fast as you can for a minute then rest for 20-30 seconds.

Boxing:

This improves your strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, endurance, and power while getting you in great shape. It combines the muscle building advantages of strength training with the calorie burn of a cardio workout, so it helps you get a full body experience. It also enables you to achieve better body composition. Thus, you don’t just lose weight; you build muscle as well and get a toned, fit body as a bonus. It burns about 600 calories an hour and, even if you’re not sparring or throwing punches, you still burn fat through the other components, such as jump rope, shadow boxing, and calisthenics.

Zumba:

Dance exercises have gained popularity in recent years not only because they are an effective cardio workout but also because they are fun. Going to a Zumba class, for example, is like going to a dance party. It combines fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body, adapted from aerobic principles to help you tone your muscles and improve cardiovascular health. It is often done to the beat of Latin dance music. An hour of Zumba lets you burn between 350 and 650 calories per hour depending on the intensity.

cardio1

Swimming:

If sweating is not your thing, then you should consider swimming to burn calories. It is a total body workout that lets you strengthen your body even if you are treading water. Fighting gravity makes your muscles work extra hard to keep you afloat. To make the most out of this workout, make sure to do a few laps using different strokes, then have a water-treading interval. A minute of fast swimming can burn up to 14 calories, so doing it for an hour lets you burn as much as 840 calories. No swimming pool? Most residential buildings and sports hubs near Eastwood City have pools you can use for free!

The rain should never keep you from staying on track with your fitness goals. With these workouts, you can stay in shape regardless of the weather.

4 Alternative Ways To Feel Your Brilliant, Beautiful Best

Standard
4 Alternative Ways To Feel Your Brilliant, Beautiful Best

It’s all too easy to fall into a bit of a slump. We’re not unhappy, far from it, but we’re not exactly walking the streets feeling our most brilliant, beautiful best. But why shouldn’t we? There are plenty of things that we have to do as adults, but it’s the fun things that we’re capable of that make life worth living. If it’s been some time since you were feeling fantastic about yourself, then take a look some of the tips that we’ve outlined below. You’ll be walking on cloud nine and find that you’re all-around able to better handle the humdrum aspects of everyday life:

Get Dressed Up:

There are few things better than getting dressed up and heading to the city for a night out. Alas, we only ever really do this when we’re celebrating a special occasion, at which point it’s not really something that we want to do, but something that we need to do. It’s much more fun and enjoyable to get dressed up and go out into the town for no other reason than that we want to live life to the fullest. So the next time you have a free weekend, hit the stores, get a new outfit, and go out to enjoy all the possibilities of an evening out.

Attend a Shoot:

We don’t get as many opportunities to really show off the sensual side of our personality. As such, it can feel like it’s forever just lying under the surface, just waiting to get out. So why not let it out? A boudoir photo shoot is a fantastic way to express yourself and always leads to an increase in confidence (just wait till you see how good you look). Book a photo shoot here and let your inner and outer beauty shine through. You’ll be walking high with confidence afterward!

Listen to Music:

There are some tracks that just make us feel good. Indeed, this is one of the fun things about music: it transports us, briefly, to another world, and allows us to explore sides of ourselves that are sometimes left dormant for too long. If you want to feel great about yourself, then there are few better ways than heading out to dance for the night. People can get put off by super clubs and the like (and understandably so), but there are plenty of more niche, focused dance halls in your area, too. Grab some friends and dance the night away.

Hit the Spa:

Our bodies take a bit of a beating as we go through life. Sometimes, the weariness begins to feel normal, but it’s not! It’s only after you hit the spa or do a spot of yoga, that you realize that your body can feel oh so much better. Treat your body well, and you’ll be comfortable, relaxed, and just as you were supposed to be.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you do it with confidence and a smile on your face!

Featured Image By: Pexels

How To Throw The Ultimate Wedding For Your Guests

Standard
How To Throw The Ultimate Wedding For Your Guests

Weddings are a two-way street, and not just between the bride and groom. They are a balance of your own personal enjoyment and that of your guests. For that reason, many couples aim to make their special day one of the largest parties possible.

