"Just watching them grow and be interested in dancing and expressing themselves in a positive way has been the biggest thing that I've seen," Lutton said of her young pupils.

The Community School of West Seattle offers classes for pre-kindergarten through second grade and approaches education from a more organic angle than traditional schools. Which means that much of the structure that other schools offer is disregarded for a more natural and individually focused way of teaching.

Part of what makes this school so different from others is their Gildenfire Dance program, which, Lutton designed herself. In creating Gildenfire she utilized BrainDance research - done by Seattle based Founder and Artistic Director of the Creative Dance Center, Anne Green Gilbert - along with Lutton's own modern dance theories.

Lutton has danced all her life, starting out in ballet, then modern and eventually graduating from The University of Washington with a BA in dance. All of Lutton's classes start with a BrainDance warm-up, which she picked up from workshops at the CDC, taught by Gilbert.

The theory behind it is that if you miss any of the [physical] steps along the way your development kind of goes askew. By doing the BrainDance you can repair the neurological pathways," Lutton explained.

In an article written by Gilbert she explains that much of our neurological development takes place between birth and age eight. The nervous system must go through a series of developmental stages before the brain can work at its full potential. The exercises Gilbert created help solidify those connections by mimicking movements displayed by babies as they test their bodies' abilities.

"It goes from taking in breath, to tactile, to core-distal (in to out), to upper-lower, right side left side, cross-lateral, and vestibular (balance)," Lutton said about the BrainDance warm-up. By starting off her classes with BrainDance she not only harnesses the children's energy into something positive, she is teaching them things that they will carry throughout there lives.

There are things like moving clockwise and counter-clockwise. There's learning to count music when you're four or five years old, it's really a life skill and a mathematical skill that I think outweighs a lot of traditional sports for children because it has so many other benefits, said Lutton.

About a minute into the BrainDance the kids are centered, focused and ready to learn. Lutton stresses that it's important that the parents and kids have a clear idea of what this is and what it isn't. What the classes aren't, is being told that this is right and this is wrong.

"For me what it is, is teaching them to move and be confident and be graceful and be thoughtful in their space and be spatially aware of other people," Lutton said.

Lutton, while directing a mass of kids, also incorporates the schools organic learning philosophy into her classes. I really try to pay close attention to what engages them and what they're interested in, in that moment. I try to check the energy level when they come in.

She can tell a lot of what the kids need just by watching them. If you're watching the physical cues and how they're interacting with each other you can really see into that and use that energy in a positive way.

This has been especially apparent recently with an influx of boys to the school. Lutton has had to really change the way she approaches her classes. It's been a challenge because boys learn so differently than girls. They need so much less language and more movement, she explained.

What they've discovered at the school is that just because boys can be more physical with their energy doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't paying attention. "We really try to think about the way we teach them throughout the day, and try to address their needs, that they're not bad but they just learn differently," Lutton said.

By bringing dance classes to school, kids can feel confident about being good at something - which then carries a positive attitude over to other classes that the child might not be as confident in - this ultimately fosters growth in other parts of that child's education.

Ballet (all tags)