Community Outreach
+ Messages of World Peace and Cultural Diversity +CIRCLE DANCE WORKSHOPS
Past events
+ Events in the White Mountains of NH +May Pole Dance
Franconia, NH
May 1, 2008
Neskaya dancers led 16 women & children in winding the May Pole, a festive and fun experience. Music teacher Dennis Cote and some of his students supplied music. Some of us continued dancing around the decorated Maypole. Our dancing activated some earthworms who came to the top of the ground and had to be rescued.
Wellness Fair
Bethlehem, NH
March 12, 2003
Jenny Deupree and Gene Podhurst participated in the World of Wellness Day which featured the ways in which the arts contributed to the health of the world and its people. We presented the concept and the activity of circle dancing to middle schoolers and high schoolers as a way of bringing people together to strengthen community and enjoy life.
International Dances
Conway, NH
June 7, 2003
In addition, the Neskaya Community Dancers participated in the Folk Music Festival on June 7, 2003 in Conway, NH in cooperation with Mountain Top Music. To the live music of local musicians we taught dances from Greece, Russia, Macedonia, Israel, and Armenia. We stayed on to participate in the Contra Dance as well.
Russian Folk Dancing
Gilford Middle and High School
April 17, 2003
Neskaya was invited to participate in this schoolwide project. Jenny and Gene taught several Russian folk dances to five different classes from both the middle school and high school. The students and teachers were very cooperative and excited. The classes were a great success and we were invited to do it again next year by the organizers of the event, VSAArts of New Hampshire.
In-Service Teacher Training
Warren, NH
September 17, 2002
Four experienced circle dancers from Neskaya met with all the teachers and aides in Warren, NH to discuss the possibility of using dance activity to supplement curriculum and provide motivational support in after school activities as well. At first the teachers were skeptical of finding time and space for dance and felt it could only be done at the expense of other educational goals. After getting up and dancing with us, however, the entire tone of the meeting changed and all were anxious to find the time and space to explore the possibilities of circle dancing during the school day.
Circle Dance
Franconia, NH
March 11, 2007
Kayla Dauphine, Jenny Deupree and Helen Pimental shared Circle Dance with many of the center’s residents and their family members. Many were tapping their feet and nodding their heads to the lively music, while some jumped up to join the dance. There was also time to remember and reflect on how dance had played a part in one’s life.
Outreach with Circle Dancing
Burlington, VT
June 2003
Neskaya began sharing Circle Dance with residents of retirement communities in and around Burlington, Vermont. The ever-flexible dance is easily adapted to accommodate dancers with limited mobility and these circles may include seated dance, song, and live music, as well as upright dance! It’s a delight to dance with these gracious elders. Contact Julia Lynam at [email protected] for more information.
May Pole Dance
N. Haverhill, NH
May 2, 2003
Neskaya Dancers led a dance around the maypole for the fourth and sixth graders in North Haverhill, NH. It was a wonderfully festive time for all and clearly a kinesthetic learning experience for some, particularly a number of special ed students.
Native American Dancing
Warren Village School
November 22, 2002
A group of six volunteers from Neskaya conducted a dance program to supplement the schoolwide curriculum that was addressing Native American culture. The entire elementary school (64 students, as well as their teachers and aides) divided into six groups or clans, and together we danced to celebrate the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), planting and harvesting, as well as storytelling. Everyone, including the principal and school staff, enjoyed and valued the project. We have been invited back to do more of the same next year, perhaps two or three times, in connection with curriculum and/or holiday celebrations.
Wellness Fair
Littleton, NH
June 8, 2006
Jenny Deupree and Kayla Dauphine participated in the Littleton High School Wellness Fair by presenting two sessions of World Dance as a fun, low impact aerobic dance experience. Simple dances from the folk traditions of many cultures including Celtic, Balkan, Russian, Greek, and Gypsy were taught, giving the high school students an opportunity to explore the unique pleasure of dancing with a group of people to the movements and rhythms of the world.