Parent Toolbox: The Tough Get Going: How to motivate your child when the going gets tough

Motivating children is one thing… keeping them motivated during the rough times or when they are deep in the middle of a project, like preparing for a ballet exam, is another thing. So, how do you help your child get through that dip, the rough patch in the middle, to keep working hard and push through to the other side? We’ve compiled some resources and tips from various places for this blog entry for you – they’ve been helpful to the teachers here at Pegasus and we hope that you may find a little nugget that can be helpful to you as well.

To begin with, these are the two main types of motivation:

·         Intrinsically motivated “for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it permits or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes”. (Mark Lepper 1988)*

·         Extrinsically motivated – “in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself”. (grades, stickers, teacher approval (Lepper).

*The first one, intrinsically, is much more beneficial in the long run as it will give them the skills to become motivated in any situation.

According to Jere Brophy (1987) motivation to learn is a competence acquired through general experience but stimulated through modeling, communication of expectations and direct instruction or socialization by significant others (parents and teacher).

Home environment shapes the initial attitudes they develop toward learning. When parents nurture their children’s natural curiosity about the world, welcoming their questions, encouraging exploration and familiarizing them with resources that can enlarge their world – the message is that learning is worthwhile and fun and satisfying. (www.kidsource.com)

One of the most important aspects of keeping children (or anyone for that matter) motivated is the ability to set personal goals. Sure, your child may be working towards a ballet exam, but if you can help them set up their own goals within that – for example: working towards a specific exercise that is challenging for them, using the exam as a way to practice performance skills for the upcoming recital, practicing the ability to learn and remember choreography, etc. – goals that speak directly to their own personal bests, their own personal desires to be in that situation and their own personal strengths. This process not only makes the larger goal seem more achievable but it also helps to keep the larger goal in focus as sometimes it can get lost because of its size. For a child, being able to clearly see how their activities are applicable to their life is key. (parentingideas.com.au)

Strategies parents can use to help children remain more fully intrinsically motivated.

·         Provide environment that allows children to freely explore and to see the effect of their actions.

·         Allow children ample time when working to allow for persistence. When children are deeply involved with an activity, make sure that they can finish without interruption.  Resist the natural urge to help

·         Provide many opportunities for children and adults to explore together and interact directly. This lets you observe, model and encourage your child.

·         Provides situations that give children an acceptable challenge.  Activities that are slightly difficult for the child will be more motivating and provide for stronger feelings of success when accomplished.

·         Give children opportunities to evaluate their own accomplishments. Rather than stating that you think they have done a good job, ask them what they think of their work. “What do you think?”  (www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/earlychildmotiv_ho.aspx)

For the older child, this is an excerpt from a great book:

From the book; Dr. Karyn’s Guide to the Teen Years.  By Dr. Karyn Gordon

How to Help your teen be a motivated student;

Modeling is very important – if you love to learn, they are likely to as well;

o   How to help; focus on their efforts, not on the end results.

o   Praise and affirm their effort when you see it.

o   Don’t over function.  If parents are highly anxious about their teen’s school work and performance, there is a strong chance your teen will under function in reaction. Let them own their school experience.

o   Ask what they are learning and studying.  Invite them to discuss some of the things that have interested them

o   Ask if they need any help Let them know you are available if they need any support.

o   If they show an interest in a career choice, do activities with them that might further excite them about that field.

o   Look for everyday events and family trips to inspire a love of learning.

o   Get solution-focused and brainstorm with them about what has worked in the past regarding their motivation

-          The Key is to partner with your teens and not micromanage them.  You want to help your teen discover the unique equation that helps them be focused and efficient.

The resources in this article are a great source of information, much more than we’ve provided here. Check them out for more detailed information on this subject.

Health Smart! Heart Health!

Keeping your heart healthy is not only about eating right. Regular exercise that has a variety of qualities to it can be extremely beneficial in preventing illness or failure of the heart. This may seem like a topic for a fitness blog, or even for a blog dedicated to a more senior reader… but, old or young keeping the heart healthy is crucial and dance is just the way to do it. Doctors are advocating, not just physical activity, but dance as a good form of exercise to promote a healthy heart. Exercise increases the functioning of the heart and the healthy flow of blood and the great thing about dance is that it includes a variety of types of exercise. Unlike running on the treadmill, dance allows for various tempos and rhythms of movement, it includes cardio work as well as muscle resistance training and on top of that you always get a great stretch! But, most of all, dance provides that added something for the health of the heart – joy! Some good music, friends and fun! What more can a heart ask for? 

