the ART of learning: Valentine's Ball {Formal Dance}

Friday, February 28, 2014

Valentine's Ball {Formal Dance}

I know it is a little late (oops!) but we had too much fun for me not to share a little of our celebration!
It was a wonderful mixture of pleasant awkward - as Valentine's always and forever will be in elementary school :)
The day began with our annual Manners Breakfast starting with a lesson in Chivalry (a sadly, quickly disappearing trait), where it came from (tough, gory, medieval knights) and how ladies should react. We learned together when to place our napkin on our laps and
what to eat/not eat with a fork during formal dinners. How to set a simple table setting, how to interact with waiters/waitresses, and how to interact with table guests and/or host/hostess.

The room pre-kiddos

Students were asked to dress in their "finest" for our festivities!

Then, donning aprons, our own waiters and waitresses served us our wonderful breakfast of muffins, orange juice/milk, yogurt, and fresh fruit.

For our reflection, we completed our vintage place mats by sharing 5 things we learned from the etiquette lesson.

For the second part of the day, we learned a combination of six dances - three with myself including SWING, WALZ, and SALSA. With my partner teacher, DISCO, the TANGO, and the CHARLESTON. Learning them with the opposite gender made for many awkward, yet rewarding, experiences as students learned how to respectfully interact with each other on a dance floor.

At the end of our practice, we learned the history of formal dances (Balls) and the practice of "Dance Cards" used by girls to organize their evenings. Each of the girls in the room were then given a dance card with the predetermined TWO dances they would be required to have a male partner for (SWING and WALZ). The ladies then walked around the room and responded to the requests of the gentlemen's "May I have the Walz/Swing?" (of course the only response could be yes, unless your card was full). It was adorable. It was awkward. It was a wonderful barrier breaker.

The look on this guy's face says it ALL! *tehe*

After lunch, we "got dancy!" Rockin to all styles of music, the kids really showed off their moves :) The first formal ballroom dance we had was Swing, the kiddos partnered off and did a great job of practicing their previously learned moves. Many of my students this year (more then I have ever had in the past!) stayed paired off and definitely blew me away with their skills! The second ballroom dance was the Waltz - these, mixed with inserted group dances, created a very FUN dance party!

A delightful surprise by one of my girls, and quite possibly one of the coolest things I have had a kid do, was share her dancing, which left many of us in awe!

(The video is not working right now sadly!)

Cookies and punch were shared during our dance intermission, Valentine's were passed out, and boxes were admired. Below is a sneak peak at a few of the finest boxes I've ever seen come out of my room!