Ensuring that everyone has a good time is easier said than done, though, especially with the number of guests in attendance. What your best friend since college and your parents find entertaining are vastly different, right? So, how can you keep your roughly 50 to 250 guests happy over the course of several hours?

Believe it or not, there are a few simple ways to make your big day an event to remember in the minds of your guests. Check out these top wedding and reception tips that are sure to make your event a smash hit:

Comfort Is Key:

Nothing ruins a fun time like being uncomfortable. Summer weddings are notorious for sweat inducing heat and annoying bugs, while winter celebrations are often more about fighting off the cold. It’s impossible to enjoy a cocktail or dessert bar in either situation, let alone trying to deal with those uncomfortable conditions for hours on end.

Consider the conditions your guests will be subject to, then plan accordingly. If heat is the issue, you might want to serve ice cold glasses of lemonade. If the cold will be a concern, then hot chocolate might be in order. Picking the right bridesmaids dresses for either occasion is another essential factor. You can check here for summer and winter designs.

Other considerations could be a basket of flip flops near the dance floor for tired feet, mints in the restrooms, or a sewing kit handy for emergencies. Anything to make their time more comfortable goes a long way for your guests.

weddingg1

Avoid Stagnation:

Sitting around waiting for the next part of the main event can quickly kill the mood, not to mention highlight those uncomfortable factors mentioned above. Work with your planner to make sure that things happen in a timely fashion, to keep the day moving along. That includes the ceremony, meals, dancing, and when the bar opens.

The Dance Floor:

Speaking of dancing, the idea is to get everyone on the dance floor ASAP. Take your time during your ceremony, but move things along quickly from there. Make sure everyone is fed and has a few drinks in them, then have your first dance and open up the floor.

The Food:

Quality food is great, but the key to happy guests outside of alcohol is having enough food for everyone. Outside of the main courses, you’ll want to have some sort of catering that allows guests to grab something to eat as they’re walking around.

Since neither food nor alcohol are cheap, many couples have turned to crowdfunding to help foot the bill. While most sites market themselves with a slogan like, “We will help your ideal honeymoon happen,” they’re also a great place to help pay for some of your wedding expenses.

Having guests chip in on the costs of both weddings and honeymoons in lieu of a gift is an excellent way to make them events to remember. While the idea might sound strange from a traditional standpoint, it happens to be trending in the wedding world.

weddingg2

Everyone wants their big day to be something guests will remember for years to come. By following the advice above, you can do just that. These few key factors are all it takes to wow your guests and throw the wedding of your dreams.

Dancing As A Way To Keep A Healthy Lifestyle

Standard
Dancing As A Way To Keep A Healthy Lifestyle

If you are looking for some low-impact activities that can be beneficial to your health, you might want to go for something that offers a good balance of strength training and cardio. Dancing offers a good way to have fun while keeping your body fit and healthy. It has many benefits, like some of the following. But, before you decide to take dancing lessons, you need to buy the right uniforms. You can either shop at a physical store or buy online from sites such as Just for Kix. Let’s get to it:

Boosting Cognitive Health:

Dancing has been used effectively to treat people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, studies have shown that dancing boosts your memory. When it comes to the health of your brain, learning how to dance engages the major parts of your brain: cerebellum, motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and basal ganglia. According to a certain study, out of all of the activities that elderly people partake in, only dancing was shown to reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Improving Lung and Heart Health:

Different types of dance offer an aerobic workout that aids in strengthening your lung and heart muscles and this averts chronic conditions such as heart disease later in life. The harder you breathe and the faster your heart beats during dancing, the better the workout your cardiovascular system gets. If you have a strong heart, it will be able to pump blood throughout your body with less effort, lowering your chances of suffering from stroke and high blood pressure.

Alleviating Stress:

Dancing is an activity that provides the brain with double the pleasure because it involves listening to music and physical movement. If you have a dancing partner, your stress levels will decrease as your serotonin levels increase. This allows you to leave your worries behind as you focus on dancing with your partner. And, as exercise and music therapy gets into your brain, you will develop a positive mindset that reduces anxiety and stress.

