Dance with meaning

The following video has been floating around the internet for a week or so and I just got around to watching it last night.  I won't say too much about it as it really speaks for itself.  What I will say is that teaching dance, in my opinion, goes beyond plies, leaps and pretty costumes- we can use our art for so much more.  This video demonstrates wonderful choreography and dancing along with a very important message.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

http://www.upworthy.com/since-when-does-being-popular-mean-having-to-put-up-with-this-kind-of-bullying?g=2&c=ufb1

I WILL WHAT I WANT

This year, as I was thinking of ways to motivate my Upper School students, I decided to kick off my dance classes with a short video clip- actually an ad campaign launched this summer by Under Armour.  

The particular “I WILL WHAT I WANT” campaign I am referring to features Misty Copeland, a soloist for American Ballet Theatre. As you watch the video, it is clear that she is a phenomenal dancer but there is more to her story than impeccable dancing.  Misty Copeland has not only broken stereotypes as to what a Ballet dancer “should” look like (I could go on and on about this topic!), but she has also broken through racial boundaries as one of the few African American soloists with ABT. You can read more about Misty Copeland and her journey here:

http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html

Below is the link to Under Armour’s website where you can find the ad.  There are actually 3 different videos all of which are worth watching, the first is a behind the scenes look at the filming and the third video is the actual ad featuring Copeland.  

Enjoy!

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/misty-copeland