The final Books in Motion dance team, school, or studio to step into the spotlight this year was McLaughlin Dance Collective
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00:00 All right, this is cool. The current dance alliance has finished up their
00:03 seventh annual books in motion program made to improve literacy in current
00:07 county through dance 23 abc's ever Kirschner joins us live in studio to
00:12 bring us the final books in motion spotlight of the year.
00:14 Good morning, Brian. We've had so much fun shining light on these performers
00:20 encouraging kids to read through books in motion and we've made it to our last
00:24 spotlight. Get ready to meet the McLaughlin Dance Collective who has one
00:27 dancer on the books in motion stage that used to be in the audience.
00:31 My son who started watching books in motion when he was three is now going
00:41 to be in our performance this year. Our live performance at the library. It's
00:45 just so fun to teach the kids all the dance. It's just really fun. Henry
00:50 McLaughlin is one of the smallest dancers at McLaughlin Dance Collective
00:54 with one of the biggest personalities. You made the jump from audience member
00:59 to performer. What was that like? Uh, just really good. Like I felt like I'm
01:05 now really part of the books in motion. I feel like I'm just really part of it.
01:10 Now, Kristen McLaughlin, artistic director at the Dance Collective, says
01:15 that since reading is being portrayed through choreography, learning to
01:18 actually do it is becoming an easier challenge. I have an eight year old who
01:23 is just on the other side of learning to read. I have done a lot of research
01:28 on how to teach a child to read as I'm his homeschool mom, and the hands on
01:34 way of learning adds so much for a child. So to take a story and to make
01:39 it have physical movement and have music and have them be able to get up
01:44 and move to it not only excites them about a story and then trying to read
01:50 it, but it also works so many parts of the brain, and so it creates learning
01:56 faster by bringing the books to life. Children can experience the story and
02:01 even learn the dance, which the group says is their favorite part. My
02:05 favorite part about books in motion is be able to teach the kids the dance.
02:08 It's so fun to see them come walking up with their smiles on the face and just
02:12 being able to learn something that I enjoy to learn to teaching the kids.
02:16 The dance is so fun, especially because you get to incorporate reading with it.
02:19 And as a personal reader, I love reading, and I think it's really cool that we
02:23 get to dance and encourage them to read as well. And since they love helping kids
02:28 learn how to dance, we put their teaching skills to the test.
02:31 Eight, one, two, three, four. I jumped too early. One, two, three. And your hands on your hip? Yeah.
02:38 [music]
02:54 It has been such a fun time shining a light on all these books in motion
02:59 performers, and sometimes I think I was even having more fun than the kids.
03:02 Thanks for watching the Books in Motion Spotlight Series. We can't wait for next
03:05 year I'll send it back to you Brian.