Because I Say So Family Activity

Dance parties, endless games of tag and giggles galore—perhaps that is what the world would be like if kids were in charge! Because I Say So imagines kids having absolutely agency through curious, playful and funky dance. In this Family Activity, warm up for a dance party, learn some choreography and imagine a day where adults follow kids’ rules.

At Home

Dance, like kids, can be playful, exuberant, fun, imaginative and…exhausting! Every good dancer needs to warm up before getting started. In this activity, learn some stretches and do some fun dance warm-ups with your family.

Materials: Music

Step One: Follow along with the video below to start stretching. Get ready to move and groove!

Step Two: Now you’re ready to play some partner warm-up games. This first one is called mirror dance. Here’s how to play:

• With your family, decide who wants to be the leader first.
• Put on some music to get into the groove!
• The leader begins doing slow movements and everyone else mirrors them—they do not have to be dance moves! Looking for some great ways to start? Try one of the following:
  • Put your hands up towards the sky.
  • Get on your tiptoes and move around.
  • Wiggle your body from head to toe.
• Make sure everyone in your family gets a turn to be the leader.

Step Three: To finish warming up, play a game of freeze dance with your family! Make sure everyone takes a turn controlling when the music starts and stops.

On the Way

Now, you’re on your way to see Because I Say So! The dancers you’ll see on stage today have practiced some choreography, which is a fancy word for a bunch of dance moves put together. In this activity, learn some choreography that you can practice on the go!

Watch the video below to learn some simple dance moves. Follow the choreography, or create your own!

After the Show

After you have seen the show, talk through some of these reflection questions with the family or friends you came with!

• What were some of your favorite dance moves that you saw onstage? Could you try them out?
• What was your favorite moment of the show? The silliest? The most surprising?
• In the show, the performers made up their own rules. If you were in charge, what rules would you make? Why?

In Because I Say So, the performers celebrated creating and breaking their own rules. In this activity, dream up a day where there are no rules at all!

Step One: Ask each member of your family to fill in the blank:

“If I had a day with no rules, I would ________.”

What would you do? Go swimming in the middle of winter? Eat candy for breakfast? Stay up all night?

Step Two: Have each member of your family create a movement to represent their answer. Perhaps you could mime a swim stroke or pretend to chew lots of candy. It can be anything you’d like!

Step Three: Teach each other your movements to create a group dance piece inspired by your dream day.

BONUS: Could you perform your dance to music, with colorful costumes, for friends or other family members?

And Beyond

• Learn more moves with an online dance class for kids! You don’t have to go outside your home for your child to practice their dance moves. With games like Move & Groove, bring the party and dancing to you!