Spotlight on the Dances of Offering guest artists

Each year for the benefit show, Dances of Offering, we invite guest artists to perform and/or choreograph pieces on our students. This year is very exciting as we have everything from Flamenco to Hip Hop! Below is a list of the artists that are volunteering their time to this wonderful cause. I’ve posted a link to their website or some brief info so you can have a better sense of what to expect from our show.  

Confirmed Guests

1.  COBA  (youth ensemble)  (www.cobainc.com)

2.  Carmen Romero Flamenco Co   (www.carmenromero.ca)                          

3.  Apolonia Velasquez          (www.gadfly2.com)

4.  Meagan O¹Shea     (www.standupdance.com or www.meaganoshea.ca)

5.  Puja Amin Sanskriti    www.sanskritiarts.ca                                     

6.  Jessica Houghton  - Jessica is a Pegasus alumni who went on to study dance at York University. She has been developing her choreography talents over the past few years and we are glad that she is back again this year with another stunning contemporary piece!

7.  City Dance Corps Salsa - Estelle and Cornell (www.citydancecorps.com)

8.  City Dance Corps Youth ensemble ­–Hip Hop Shavar

9.Melissa Nascimento-So – Melissa is not only a renowned performer of various dance styles but she is also a Pegasus teacher! Melissa has been doing amazing work with her organization, Women in Dance, who showcase female choreographers and performers. Women in Dance takes great pride in the work they do to give back to their community. (http://www.womenindance.com/)

10.Georgia Leung – Georgia, one of our fabulous Ballet teachers, is a classically trained performer in Chinese dance and her performances are always a stunning spectacle. We are excited to have her back again this year with another beautiful performance.

  So… there you have it! Another year of great guests to the Pegasus family! We hope that you will have the chance to come see the show. For more information check out our website, http://www.pegasusdance.com/AnnualEvents.asp  

Inspirations - Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn is considered to be one of the best classical ballet dancers in history. That’s a big claim to make and is purely subjective to your own perspective. However, what cannot be denied is that she greatly impacted not only her colleagues but her audiences. Inspiring many young dancers to follow in her footsteps, many choreographers to create new works and even the unique inspiration she had over her long time dance partner Nureyev are the testaments to her skill as a performer. In our examination of inspirations, Fonteyn was one of the first names to come up. Why? Well, Fonteyn was a British dancer who stayed at one company, the Royal Ballet, her entire career. Eventually she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II. But, one of the most inspiring things about Fonteyn was her longevity as a ballet dancer. Although many professional ballet dancers retire somewhere between 30 and 40 years old, at least from the prima ballerina role in a classically based company, Fonteyn danced until she was 60. Her famous partnership with Rudolph Nureyev did not even begin until she was in her 40’s! 

What can we take away from Margot Fonteyn’s influence as a dancer? It’s not so much about her technical precision but perhaps more of her philosophy that can inspire us. Fonteyn said, "The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous." Taking your work in the dance studio seriously can mean great achievement in the form of technical abilities and physical care. Perhaps her longevity as a dancer came from this serious approach to her work in rehearsal halls, classes and performances. However, Fonteyn continues, taking yourself seriously can cause disaster! Maybe it is in this sense that she was able to connect with through her work. Allowing for a freedom, for pleasure and joy in her performances and her relationships, on and off stage, is perhaps why she affected so many dancers, audience members and colleagues.

Check out this video of Fonteyn and Nureyev: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLItQ3vFUZk

Coming Up in February

Hello again! This month we are are preparing for our annual benefit show, Dances of Offering, in support of World Vision. The show takes place on February 26th at the Al Green Theatre. Check out our Facebook event page for all the details http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188722941152182.

We have some good blog posts for you this month. Here are the headlines!
Inspirations: Margot Fonteyn
Spotlight: The guest artists involved with the benefit
Health Smart!: Heart Health!
Parent Toolbox: The Tough Get Going: How to motivate your child when the going gets tough

Hope you enjoy this month! Feel free to add some comments to any of the posts you see - we are always welcome to having discussions when it comes to dance, art, health, education... the works!

The Parent Toolbox: What you need to know about Pointe shoes

Here it is... our last January post... in February! 

Pointe shoes are an inevitable part of a young ballet dancers training. Some dancers will be given the “okay” by their teachers and some dancers may never reach the stage of getting pointe shoes. Either way, this time in the ballet class is one of change. As a parent of a ballet dancer, pointe shoes may be something completely new to you, or perhaps you have experienced this process before. This article is designed to give you some basic information, all of which the students will be learning in class, to help give you a greater understanding of this process.

