We started out our day a little differently by going outside as soon as everyone arrived. It was cooler and the dancers loved it. There was a pirate out there trying to steal the treasure off the ship! Ariel warned us but the princesses and captain guarded the ship and police officer Addyson took the Pirate away!

We ate an early snack to prepare for our longer dance class. The dancers learned a super fun jazz routine to Be Our Guest. Then we split into groups and learned an additional dance for the day. I was so proud of how hard these dancers worked as well as their big sisters.

Next was the PIRATE game! Dancers had to run to the other ships to find their color treasure. Once a team found 13 pieces they won. It was so much fun and tiring. Coloring came next to Belle music while we took a cool down.

Lunch was next, followed by watching a movie. After movie time we headed to the gym for FREE DAY! Scooters, hula hoops, bouncy balls, jump ropes, scooter boats, ribbons, and balls filled the gym floor and of course we had a dance floor. The dancers loved this and we will absolutely do this again.

We ended our day with the parachute and said our goodbyes. Our camp week has been wonderful and the dancers are just precious. We cannot wait to show parents what we have done on Friday at 2:15!

Love,

Miss Kim

Day two started out much quicker since everything was familiar. We had a great time reading the Moana story paired with music from the movie. Some might compare me to the crazy grandma in the movie and I consider that a compliment! The Big Sisters held hands with their little ones and I noticed Harper and Jasmine hugging. Harper had written a note for her big sister and it meant so much to Jasmine. Thank you Harper!

We headed to the gym for dance class which consisted of some of our fun creative movement songs. The children sang loudly and danced fiercely. They remembered their spots from yesterday and got right on them without help from their big sisters. We learned first position and eight ballet terms. We will add more during the week so they will be leaving speaking French! We gathered in a circle and learned a Moana dance to How Far I’ll Go.  In this stance the children learned how to do a jeté and got their special chance to do it across the floor.

We headed back to the room with their big sisters for a much-needed snack. Some dancers started their special jellyfish craft. I explained to the children, that like Moana, I entered the ocean and found the shells on the bottom of ocean in Florida.  They had all sorts of questions for me.  Next everyone colored a beautiful Moana picture that they got to keep for themselves.

We got to go on a walk through the school that took us to the gym where we entered Miss Kim’s land. There the children had to listen for a song to know where to run to without being tagged. There were lots of squeals and laughs as they ran as hard as they could.

Lunch followed next along with a little section of the movie Moana. We went outside to play and then came back in for a final parachute play.  It was wonderful day filled with lots of dancing, games, and learning.

Wednesday is Beauty and The Beast day which means two dances will be learned.  It’s one of my favorite days and I think the dancers will enjoy it as well. See you soon!

Love, Miss Kim

Little princesses and even a prince filled the room this morning as we started our first Princess Camp at The Burlington School. Several little ones admired my crown displays and smiled when I told them we would make a crown for them to keep this week. Camp started out with introductions of myself and the “Big Sisters”. The Big Sisters are a very important part of camp since they truly are an extension of me. They give one on one attention to their little sisters and develop a sweet relationship with them by the end of the week. Camp would not be as fun without them! (thank you Big Sisters for all you do)

The Princesses and Prince got to choose their Big Sister and then dance class began! We danced in the gym to all my favorite creative movement/dance songs such as Bearhunt and 5 Little Ducks. Today’s princess was Elena so of course we had to do a dance to “Festival of Love”. Dancers stomped their feet, clapped their hands, twirled their skirts or swords, and did the cha cha. They remembered their special spot that will be their performance spot for the rest of the week.

After dancing we had a much needed snack and rest while I prepared their craft. They made Elena’s guitar that also is used as a tambourine. They filled the inside of the plates with 10 beans and popcorn pieces. After making their instrument we all hauled in all of the castle construction material. This was one of the highlights of the day by far. I cannot believe how much tape we used but the end product of some of these castles were incredible. Some had a spot for dancers to crawl through, some hid precious jewels, and some were like a tower. Great work!

Lunch was next followed by a quick episode of Elena with a sing along. We played outside and worked on our upper bodies with pullups and monkey bars. I especially enjoyed this time since I was able to play with each child. After outside time we headed to the gym for the HUGE parachute. We made a rocket ship (Isabella was our captain of the day), played cat and mouse, and jumped on the bubbles. We reviewed the dance and then had free dance time. We ended our day singing princess songs while we colored.

Our day passed quickly and tomorrow will bring so much more fun! Painting, dancing, and games are on the schedule for tomorrow! Sleep well my Princesses and Prince, you will need to be ready to enter the kingdom tomorrow.

Love,
Miss Kim

 

Our morning started off with excitement as the dancers arrived seeing our massive obstacle course set up with mats! Today was Acro/Pom day! We went over basic skills such as forward rolls, backward rolls, cartwheels, round offs, and back bends. The music started playing and it was time for the obstacle course. The course including hopscotch with 30 hoola hoops, crab walk, forward rolls or cartwheels, balance walk, scooters, and ending with agility training with the rings of fire. We then learned an acro routine from Bailey and Jordan. Snack time was next and the dancers took a much needed break. During snack time Caroline’s big sister told me to look over and when I did I saw the sweetest image….a little girl taking a well-earned nap! I did not have the heart to wake her up so three big sisters stayed inside with her while I took the others outside to play.

