Iberia Parish

Character in Motion: Bringing Stories to Life Through Movement (K-8)

by Mandy McGee | Creative Movement/Dance, Elementary School, Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Literary Arts, Michael Crotty, Middle School, Single Session, Social Emotional Learning, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish, Theatre, Vermilion Parish

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.

Command the Room – Movement tools for Public Speaking (7-12)

by Mandy McGee | Creative Movement/Dance, Elementary School, High School, Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Michael Crotty, Middle School, Single Session, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish, Theatre, Vermilion Parish

Help students develop dynamic, authentic presence by exploring Laban’s Effort Qualities—a system for understanding how movement expresses intention, emotion, and energy. In this interactive session, students will identify how body language, gesture, and physical effort impact communication. Then, students will apply those insights to improve their own public speaking. Through movement exploration, speaker analysis, and short performance practice, students will build greater confidence, self-awareness, and expressive control—essential skills for any speaking, debate, or performance context.

Clave & Grooove: A Fusion of Rhythm and Dance (1-8)

by Mandy McGee | Art History, Creative Movement/Dance, Elementary School, Heritage Months/Celebrations, Iberia Parish, Middle School, Mini-Presentation, Single Session, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish, Terrance Morgan, Vermilion Parish

Ready, Clave, Go! Discover the rhythmic heartbeat of Latin and Afro-Cuban music in this high-energy, interactive session. Students will learn the foundational clave rhythm (traditionally counted as 1-2-3-12) using authentic wooden percussion sticks. This session bridges the gap between live percussion and modern street dance, demonstrating how this ancestral pulse heavily influences house dance and hip-hop foundations.

The Rhythm of Self-Love (5-12)

by Mandy McGee | Alex PoeticSoul Johnson, Elementary School, High School, Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Literary Arts, Middle School, Single Session, Social Emotional Learning, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion Parish

We have all heard the term “self-love.” But have we ever explored what it really means? Or used a poetic structure to commit it to paper? This session offers an opportunity for both! Students will engage in a guided discussion on what self-love means and why it is important. Then, they will complete a writing exercise focused on using couplets to create self-motivation poems. It’s self-care meets rhyme meets SEL fusion! This artist is only available on Fridays, so chat with them about availability after booking.

Class Poetry Album (4-12)

by Mandy McGee | Alex PoeticSoul Johnson, Elementary School, High School, Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Literary Arts, Middle School, Short-Term Residency, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion Parish

The theme: tolerance. The artistic medium: a class poetry album. In this workshop designed to encourage students to be creative and work together on a common goal, classes will engage in creative writing, discussions on tolerance, and have a brief audio recording workshop. The class will write and record a final Poetry Album. This artist is only available on Fridays, so chat with them about availability after booking.

Day 1: Students will separate into groups and select “beats” from a given list to write and record to. Students will begin the writing process.

Day 2: Students will finish writing their poems/songs. We will begin recording students’ creations.

Day 3: Students will finish recording. We will finish class by listening to what the class has collectively created.

Introduction to Spoken Word Poetry (6-12)

by Mandy McGee | Alex PoeticSoul Johnson, High School, Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Literary Arts, Middle School, Short-Term Residency, Vermilion Parish

Aren’t all words “spoken”? So what is “spoken word poetry” and how does it differ? Students in this session will internalize that! They will be introduced to spoken word poetry through discussion, spoken word videos, and live performance. Question & answer time will be given after the performance, so students can free their minds and let the questions follow. This artist is only available on Fridays, so chat with them about availability after booking.

Dot Zines (2-6)

by Mandy McGee | Elementary School, Iberia Parish, Literary Arts, Margaret Simon, Middle School, Single Session, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion Parish, Visual Art

Combine creativity with writing! Classes will read and discuss the picture book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Then, students will create their own dot and make it a foldable book with poetic language.

Heart Maps (1-6)

by Mandy McGee | Elementary School, Holidays, Iberia Parish, Literary Arts, Margaret Simon, Middle School, Single Session, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion Parish, Visual Art

What do you love? And can you express that love in a poem? In this session, students will create a heart map with drawings and words about the things that they love (including sensory loves, rituals, nature, objects, nonhuman companions, etc). Then, their visuals will become words of wonder when they turn their heart maps into a single poem about the things that make their hearts sing.

Color Collage: Letter to Nature (1-8)

by Mandy McGee | Elementary School, Iberia Parish, Literary Arts, Margaret Simon, Middle School, Single Session, Vermilion Parish, Visual Art

Yes, you have a favorite color. So let’s do a deep dive into it! We will start with the book Dear Acorn, (Love, Oak) by Joyce Sidman and illustrated in collage art by Melissa Sweet. Then, students will channel that author and illustrator by creating a color collage that incorporates metaphors and writing a letter poem to a bit of the natural world. Let’s celebrate sky, rain, sun, and acorn!

Dancing with a Paintbrush (2-6)

by Mandy McGee | Elementary School, Iberia Parish, Literary Arts, Margaret Simon, Middle School, Single Session, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion Parish, Visual Art

It’s a multi-faceted artistic fusion! Students will listen to a variety of music and feel the mood by “dancing with a paintbrush.” But don’t stop there – each image will become inspiration for writing as well. Students will refine their word choice, incorporate metaphor, and make a masterpiece.

ADDITIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION RESOURCES