One of the key aspects of performing is preparing your body beforehand by warming up. In addition to the physical warm-up that is done at the start of every class, Kinder is now adding facial and vocal warm-ups to their routine.
We begin with "Watermelon Face" and "Lemon Face", which are terms connected with imagery to stretch, tense and relax the facial muscles, allowing us more control of our expressions.
We begin by taking deep breaths and using our hands to mimic what our faces would be doing. "Watermelon Face" is the term we use to open up our eyes, mouths and even our throats as wide as we can, as if we are about to swallow a whole watermelon.
"Lemon Face" works with the imagery of having just tasted a fresh lemon that is very sour and we squeeze our facial muscles, trying to fit all of the features of our face in the center, by our nose.
Once we have completed our full physical warm-up, we work on finishing up our Unit on the growth and transformation of plants and animals by reading "Waddle". This is a 2-dimentional book that uses the art form of "scan-motion" to give the animals on the pages movement as they fly, swim and waddle.
The Kinder classes take on these movements as they transform themselves into the animals featured in the book!
As the animals run, fly and swim on the pages of the book, the Kinder classes challenge themselves by doing the same. This work is essential as we study the concepts of Change, Form and Connection.
We begin our unit on Celebrations and decide to take it on in a more dramatic way. Using the beautiful theme song from the film, "Chariots of Fire" by the composer, Vangelis, we imagine that we are in a race, only there is an added challenge to this race. It is completely in slow-motion! In this kind of race, the last person to cross the finish line is the winner!
By moving our bodies as slowly as we can, we are actually using and building our muscles a great deal more than if we were moving quickly. The Kinder classes enjoy racing, as well as celebrating their victories in slow motion as well.
"Racers, are you ready? Yeeeeesssss!"
"On your marks, get set......GOOOOO!!"
"WE DID IT....YEA!!"
Even the audience cheers....in slow-motion!
