26 cartes à danser

26 CARDS + 2 NEW CARDS!
26 DANCES
26 WAYS TO EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH MOVEMENT WHILE LEARNING TO DANCE!

Something I just love to do is getting children to dance! I enjoy working for and with them, for we share the same passion: a love of movement, feeling free in one’s body and the pleasure of moving. Dance is all that and more!

This card game is a convenient way to introduce dance to your class or at home. It is intended to be fun, creative and easy to use. My 26 dance activities have been tried and tested by thousands of children during my 38 years of teaching. They provide a reliable starting point (for boys and girls!) to discover the joy of moving one’s body.

Warning: This game is addictive and develops body creativity.

Teach your children to move. You’ll be giving them a priceless gift.

HÉLÈNE LANGEVIN

Already own the game? Tell us what you think of it!

The game

26 cartes à danser is a fun-filled, creative game offering unlimited possibilities to enjoy dancing! You can draw cards randomly and ask children to reproduce the shape of letters using their bodies. Like a primer, you can do the dance activities in alphabetical order—or not! Approach a letter by viewing the complementary video (26 in all) or inviting the children to dance freely to the soundtrack. Set your imagination free and be open to surprises!

26 cartes à danser has one sole purpose: to make you fall in love with dance! As a teacher or a parent, your job is to become familiar with the game and modify it as you wish. Creativity does not depend on age—and neither does the pleasure of dancing!

Box contents:

26 dancing cards + 2 new cards
1 joker
Instructions
Complementary digital material (videos and soundtracks)
1 poster
1 balloon
2 temporary tatoos
Lots of crazy laughter!

PURCHASE THE GAME

Instructions

To lead the dance lesson suggested on each card, begin by reading it for yourself to become familiar with the words and content. It will be easier to encourage the children to participate if you express yourself in a way that is natural to you. By adapting the game to your personality, you will be sure to find your own words to lead the activities and perhaps even come up with some new dances. We encourage you to do this, for the game is only a starting point.

You will find that when you repeat an activity from one session to another, not only is it improved because of your experience but the children will also participate more. Repeating a lesson allows children to use their entire body, remember, improve, recreate, and develop new movements. Over the course of doing these activities, children develop their imagination, as well as their creativity, comfort level and self-confidence.

Complementary digital material

Each activity is the subject of a video capsule showing Hélène Langevin, artistic director and choreographer of Bouge de là, leading a group of children in that activity. This complementary material will give you a sense of activity and of how these activities work in a real-life setting. You will notice that Hélène often encourages the young dancers to move every part of their body as she calls out actions, draws attention to good motor ideas, and encourages the children to invent their own movements.

Most of the activities are associated with a piece of music in the form of a series of soundtracks specially prepared for 26 cartes à danser. You may download the music and use it with the appropriate activity. HOWEVER, we also encourage you to create your own soundtracks that reflect your personal preferences and those of the children exploring the various dance cards. Be creative!

Credits

CARD GAME

Concept and design
Hélène Langevin

Text, 26 cartes à danser
Hélène Langevin
Caroline Raymond (professor, UQAM dance department)

Copy editing and proofreading
Services d’édition Guy Connolly

Graphic design
Corinne Bève

Photography
Suzane O’Neill

Letter-bodies
Ariane Boulet, Nicolas Labelle, Alexandre Parenteau and Myriam Tremblay

Costumes
Marilène Bastien

VIDEOS

With the participation of…
Anthony, Arij, David, Elias, Jelani, Marilou, Matéo, Noémie, Ophélia, Rafael, Santino, Théo and Yani

We appreciate the teachers who believe in the importance of including dance in the classroom and who supported this project.
Caroline, Dominic, Josianne, Julie, Mélanie, Odrée and Sylvie

Camera work and editing
Mathieu Doyon

Sound recording
Marie-Claire Doyon

Presentation
Hélène Langevin

Presentation assistant
Julie Tymchuk

MUSIC
Pierre-Marc Beaudoin, Antoine Berthiaume, Ian Lettre, Fanfarniente Della Strada, Bernard Falaise and La Bottine Souriante

GENERAL PROJECT COORDINATION
Amélie Gauthier and Magalie Morin

This project was produced at Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, permanent home of Bouge de là.

26 cartes à danser was subsidized by a special grant from CALQ.