Fernway Students Dance Their Way into the Olympic Spirit

By Michele Cydulka-Weinstein, SIP Specialist at Fernway Elementary

Third grade "speed skaters" rhythmically swish across the gym floor of Fernway Elementary to the spellbinding beat of an African drum. One skater glides along, swishing out of sync, oblivious to the fact that his body is moving in the opposite direction of his classmates. A huge smile is plastered on his face.

The skaters leave the gym and a group of first grade "swimmers" enters. For the next forty minutes, their attention is undivided and uninterrupted by nary a peep nor whine, a noteworthy feat for first graders.

"You're graceful, but strong. You're the perfect athletes!" encourages Barbara Allegra Verlazza during the weeklong artist-in-residency dance and movement program that she and her husband, Sabatino, recently led at Fernway, assisted by members of their professional dance group, called Verlazza Dance Company. The couple are Kent State University dance faculty members and former artistice directors of Dancing Wheels. They are also the parents of Fernway fourth grader Allegra and Fernway graduate Sabatino, now a student at the Middle School.

Students rehearse at Fernway Elementary.

Days before, the Verlazza Dance Company performed at a school assembly. Less than a week later, the entire school performed a dance recital before a capacity crowd at the Shaker Heights High School auditorium. Each dance revolved around a different country and Olympic sport.

"We decided to focus on sports because of the Olympics coming up," explained Sabatino Verlazza. "That way the students could really connect to the pieces and to what they were doing in gym class with [physical education teacher] Sean Morris."

The program focused on such movement tasks as hitting a ball, shooting a basket, swinging a tennis racket, and other patterns of movement. The sum of the movements was then rehearsed and performed in a poetic and artistic way accompanied by the drumbeat of percussionist Bill Sallack. The concept of balance was also addressed through repeated movements as well as body and spatial awareness.

Students perform their new dance moves at the High School Auditorium.

"At the initial school assembly, where we introduced the art form of dance and performed, Mr. Cannon [the principal at Fernway] told the students that if they work hard enough, they could achieve anything. They could even dance the way we do," said Sabatino Verlazza.

As the week progressed, "the children's rhythms came through, and they saw what they could achieve. They had a sense of ownership of the movement. It created a real sense of ensemble and comradery with the group. The biggest payoff was to create something together as a team," Verlazza said.

The students received the program enthusiastically. "I liked it; it was fun," said fourth grader Chandler Appling. "I learned new dances, and I got excited about the Olympics."

Fourth grader Shayla Williams agreed. "I think the dance concert was very good, and I think the parents liked it very much. We showed we could do stuff that we never thought we could do," she said.

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