Buttermilk's Dance Cards

YOU WILL NEED: Your own set of Buttermilk's Special Dance Cards - As Seen On TV! Luckily, you can download them right here for printing on paper or card stock and cutting out.

You might also snag a marker or some crayons and some fun music (your choice!) Or - when you're ready to play - click over here to see Buttermilk's Dance Party videos. Now, let's play!

“Doin’ the ‘Dance Card’ Dance”

1.) Explain that each picture on each dance card represents a movement - a different way to keep the beat. Show a card. What do you think the movement would be that matches the picture? Practice the move with music. Repeat for each of the different cards. (Note: even a picture that has been previously defined one way, could easily be defined differently by a different group of dancers.)

2.) Turn the cards over. Draw a card from the deck and do the move. This will be the first move of our dance. Set it up where everyone can see it.

3.) Draw another card, practice the move, display it in order with the 1st card, Combine 2 moves with music. Our dance is getting longer!

4.) Draw another card, display it in order with first 2 cards, Combine the 3 moves.

5.) Draw one more card, display it and combine the 4 moves. Start the music over and see if you can do the dance by repeating the 4 moves over and over. Can you do it twice as fast. Can you do small movements? Big Movements? What would you call this dance?

“Make your own Dance Cards”

1.) Discuss/demonstrate simple movements – hop, raise hand, march.

2.) Ask for suggestions of other movements.

3.) Ask how those moves could be represented visually – pogo stick, egg break.

4.) Have everyone make their own dance card.

5.) Everyone demonstrate their cards visual and the movement.

6.) Collect cards and Shuffle.

7.) Repeat Exercise 1 with these new cards/moves added in.

There are many other ways to use the Dance Cards. One of our favorites is to listen to the words of our favorite songs and see if we can get inspiration for movements that match the words. Then we make those dance cards and teach the dance. You can even keep your favorite dances by sketching the sequence of moves on a single piece of paper.