Lunch was next followed by a game of “Miss Kim’s Land”. We were so fortunate to have Hannah Higgins, a former dance team member of mine visit us for the afternoon. She led jumps and motivated all the girls to really push themselves. Hannah then taught us a pom routine that was so much fun. The dancers had to earn their poms and they were so excited to finally get them.

The day ended with Hungry Hungry Hippo….not the board game but with humans! It was so much fun watching the girls laugh together as they gathered balls. We then played Captains Coming and Hannah gave us some new commands. Tomorrow is our last day and I cannot believe it. The dancers have learned so much, made new friends, and worked so hard. They will perform 6 dances for parents at 2:30 in the gym. I cannot wait to see their smiles, feel their excitement as they share their love of dance with their biggest fans.

Miss Kim

Day 3 started with a lot of free play inside then outside. Dancers arrive eager to find their friends they have made and ready to start the day. We split up our dancers and the 3rd grade and up “tator tots” dancers went with our big sisters while the “little bits” stayed with me. We both learned dances to “Hair Up” and did a showcase for each group. We had another incredible visitor today Emerson Bennett. Emerson is a rising sophomore at Elon University. She was also on the Elon University Dance Team last year. Emerson shared her story of her journey in dance and also what she is studying at Elon. She was an excellent speaker who talked about how work, staying dedicated, and doing what you love. We also talked about how she was in my wedding when she was my little dancer years ago. Thank you Emerson for coming our camp and teaching us fun cadences! We loved it!

Our day ended with learning a beautiful lyrical dance to “True Colors” with our big sisters. Dancers learned how to do simple lifts and did it beautifully. We cannot wait to share our dances with our parents on Friday!

Miss Kim

Day 2 was a huge success! Once all the campers arrived we headed outside while the sun was behind the clouds and a cool breeze was blowing. After playing on the playground, checking on our tomato plants, and playing a great game of baseball we headed inside. Mr. Tony arrived and we were ready to start our adventure to Elon. I was so excited seeing the kid’s faces as they boarded the bus to Elon. After checking to make sure all kids were buckled in we made our way.

Linda Sabo welcomed us outside of McCrary Theatre. She introduced herself and we started our tour. We saw three dance studios, the dressing rooms, the green room, and the black box theatre. We were able to go backstage at McCrary and walk on the stage. The dancers really seemed to enjoy the tour. Mrs. Sabo walked us to Mosley Center while holding hands with some of our dancers. She was so kind to give us her time and we are so thankful. Mrs. Sabo showed us the perfect spot to eat our lunch complete with the coolest bean bag chairs. After lunch we had a nice walk to the pond and fed the ducks. The dancers squealed as the ducks marched toward them for their bread! After all the bread was gone we went and looked at the mighty Rising Phoenix!

Mr. Tony picked us up right on time at 1:00. I overheard some of the sweetest conversations between two new friends. I got to thinking on the drive back how hard it must be for some girls to walk into a building they have never been to and be around children they have never met. Then to see two girls who have never met become fast friends. That is a great feeling.

The rest of our day included working on our dances, skills such as leaps, pirouette turns, tour jetes, and kicks. We ended our day playing Octopus and parachute. Thank you again to my Big Sister helpers, you were wonderful today especially at Elon. Thank you to Linda Sabo for the Elon Dance Department tour.

See you tomorrow dancers!

Miss Kim

Today was Day 1 at my dance camp at The Burlington School. Nineteen eager dancers ages 5-9 came in with bright eyes and wide smiles. Seven awesome 5th-8th graders came to give their time this week as “big sisters” for the dancers. I cannot thank these young ladies enough since they make camp so much fun for the dancers.

We started our morning out with introductions and forming our little camp families. Next we had a great warm up complete with sit ups and push-ups! Dancers are athletes you know! We went across the floor using our flexibility and strength with leaps. I was quite impressed with our great jumpers. We then learned our first dance for the next 45 minutes. I started to see some hungry faces and tired legs but we could not stop yet since we had special visitors arriving.

Essence and Katherine, captains of the UNC-G dance team came into the gym and ran through the spirit tunnel we made for them. They both talked about their journey to becoming captain on a college dance team. They also explained that they are both dance majors and just how dedicated they have to be. They taught two sideline dances and a Spartan cheer. Thank you so much ladies for giving your time today, you were wonderful!

We ate lunch outside in the shade together and I loved hearing all the conversations. A break out game of volleyball happened with some of our dancers on the field while some stayed on the deck with me. After playing on the playground for a short time we went in to continue our day. We played sharks and lifeguards and cat and mouse with the parachute. A rocket launch happened and we landed on the moon. Logan was our captain and made sure to protect us all against aliens.

Our day ended with working on our kicks, the color game, and an intense game of captains coming. All the dancers were exhausted and I took note of that…tomorrow I need to bring it down a level! My legs will feel the pain in the morning trying to keep up with these young dancers but my heart is ready to see them do what they enjoy the most.

See you in the morning! Get ready for another exciting day!

Love,

Miss Kim