We had the good fortune of dancing once a week at a local dance studio, just two blocks from the school. We were invited to be part of a December production, “The Last Unicorn.” So forest creatures and bandits we were! Each of the children made a papier mache mask, transforming a shoe box into a jaunty critter to be used in the first dance number which met with fond sighs from an adoring audience. In the second dance, each of the children shed their critter characters and became little hooligans, dancing wildly to bring down the house with enthusiastic applause! While the practice and rehearsals of the dances progressed and anticipation built, the process of making the masks took on another life, documented through the children’s plans, drawings, and expository and metaphoric writing, housed in gem-sized accordion books. We continued to relive the pride and excitement of our performance as we watched videos and rifled through photos… a great opportunity to put the images in sequence, add captions, and produce a belly-open, school-wide retelling of our processes and accomplishments!
