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Florrie Flamingo© was created to assist baby ballerinas and tiny dancers in their Creative Dance and Pre-Ballet classes. Florrie Flamingo© Ballet Terminology Flash Cards shows off 26dance moves (ABC’s of Dance) one move for each letter of the alphabet! Florrie Flamingo© Flash Cards can be used as a creative tool to make learning ballet movements and terminology more fun! Today we are sharing 15 creative ways you can incorporate the Florrie Flamingo© Ballet Terminology Flash Cards into your ballet and creative movement classes!
1) Memory Game
To play this game, you will also need the Book for Ballet Class: Florrie Flamingo’s ABC’s of Dance as well as the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards! To begin, read the story Florrie Flamingo’s ABC’s of Dance, as you read each poem, show your ballet class the pictures and have them copy the movements on the page. Stop and perform each movement after reading it to the class, this will help them remember the movements later. We also have them repeat each ballet terminology word as we say them, for example, “Florrie does an arabesque,” and we ask the class, “Say arabesque!” The class repeats the word back to you as you continue, “with toe’s pointed and legs stretched!” Next the class performs the arabesque. Once you have read the story from A-Z, now it’s time to use the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards! Mix the cards up and have each dancer take a turn drawing a card. They show the card to the class, and the class must remember how to perform the movement and the name of the movement. There are 6 “Wild” Cards in the Deck including: Nutcracker, Variation, Waltz, Xylophone, Yoga, and Zumba. You can choose how you’d like to use these cards. We have chosen to apply the dance concept of Speed and have students dance slowly if Nutcracker, Variation or Yoga is chosen or fast to Zumba. We’ve also studied the concept of relationships and partner dancing for Waltz and had dancers chose a partner to dance with! Lastly, for xylophone, we give each dancer their own musical instrument to play while they move! How many dance terms and movements could your class remember?
2) Locomotor or Non-Locomotor Freeze Dance
In the Florrie Flamingo Flash Card Deck there are 8 Locomotor (travelling) movement cards and 13 Non-Locomotor (stationary) cards. Separate the cards into two decks and have each student pick a locomotor movement and a non-locomotor movement. The locomotor movement is the movement the dancers will perform when the music plays. When the music stops, the dancers will perform the non-locomotor movements as they freeze! To make the game more advanced, you can have dancers pick two or three locomotor movement cards to allow them to combine multiple movements together when the music plays.
3) Stage Directions
Place 5 hula hoops around your dance studio. One upstage, one downstage, one stage left, one stage right and one center stage. Around the center stage hula hoop, place all 8 locomotor movement Florrie Flamingo Flash cards. Inside each of the 4 outside hula hoops place 2-3 Non-Locomotor Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards. Each dancer takes a turn choosing a Locomotor movement card from around the center stage hoop. The dancers look at the card and say the card. For example, if a dancer chooses the leap card, everyone would say “Leap!” before dancing. The dancer who chooses the card gets to decide which hula hoop they are going to leap to (upstage, downstage, stage left or stage right). The dancers leap to that hula hoop. There, the same dancer will get to pick one of the cards inside that hula hoop to perform a non-locomotor movement, Tendu, for example. The dancers leap back to center stage, and a new dancer takes a turn.
4) Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Obstacle Course
Choose 4 locomotor movement cards that and 4 non-locomotor movement cards to put together in an obstacle course. Watch the video below. In this video we use the Florrie Flamingo©️ Ballet Terminology Flash Cards to strategically place an obstacle course of Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Movements. Starting with locomotor movements depicted with extra cards in the deck, and non-locomotor movements to be performed inside the hula hoops. Our first obstacle is a Locomotor Bourrée March in a Zig Zag pattern through the flash cards. Next the dancer performs a Non-Locomotor Piqué Turn ending in arabesque. Next the dancer performs Locomotor (travelling) piqué turns through a line of Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards. Her next non-Locomotor movement is a Coupé. She leaps to a final non-Locomotor movement, a Plié Passé.
5) Let’s F’lamingle
This will require two Florrie Flamingo Flash Card Decks. Separate each deck into the
locomotor and non-locomotor movement cards. Break your class into two groups. One group stands on the right side of the room, the other stands on the left side of the room. Each dancer from each group chooses a locomotor movement card. Once each of the dancers has drawn a card. The dancers must all perform the movement on the card as the music plays. As they dance, they must find the friend in the room that is performing the same move as them. That will be their partner for the rest of the game. After finding their partner, each group gets a hula hoop or other spot to work in. Each group picks a non-locomotor movement card. The dancers help each other perform a non-locomotor movement. That they chose for example, they can hold hands and help each other plié or help each other balance in arabesque. Repeat the game by finding a new partner!
6) Matching Memory Game!
This game also requires two Florrie Flamingo Flash Card decks. Select a hand full of cards you would like your dancers to practice in the days lesson. Mix the cards up and lay them face down. Include two “Wild Cards” (waltz and zumba for example) that when chosen the students can dance slowly and gracefully (waltz) or fast and silly (zumba). When a dancer makes a match, everyone stands up and performs that dance move! Play until all the cards have been matched!
7) Florrie Relay
The Florrie Relay is another game that may require two Florrie Flamingo Ballet Terminology Flash Card decks depending on the size of your class. This is a fun game to play with older dancers in a Pre-Ballet Class. Break your class into two or three lines. Each line should have 3-5 dancers depending on the size of your class. Each line has a pile of locomotor movement cards that they must perform traveling across the floor to the other side of the room where there will be a hula hoop with a pile of non-locomotor movement cards. The first dancer in line flips the top card over and performs whichever move is on the card (the game works best when each line has a different move to perform so it’s okay to mix up the cards). The dancers must correctly perform the movement traveling across the floor. When they reach their hula hoop, they flip over the top card of non-locomotor movements and must perform that movement correctly. After the first dancer successfully performs their movements correctly the next dancer in line starts. If someone incorrectly performs a movement, they must go to the end of the line. The first line who’s dancers complete the Florrie Relay is the winner!