To begin with, some students will be selected to begin training on pointe while others are not. This is due to several factors. Age is a big one. As the process of dancing on pointe is very impactful on bones, students are not given permission until they reach an age where their bones are fully formed and less likely to damage. This is around 11-14 years. The second reason is due to strength. Dancing on pointe requires a very specific set of muscles in the feet, these muscles most work in conjunction with the legs and abs, among others. At Pegasus, we require dancers who are interested in going on pointe to take a preparation class. This class is spent doing simple exercises such as a basic rise and lower. Although it may seem like your 12 year old is going back to the 4 year old class, they are actually articulating and building strength in the muscles needed for pointe work. Until these muscles are at a certain level it is dangerous for a dancer to attempt pointe work. The assessment of the teacher of who is ready is perhaps the most important part to keeping dancers safe in the beginning of training on pointe.

The next step will be to purchase a pair of shoes. The fitting of pointe shoes is the second most important part to keeping dancers safe. A shoe that does not fit properly can cause significant damage to the foot. The key to getting the right shoe is going to the right people. Your teacher can point you to the right place and if possible it is ideal that they attend the fitting as well. Shoes should never be too big, growing room means room for the foot to slide around. The reason that a shoe must fit so precisely is that the shoe in fact does quite a bit of the work for the dancer. The box of the shoe (the area that incases the toes) is designed to protect as well as support the toes. This area provides added strength to the toes through its material and tight fit. The shank is another important area. The shank runs along the length of the foot, mirroring the sole on the inside of the shoe. The shank supports the arch of the foot which actually carries a significant part of the weight of the dancer, thus making it a vital part of the shoe. If these, or any of the other features of the shoe, do not fit like a glove, their benefits will be lost, leaving the dancers foot without support.

The decision and opportunity to train on pointe is a big one. It will be a new and often difficult technique for dancers. Remember, what will make a ballet class on pointe a good experience is if the dancer is the right age, they have the proper strength and the right shoe. Pointe shoes are an inevitable part of a young ballet dancers training. Some dancers will be given the “okay” by their teachers and some dancers may never reach the stage of getting pointe shoes. Either way, this time in the ballet class is one of change. As a parent of a ballet dancer, pointe shoes may be something completely new to you, or perhaps you have experienced this process before. This article is designed to give you some basic information, all of which the students will be learning in class, to help give you a greater understanding of this process.

To begin with, some students will be selected to begin training on pointe while others are not. This is due to several factors. Age is a big one. As the process of dancing on pointe is very impactful on bones, students are not given permission until they reach an age where their bones are fully formed and less likely to damage. This is around 11-14 years. The second reason is due to strength. Dancing on pointe requires a very specific set of muscles in the feet, these muscles most work in conjunction with the legs and abs, among others. At Pegasus, we require dancers who are interested in going on pointe to take a preparation class. This class is spent doing simple exercises such as a basic rise and lower. Although it may seem like your 12 year old is going back to the 4 year old class, they are actually articulating and building strength in the muscles needed for pointe work. Until these muscles are at a certain level it is dangerous for a dancer to attempt pointe work. The assessment of the teacher of who is ready is perhaps the most important part to keeping dancers safe in the beginning of training on pointe.

The next step will be to purchase a pair of shoes. The fitting of pointe shoes is the second most important part to keeping dancers safe. A shoe that does not fit properly can cause significant damage to the foot. The key to getting the right shoe is going to the right people. Your teacher can point you to the right place and if possible it is ideal that they attend the fitting as well. Shoes should never be too big, growing room means room for the foot to slide around. The reason that a shoe must fit so precisely is that the shoe in fact does quite a bit of the work for the dancer. The box of the shoe (the area that incases the toes) is designed to protect as well as support the toes. This area provides added strength to the toes through its material and tight fit. The shank is another important area. The shank runs along the length of the foot, mirroring the sole on the inside of the shoe. The shank supports the arch of the foot which actually carries a significant part of the weight of the dancer, thus making it a vital part of the shoe. If these, or any of the other features of the shoe, do not fit like a glove, their benefits will be lost, leaving the dancers foot without support.

The decision and opportunity to train on pointe is a big one. It will be a new and often difficult technique for dancers. Remember, what will make a ballet class on pointe a good experience is if the dancer is the right age, they have the proper strength and the right shoe.