TEACHING ARTIST SESSION CATEGORIES
Across the globe, dance is not only an art form, but a way to communicate. In this session, classes celebrate global cultures through music and movement inspired by Lafayette’s Festival International. Students can explore rhythms and dances from around the world by learning simple choreography based on current artists featured at the festival. Keep calm and dance on!
Time for a Mardi Gras parade in your classroom! Students in this session explore the history and traditions of Louisiana’s Mardi Gras through creative movement. Using rhythm, locomotor movement, and group choreography, they will discover how parades bring communities together. All the while, students are also building coordination, collaboration, and confidence. Connect movement with Louisiana culture in an engaging, hands-on way! (Note: Activities in this session are adapted for each grade level.)
Get to your desk and sit still? Not in this session! Students will use movement strategies to build focus, manage transitions, and support classroom routines. By practicing structured movement tools, students will improve attention and self-regulation. It’s a social and physical win-win!
In this session, the ocean is both an inspiration and a metaphor. Add creative movement to the mix, and students will have a powerful tool for emotional regulation! Your students will be guided in a dive deep to find their sense of calm.
And the trees were WHAT? Yes, they were TALKING! Trees communicate their needs and send reinforcements to loved ones through a special web of communication. Students explore and learn more about the “mycelium network” and the relationships trees have. After learning, classes will use a story and movement to explore their ideas. Finally, students will express their findings through teamwork and performance.
Science + art = sun magic! Students in this session will engage in a hands-on exploration of sun-reactive dye and natural elements. Students will create striking solar compositions using foliage, fabric, and light-sensitive dye. Then the sun does its work, and silhouettes of leaves and flowers are permanently imprinted on cloth offering a memorable mix of art and science that connects students to the natural world.
This multi-step activity introduces students to the basics of observational drawing and mixed media painting. Students will first sketch fresh flowers in pencil, then add crayon for a wax-resist effect, and finally bring their compositions to life using watercolor. This is art in layers, and creativity unfolds like a flower opening.
In this festive session, students will design and paint their own holiday greeting cards using watercolor techniques. Students will explore winter themes, color palettes, and personal expression while creating meaningful art to share with loved ones. This session is making the world a more beautiful and expressive place one card at a time!
Maybe Jean-Michel Basquiat never met a dinosaur, but he had a dinosaur-sized vision and new take on the world! This session invites students to explore emotion, symbolism, and color while learning about a groundbreaking artist who transformed the art world! Students will create expressive dinosaur artworks using oil pastels and watercolor.
Unlock your students’ imaginations by merging creative writing and expressive movement in this dynamic, cross-disciplinary class. Using Rudolf Laban’s Effort Qualities as a springboard, students will explore how characters feel, move, and act—then bring them to life on the page and in their bodies. Students will experiment with eight distinct movement energies (e.g., strong vs. light, direct vs. indirect), then use those physical sensations to develop original characters. Through guided writing activities, they’ll create stories, monologues, or sketches that reflect their characters’ unique ways of moving and thinking. Along the way, they’ll build empathy, deepen their understanding of emotional expression, and connect movement to storytelling and social-emotional learning. This lesson is perfect for integrating dance, drama, and literacy; look forward to a class that supports kinesthetic learners, inspires creativity, and encourages a deeper connection between body, mind, and story.