8) Guess the Terminology Word!
This game requires the Florrie Flamingo’s ABC’s of Dance story book and a Florrie Flamingo Flash Card Deck. Mix up the Florrie Flamingo Flash Card deck and stack the deck into the middle of your dancer circle. One dancer at a time will pick a card. They cannot show the card to anyone as it is a secret. They will bring the card over to the teacher who will find the matching card’s word in the Florrie Flamingo’s ABC’s of Dance picture book. The teacher will whisper the poetry phrase to the dancer for example, if the dancer chooses the “En Manèges” card, the instructor will whisper the phrase from the book, “Hold hands and chassé all around en manèges with laughs abound!” The dancer must return to the circle and will whisper the phrase to the dance to their right. Each dancer will whisper the phrase around the circle until it get’s to the last person (the dancer sitting on the left of the dancer who picked the card). That dancer must say out loud what they heard whispered to them and must guess the correct terminology word
9) Flittering Flamingo Flash Dance!
This game is all about Speed! The instructor will draw a card from the deck and hold it up to the class. The teacher will only say the terminology word associated with the card. The dancers must perform the correct movement as quickly as possible. The last dancer to move, or any dancer that performs the movement incorrectly will be out! Play until there is one winner!
10) Dance to Create with Florrie Flamingo
We love using our Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards to help students create their own choreographic dances. Remove all “Wild Cards” from the deck prior to playing the game. Each dancer draws 1-3 cards from the deck. The class discusses different components of choreography including how a dance should start (should we start in a pose onstage or should we travel to our spot?) Then chose the best starting card. Next discuss different components from spatial concepts (should we dance in self-space or general space). As well as floor patterns (should we perform this move in a straight line or a circular pattern?). How can we add dynamics (is there a dance move that would make the middle of our dance more exciting)? Have we moved from our spots (what is a good transitional movement to perform to get us back to our places)? Play until each dancer has laid their cards down resulting in a linked phrase of movement. Watch the video below of dancers in a Ballet Ariel outreach program perform their Florrie Flamingo Flash Card Choreography!
11) Duck, Duck, Duck Flamingo!
Like Duck, Duck, Goose! Duck, Duck Flamingo is a fun game that younger dancers in a creative dance class will enjoy. Who ever is the “Flamingo” or the person who is “It” will choose a Florrie Flamingo Flash card from the deck (be sure the deck only contains Locomotor or traveling movements). They will choose a locomotor move which they will shout out “Glissade!” that is the move that will be performed around the circle. They then slowly walk around the circle touching each dancer’s head saying, “Duck,” “Duck,” “Duck,” “Flamingo!” and when they touch someone else’s head and shout “Flamingo!”, that dancer must now try to tag the “Flamingo”. Both dancers must jump up and perform the “Glissade!” (or what ever movement was chosen). If the “Flamingo” gets tagged before they take the other dancer’s spot in the circle they must be the “Flamingo” again. If the “Flamingo” safely makes it back to the other person’s spot without being tagged, the other dancer becomes the “Flamingo”! If either dancer performs the move incorrectly they are automatically the “Flamingo”!
12) Flippin’ Flamingos!
This game is to test your dancer’s knowledge of the ballet terminology on the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards! In a game about speed and memory, this game is recommended for older dancers that have been working with the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards for a while! Mix up the cards and have each dancer flip over the cards and shout out the dance move on the card as quickly as possible. When they get a card wrong, the deck is passed down to the next dancer, who begins where the last dancer finished. Once the deck reaches the end, mix the cards up again and continue to pass the cards where you left off. To make the game more difficult, challenge the dancers to also perform the movement on the card as they say it! Anyone stuck with a card for 3 seconds or longer is out and the next person takes over!
13) Piqué Turns
We enjoy using our Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards as a visual to help our dancers learn piqué turns! We lay Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards face down in a straight line, with enough room for the dancers to stand in first position between each card. The dancer performs two piqués (toe taps) in front of the card, two piqués to the side of the card (where they will turn). Then they push off their standing leg to perform an inside turn and land between the next card.
14) Flamingo Leaps
We also use Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards to teach Flamingo Leaps! We start by breaking the leap down into a battement devant and landing with an arabesque on the opposite leg. We call this a step over leap. We lay each flash card down in a straight pathway with enough room for the dancer to stand between each one. The dancer performs a battement devant, then steps in front of the card and performs an arabesque over the card. They repeat with their opposite leg performing the battement devant. Once the dancers have mastered the step over leap, remove several cards so the distance between the cards is greater, allowing the dancers to perform a running leap (also called a Flamingo Leap)! The dancers start further back and run and leap over each of the cards. Remind them to switch legs each time!
15) Chassé Polka
Another fun move to teach while using the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards, is a chassé polka! This is like a forwards chassé or gallop that switches feet half way through. Lay some Florrie Flamingo Flash cards face down in a circle. Have the Dancers gallop or Cassé to the next card. Then have them stop when they reach the next card and switch their feet. Then they gallop with that foot front until stopping at the next card to switch again! You can use the Florrie Flamingo Flash Cards as a marker to teach any movement that may require a switching of feet!