Welcome Teacher, Parent,
and Childcare Giver!

Accompanying each of our original Dance Story episodes is a full guide, as well as extra lesson plans to extend the learning before and after the video.

The objectives of these MOSI + MOO extra materials are to use dance exercises so that the child:

1. can develop and demonstrate an understanding of their body in dance: i.e. body parts, body shapes, and body actions
2. can develop and demonstrate an understanding of space in dance: personal and general space, directions and levels
3. can develop and demonstrate an understanding of dancing a story, expressive creativity, and musicality
4. can demonstrate engagement, interest, curiosity, and sustain their attention

The overall intention and hope in devising these materials and lesson plans is that, through movement and play exploration, the young dancer will develop a deeper understanding about themselves and others, the world at large, different times, places and cultures, the community where they live, and their own dancing potential.

The concept behind MOSI + MOO’s overarching methodology is rooted in a conceptual approach that focuses on dance skills that are both technical and creative through the joy of playing, dancing, and singing.

We incorporate two prominent dance teaching methodologies and many different styles of movement. They include:

1. The rote memorization of our Dance Adventures and Nursery Rhyme Action Songs
2. Free, creative and expressive movement in our Dance Games and Dance Parties

All of MOSI + MOO’s dances are based either on story, imagery, songs, and/or fun-filled narrative.

Dance Adventures and Nursery Rhyme Action Songs
Specific Methodology:
• Retain and Recall of words and actions
• Rote Memory

MOSI + MOO’s Action Songs develop the young child’s understanding and memorization of rhythm, rhymes, and definitive movement literacy. They also reinforce the development of a rich and age-appropriate vocabulary and a deeper understanding of expressive words.

These Action songs feature a dance language that include the following:

• Clapping hand rhythms
• Rhyming words
• Creative language
• Educational concepts such as ABCs, numbers, colours, animals, and shapes
• Development of gross and fine motor skills
• Beat acquisition

Dance Parties and Dance Games
Specific Methodology:
• Expressive and Creative Dance

In our Dance Parties and Dance Games, the young child is given the opportunity to create their own spontaneous movements through a guided discovery led by Mosi, Moo and Belle. This is called a creative dance methodology and implement expressiveness, variety and form.

These Dance Parties and Dance Games feature a language that include the following:

• Activities that coordinate thought, feeling and action
• The relationship between time and space
• Stop and go (in a multitude of ways)
• Creative expression and imaginative play
• A unique movement vocabulary

MOSI + MOO encourages the child to explore simple locomotor patterns, gestures and postures, movement motifs, beat sequences, and expressive qualities.

In integrating MOSI + MOO programming as a teaching tool, whether it be in the classroom or at home, children will develop and enrich their own movement vocabulary, while delighting in exploring their own personal expression. The MOSI + MOO’s dance language inherently enhances the child’s overall coordination, agility, balance, personal expression, empowerment and creativity.

MOSI + MOO’s dance language was inspired by Laban’s Movement Framework and focuses primarily on guiding the young child on age-appropriate, movement-skill competency through dance.

Not unlike Laban’s Framework, MOSI + MOO’s dance experiences are made up of five themes: body, action, space, time and energy. These five areas of movement serve as threads that are woven through all aspects of the dance programming.

One must develop a skill-set in all five of these movement aspects to be a confident and dynamic dancer.

Below you’ll find MOSI + MOO’s Dance Language (as inspired by Laban’s Movement Framework)

BODY

• In the body theme, the young dancer focuses on WHAT WE MOVE! Body part recognition and understanding of how they lead and follow, making shapes like a ball and star, are emphasized.

Shape of Body – ball, pretzel, star, wide and/or tall shape
Body Parts – head, shoulders, arms, elbows, hands, belly, back, hips, knees, legs, feet

ACTION

• In the action category, the child focuses on HOW WE MOVE, utilizing different locomotor patterns such a galloping, running and marching. Non-locomotor patterns, with the body being held in one place such as bending, stretching, and twisting, also are explored.

Locomotor patterns – walk, run, gallop, hop, skip, march, jump, leap, slide
Non-locomotor skills – sink, rise, open, close, twist, stretch bend, sway, spin, swing

ENERGY

• The energy aspect focuses on HOW WE MOVE. The energy of the movement shapes is how they are expressed in dance. For example, dancers can quake, shake, shiver, quiver, and explode!

Children can emulate:
Toys – bounce, roll, swing, bops, flops, balance
Under the Sea – curls wave, sinks, bob, wiggle, stretch, float, scuttle, swish
Animals – leap, creep, pounce, tip-toe, bop, wiggling, worming, lunge, stomp, roar, scratch,
Circus – wobble, fall, tip, swing, juggle, balance, sway, pop, sizzle, whirl, twirl

SPACE

• The space category highlights for the young child WHERE WE MOVE. The use of personal (space around their body) and general (space around the room) are demonstrated.

Directions – forward, backward, sideways, up, down
Levels – high, medium and low

TIME

• The time aspect is designed to direct the dancer on WHEN WE MOVE our body. Here, the child develops different ways to move by focusing on tempo (fast/slow), weight (strong/light), flow (free/freeze), dance sequencing and overall rhythm of a dance.

Time – fast, slow, strong, light, freeze, flow

Each MOSI + MOO DANCE STORY begins with a DANCE ADVENTURE where children dance an exciting, full story. The Dance Adventure begins with a warm-up, includes a combination of two to three rhythmical dances and action dances, and concludes with a dance reprise. The children use the reprise to help solve a sticky problem faced by MOSI + MOO. Core values like resilience, gratitude and courage are woven into every MOSI + MOO story and culminate in the reprise dance solution.

The second part of the DANCE STORY is a NURSERY RHYME DANCE, in which action repetition and beat acquisition are used to joyously dance to beloved nursery rhymes. Many of the rhymes have original, fun additional verses.

The final part of the DANCE STORY is either a DANCE GAME, which is based on many creative versions of the freeze dance and Simon Says format or a DANCE PARTY, which utilizes a theme, like Halloween or surfing, as a springboard for creative and expressive dance possibilities.

1. At MOSI + MOO, we see children as curious, dynamic, energetic, free-spirited, imaginative, joyful, lively, open-hearted, playful, resourceful, rich in potential, and welcoming.
2. Stories and songs that are based on patterns of theme and variation generate the most interest and makes it easier for classroom integration.
3. A variety of movement is needed to create a holistic and balanced dance curriculum.
4. Small children learn primarily through doing, and as they dance and problem solve through different themes and concepts, much growth takes place.

Please check out the Age Expectation Category in each of our MOSI + MOO Lesson Plans. Also included are rubrics and approaches to assess your children while they dance, if needed.

We hope you enjoy our programming!