In this lesson, a class of 8-11 year olds plays with 16 energy action words, then creates duets and trios led by teaching artist Jochelle Pereña.
Energy Vocabulary with 8-11 year olds
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
Directional Scales with 8-11 year olds
Watch how teaching artist Jochelle Pereña investigates Laban’s directional scales (rise/fall, widen/narrow, advance/retreat) with a class of 8-11 year olds.
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
Sway & Wiggle to Explore Bomba – ECE Dance & Drums in a Classroom with Bernadette Lanoue
In this video lesson, a public school early childhood class plays sway and wiggle with dancing and drumming led by classroom teacher and Summer Institute alum Bernadette Lanoue (SI ’20).
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
Rivers & Stones with 5-7 year olds
Watch two versions of a lesson exploring relationship words (over, under, around, through), one with 5-7 year olds and one with props, led by teaching artist Jochelle Pereña.
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
High & Low in ECE Inclusion
In this video lesson, a public school early childhood inclusion class plays with high and low dances led by teaching artist Jochelle Pereña.
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
Sharp & Smooth with 5-7 year olds
Five-to-seven-year-olds investigate energy opposites sharp and smooth in their Luna Studio Lab class with teaching artist Zoe Huey.
About Perfect Imperfect Lessons
Ever wonder how children react to a creative dance lesson you’ve thought about or experienced as an adult at a Luna workshop? In our videos, a Luna teaching artist leads a class through exploration, improvisation, composition, performance, and response, and reflects on the process as she sparks the creative rigor of these choreographers-in-the-making. Follow along with the accompanying lesson plan, context and tips.
Video and lesson plan available when you become a Professional Learning (PL) User.
Professional Developments: Where is the Love? Bringing Back Rejuvenation and Care
Jochelle Pereña & Sam Stone – Dance Education in Practice
Episode 5: What are the possibilities for California dance education now?
With a newly-reinstated dance teaching credential and secured state funding for the arts in schools, it’s an exciting moment for California dance education right now. Tune in for this two-part episode as we speak with California dance teaching artists Gaby Mendoza and Carol Kueffer about how they view the new possibilities in dance education. Recorded June 6, 2025.
In Part 1, we give a little background. Gaby and Carol share their pathways to teaching dance in schools, before the reinstatement of the credential, and describe the teaching artist communities that kept them learning and kept them creative.
Part 2 dives into how the credential and Arts and Music in Schools Funding have impacted the dance education ecosystem, and a vision for what’s next.
With guests:
Gaby Mendoza
bio coming soon
Carol Kueffer
Carol Kueffer is a dance educator with Oakland Unified School District. She received her MFA in Dance from New York University. Her teaching is student-centered and she creates learning environments that celebrate our collective humanity where creativity and rigorous physicality flourish. Her choreography has been presented throughout New York, the SF Bay Area and Brazil. Carol was a founding member of the New York based company, David Dorfman Dance, touring internationally for eleven years. Her dance films with Dylan Moore can be viewed on Instagram @dylanedwardmoore. Website: carolkueffer.com