Kids can make their own grass skirts and learn the Hula.
Use dance crafts to introduce kids to dances done by different cultures. The kids can make their own dance accessories and then learn traditional dances. This way, they learn make something, learn to dance and learn about different cultures. While the kids work on the crafts, teach them about the dance and the people who perform them.
The Hula
Teach about the Hula and show the kids move their hips. Girls can make their own grass skirts by stringing raffia. A very simple grass skirt can be made by cutting the bottom off a plastic garbage bag and cutting strips into the bag. The girl wears the top of the bag around her waist and tightens it with the bag ties. Boys can decorate cloth with paint and then wrap it around their waists. Both boys and girls can string fake flowers to make leis. Teach the children traditional Hula steps while they wear their outfits.
Bollywood
In Bollywood, the dancers wear bells on their ankles and wrists. They are called ghungroo, and when the dancers move, the bells jingle. Dancers will move their legs and arms in certain ways to get the bells to make specific sounds. Kids can make their own ghungroo by stringing bells and tying them around their wrists or ankles. Traditional ghungroo have bells sewn to material. Older kids who are learning to sew can make these kind of ghungroo. Teach the kids Bollywood dance steps and listen to those bells jingle.
Spanish Folk Dance
Many Spanish folk dances incorporate castanets into the dance. Castanets are two shell-shaped pieces that are tied together. The dancers holds them in their hands and clicks the pieces together as they dance. Kids can make their own castanets by tying together two bottle lids or giant buttons. The castanets can be decorated with flowing ribbon. Teach the kids hold them in each hand, make them click and make different sounds with the castanets.
Clogging
Clogging is a dance that requires the dancers to tap their feet on the ground to create beats. Other forms of this dance are Irish stepdancing and tap dancing. The dancers wear special shoes with metal or fiberglass bottoms. Kids can make their own by gluing washers or pennies to the bottom of an old pair of shoes. Have them glue the washers or pennies to the underside of the toe and the heel of the shoe. Teach the kids make sounds by tapping with the tip of their toes and their heels.
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