A New Collaboration: 'Read It. Move It. Share It.'

My blog is still pretty new, and I'm always contemplating what direction I want it to take as time goes on. Well, I am happy to report that my new friend--the creative and energetic Maria Hanley of Maria's Movers in New York--and I have been developing a collaboration for the new year that will take my blog in a slightly new (and exciting) direction. 

Introducing Maria Hanley...

Maria has a master’s degree in dance education from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in dance performance from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. An advocate for early childhood dance education, she is a movement and yoga specialist at York Avenue Preschool, a teacher of early childhood movement at Dancewave Center in Brooklyn, a designer and teacher of ballet and movement programs at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, and a creative movement and tap teacher with the Mark Morris Dance Group. In 2008, Maria also created Maria's Movers--a program that offers dance, movement, and yoga classes to boys and girls ages 5 months to 10 years around New York City. She shares many of her creative ideas about teaching young dancers at her popular blog Move. Create. Educate. 

Read It. Move It. Share It. 

Maria loves to integrate picture books into her creative movement classes for boys and girls ages 2 to 6. So, each month on my blog I am going to recommend a picture book for her to use in her classes. Sometimes I'll blog about a book that is directly related to dance, and other times I'll choose one with a more subtle movement theme. I might even choose a book that doesn't seem related to dance at all, but that I think could spark some creative ideas for teachers of childhood movement. On the same day I post about the book, Maria will blog about how she used the book in her classes and how the kids responded. 

We hope this new collaboration will give you some fresh ideas for incorporating picture books into creative dance classes, reading time at home, and other forms of early childhood education. Look for our January book soon, and have a safe and happy new year!!