Announcements

Celebrate Luna this #Giving Tuesday

 

 

Luna has so much to celebrate this #Giving Tuesday! We are amplifying our vision and programs under a new name Luna Dance & Creativity. And we are excited to continue our programs and launch new one’s in our new community dance education hub in Berkeley.

 

In Spring 2024 we envision…

Return of choreographic showcases like 20 Points of View
An expanded Studio Lab program
In-person professional learning opportunities

 

All in our new ADA-accessible building!

Luna is able to continue to grow and make an impact because of our community members and donors like you!

Donate

 

Announcements

Registration open – Love, Move, Play ™ dance in early childhood course

Explore the essential nature of dance and movement for young children in this six-week course. Investigate early childhood development and neurocellular patterns in an embodied way, and explore how the elements of dance can be used to support young children’s need to move. Learn to extend spontaneous dance experiences, facilitate parent-child interactions using dance, integrate dance into emergent curriculum, activate circle time and create stand-alone dance lessons with student choice and voice at the center. Develop your skills of observation. Learn how to provide access to dance for all students. Step into this whole-self art form to increase joy in your classroom. 

  • 6 Saturdays
  • January 20-March 9
  • 9:30am-12pm Pacific
  • via Zoom
  • $360

Register here

OUSD, BUSD and MCOE ECE teachers can participate tuition-free, RSVP to jperena@lunadanceinstitute.org

Take Action

California advocacy resources: dance teachers in schools & network communities

California’s Prop 28 ensures more public school access to the arts, and 80% of Prop 28 funds will go towards hiring arts teachers. But because the dance credential is still new, there are not enough credentialed teachers to fill the positions that will open. How can we bridge the gap? What are the pathways to being credentialed in dance?

Check out these two new resources to understand your options, and share with your administrators:

Prop 28: What We Know (So Far) from Create CA

School Districts Need Arts Teachers from California County Superintendents Arts Initiative

TCAP’s (The California Arts Project) statewide and regional arts education network communities support TK–12 through post-secondary dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts educators. Their every-other-month, free virtual network sessions provide opportunities for teachers and administrators to stay informed of statewide and regional arts education news, issues, and to engage in dialogue with others on critical arts education topics. Join to expand your advocacy network! First session is September 28, more details here.

Announcements

Welcoming Moriah Costa to the Luna teaching artist team

Luna is thrilled to expand our team by welcoming teaching artist Moriah Costa. A Bay Area choreographer, performer and educator, Moriah’s creative and teaching inquiries investigate identity and belonging, and are sparked by a spirit of curiosity. “There is always something new to uncover when it comes to the way we move and interact with the world around us,” she explains.

“Moriah’s joyful enthusiasm for teaching is matched by her quest for learning and self-reflection,” shares Director of Programs Jochelle Pereña. “It’s this combination that really aligns with Luna’s values, and excites me as we develop dance partnerships in the community.”

Moriah brings her love of connection and play to Luna’s newest partnerships with Kaiser Early Childhood Center, where she teaches weekly dance classes in all classrooms, and at Berkeley Unified School District, where she’s helping to build a dance program at Franklin, King and Hopkins Preschools over the next two years. Accessibility and inclusion is core to both of these partnerships, and Moriah teaches in special ed, inclusion, and general ed classrooms so that all children can engage with dance.

You can meet and dance with Moriah at our free Pop-up Family Dance classes, and at our upcoming Renovation Celebration, November 11.

Announcements News

Early Childhood Dance & Literacy

Children learn using multiple languages. Discover how dance intersects with language learning and literacy skills and stands as a language on its own. Learn how dance expands children’s relationship with literature, symbols, songs, rhythm and rhymes, and engages them as holistic learners. This interactive workshop introduces full-body dance activities that support vocabulary, phrasing, and narrative development.

  • Saturday, December 9
  • 1-4pm Pacific
  • via Zoom
  • $190

Register here

OUSD, BUSD and MCOE ECE teachers can participate tuition-free, RSVP to jperena@lunadanceinstitute.org

Coming up: Early Childhood Dance & Science Parts 1 & 2, April 20 & 27

News Take Action

What’s moving us: Unpacking Trauma-Informed Teaching

“Effective, trauma-informed education is a full ecosystem, not a list of strategies. While it is tempting to just look for the most effective strategies … strategies without adequate trust-building and context can easily fail.”

Jennifer Gonzalez

Trauma-informed teaching has become a hot topic these days. Cult of Pedagogy‘s recent podcast digs into it via an equity lens in its latest podcast. No surprise, connecting with students is a big part of it. Listen here and consider how these practices can exist in the dance classroom.