Playful Performing Arts: Dance, Drama, & Music for Kids
With a focus on the creative process, collaboration, mindfulness, and the development of emotional intelligence skills

Registration Options:
1. Pay at Bottom of Page AND Send in Your Dismissal Form to the School
2. Send Dismissal Form with a Check to the School

Why? Research has found children benefit mentally, socially, and physically from both play and the performing arts. Furthermore, our play-based approach to creativity fosters important right-brained skills that counter-balance the current left-brained, memorization and pressures of high stakes testing. And what better way to develop emotional intelligence, healthy communication skills, and mindful awareness than through creative, collaborative, play acting?

"According to research conducted by Kyung Hee Kim, Professor of Education at the College of William and Mary, all aspects of student creativity at the K-12 level have been in significant decline for the last few decades."

"America’s education model fails to promote the kind of creativity, risk-taking, and problem solving skills necessary for entrepreneurship, and for a world and labor market that is in the midst of profound transformation." 

Check out the full article in Forbes! 

Where? Classes are held wherever you would like PPA to come! I've been to places such as West Sand Lake Elementary, the Albany JCC, and Bloom Movement Space, and held summer camps at Sand Lake Center for the Arts in Averill Park. I teach in preschools, after-school programs, yoga studios, community centers, and summer camps. Call to arrange a workshop and get a 50% discount on one tuition!

Benefits?
- Confidence, creativity, cognitive development, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence skills to begin with 
- More family time during evenings/weekends when arts classes are at the end of the school day
- Loads of fun for everyone!
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Rebecca Andrews, MA brings to Playful Performing Arts 25 years of experience working with children, a background in dance teaching and performance, and doctoral level work in psychology and child development. Her vision is to share the life-enriching beauty of the arts with children everywhere and to use the arts as a means to foster greater emotional intelligence and healthy communication skills in children. She's also a professor, herbalist, and ecotherapist and mama to the world's best 13 year old! 

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:

"Physical movement coupled with novel pretend imagery can help  with attention, speed, retention, and enjoyment of learning (Sacha & Ross, 2006).

Movement and music experiences integrated within a preschool curriculum can also reinforce math and logic concepts through rhythm and patterns of beat and tempo (Shilling, 2002). 

In addition to cognitive learning  benefits, creative movement and dance can be a transformative experience that develops body awareness as well as personal identity and control (Graham, 2002). 
Lorenzo-Lasa, Riolama & Ideishi, Roger I. & Ideishi Sibhoan K. (2007). "Facilitating preschool learning and movement through dance." Early Childhood Education Journal. DOI: 10.1007/s10643-007-0172-9.