Encouraging Social Interaction:

Dancing is a social activity that allows you to interact with other people. Social engagement improves your outlook and mood whilst reinforcing strong brain health. When you interact and converse with other people, you reinforce the brain’s neural pathways; this helps your brain cells to communicate effectively into old age.

Enhancing Flexibility:

The stretching, warm-ups, and reaching that occur in dancing will aid in loosening and lubricating your joints as well as strengthening your muscles. Stiff and tight muscles result in the inflammation, pains, and aches that happen during injury recovery and aging. When you increase your muscle pliability, you will be optimizing your coordination and preventing injury.

Strengthening Muscles and Endurance:

Activities like dancing usually tone and strengthen the key muscle groups: core, legs, arms, and back. The moderate movements burn calories, make you sweat, and aid in muscle growth. When you exercise, microscopic tears occur in your muscle tissues and this tells the body to rebuild the muscles bigger and stronger.

Increasing Spatial Awareness and Balance:

The coordination that you need to dance promotes your agility while improving your balance skills. This is very important for older adults because they need to retain their mobility to prevent debilitating falls. Although they can just install staircase railings and suction grab bars to hold onto, exercises like dancing strengthen their spatial awareness and agility, which helps in all aspects of life.

dance1

Dancing has a wide variety of benefits for people of all ages. You do not have to start dancing when you are worried about your health; you can do it at any point of your life. The earlier you begin, the better you will be – and it’s fun!

An Open Letter To DWTS

Standard
An Open Letter To DWTS

I admit it. I freaking LOVE Dancing With The Stars. As often as I can, I’ll tune in for my “Middle Aged Monday” routine of watching the program. So far, I’ve loved season 22 and have been enamored by the hunky Nyle DiMarco who showcases an amazing talent for ballroom dancing and just so happens to be hearing impaired. His challenge leaves the judges and sometimes myself included wondering just how in the hell he can express such gorgeous musicality without being able to hear one note of the songs being played. Despite this incredible talent that Nyle possesses, I’ve been utterly disappointed by the interactions seen throughout the show between Nyle and cast mates. There is an apparent lack of person first speaking and complete disrespect…Most surprisingly from his partner, Peta Murgatroyd. Allow me to explain:

Throughout the season, I’ve noticed Peta’s continuous instinct to talk over Nyle as if he can’t answer for himself when being spoken to by the judges or hostess, Erin Andrews. This instinct to jump the gun and open her mouth before Nyle can even begin to start answering in ASL comes across as pushy and disrespectful. I was also completely disturbed by the ease of which she referred to her partner as “the deaf guy” on this Monday’s show. As soon as those words escaped from her mouth, my jaw dropped to the ground.

Excuse me? The deaf guy? You mean your partner? I couldn’t believe that she had the audacity to refer to her partner and supposed friend in such a degrading way simply based on if he can hear or not. I was also kind of disgusted by the fact that she said this while speaking alone to the cameras because that just leaves you to wonder if Nyle even knows that he’s being referred to in such a demeaning matter.

One of the first rules that you learn when you’re working with people with a challenge of any kind is to utilize “person first speaking”. IE: Not “the blind person” but “the person who has a visual impairment”. By referring to Nyle as “the deaf guy” was essentially letting the world know that she only sees her partner as being defined by his disability. Not by his personality, his staggering good looks (wink!), or his ability as a dancer.

I commend Peta for her hard work on teaching Nyle how to ballroom dance and her excellent choreography. However, all of her accomplishments as his partner is being dragged through the mud by her blatant insensitivity which is showcased in her constant need to speak over him and by degrading her so called friend. Before Dancing With The Stars chooses to bring on another celebrity with any kind of disability I suggest some major sensitivity training for all parties involved on the show. I’m honestly baffled that nothing has been done yet with such obvious cases this season and DWTS is definitely losing the respect of an avid fan.