Middle School

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.

Hip-Hop History LIVE (K-12)

by Mandy McGee | Art History, Creative Movement/Dance, Elementary School, Heritage Months/Celebrations, High School, Iberia Parish, Jude Romero (Kabuki Dancers), Lafayette Parish, Middle School, Mini-Presentation, Music, St. Landry Parish, St. Martin Parish

This program breaks down the four elements of Hip-Hop culture which are: DJing, Graffiti, MCing and Breakdancing. If booked during February (Black History Month), an additional discussion of Hip-Hop’s importance to Black History is added. The goal of this program is to explain how Hip-Hop is more than just a genre of music and provide some history on the culture. Everything discussed will be demonstrated LIVE!

Introduction to Slam Poetry (5-12)

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

This workshop introduces students to the art of competitive slam poetry, where the point is not the points… It’s the words.

Days 1 & 2: Students will be presented with examples of slam-appropriate performance poems, given prompts, and will work on their own creations. Chances to rehearse or get feedback will be included.

Day 3: It’s slam time! Students will be scored by their teachers or peers based on their performance and poem. Win or lose, the students take the poems, the memories, and the skill with them!

Exploring Erasure Poetry (5-12)

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

There is a reason erasure poetry is also called “blackout poetry.” Erasure poetry is not about starting from a blank page, but about taking a page or poem that is already created and blacking things out. What does not get erased becomes the new poem. It’s conceptual, it’s creative, and it leaves a visual statement. Students in this workshop will learn about erasure poetry through analyzing examples. Then, they will create their own erasure poem…and visual art in the process.

Free Your Mind (4-12)

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

Spontaneous, unscripted, and supportive – those 3 words describe a freestyle poetry circle. In this session, students participate in such a circle and have a both literary and an SEL experience. Workshop goals: encourage students to control their thoughts, think strategically and accept themselves. Poetic inspiration included? Absolutely!

ADDITIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION RESOURCES