We had such a great time running our recent training course Why Movement Matters: Supporting early years development through dance and movement play at Ludus Dance Studios, Lancaster. Lovely to be on our home turf for once, but there was something extra special about this training …
As Primed for Life, Anna Daly and I often work with groups of early years practitioners as well as with community dance artists – but this was the first time that the group was specifically composed of a mix of the two. And what a powerful combination it turned out to be with such an enthusiastic and motivated bunch of people, all willing to roll around on the floor doing playful – and sometimes silly – things whilst exploring in depth, the importance of early developmental movement to lifelong learning and wellbeing.
Their comments showed just how much both sectors appreciated the opportunity to work together. The early years practitioners valued the expertise of the dance artists and the way that their relaxed confidence in their physicality and movement nudged the less confident to just lose themselves in the movement and the music. The dance specialists, on the other hand, valued the knowledge and understanding of child development that practitioners working in childcare and education had at their fingertips, particularly with regard to very young children’s capacity for movement exploration.
It’s this particular blend of the knowledge, skills and experience of the two sectors that Anna and I wanted to share when we first set up Primed for Life, blending together our own individual backgrounds in early years education and community dance. We feel it brings our training to life in a very unique way and it also makes for a lot of fun!