Browse published articles attributed to Dzagbe Cudjoe, with full-archive search.
The bodies of young children are growing and changing fast. So it is very important not to demand more physically, and intellectually than they can safely manage. The pre-school years are a time to encourage motor skills through a wide range of activities taking place in a variety of settings. ...
All the world's a stage And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms, Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel And shining ...
Yes, you can teach yourself to play an instrument. There are, though, a number of points to be considered. If you lack self-discipline, and need a mommy-like figure to be telling you to practice, then this method is not for you. Figuring out what, how, and when to learn certain things is not ...
Wheelchair dancing or adaptive dancing as it is also called is growing rapidly in popularity and has been in existence for more than twenty years. There are many different forms. Sometimes it's a matter of two people doing their own spontaneous "thing". If the man is a wheelchair user his ...
The sardana (plural sardanas) is a circle dance associated with the Catalan region of Spain. The people of Catalonia occupy the northeaste corner of Spain spilling over the Pyrenees into French Roussillon. There are two main versions of this dance. The original version was the sardana curta ...
Medical attitudes to exercise, dance and pregnancy have altered radically in the past twenty years. Before then doctors were likely todvise the mother-to-be to avoid strenuous activity and just take gentle walks. Today the considerable benefits of aerobic exercise are generally understood and ...
Dance sport is set to become an Olympic event. Personally I am not in favor of this. Not for a moment would I dispute the fact that dancers have considerable athletic prowess. Nonetheless, I feel that all Olympic events should be decided on technical and verifiable rules and regulations. In my ...
Visually impaired children may not have much experience of what their bodies can do. There can be delays in their physical development in the critical early years of childhood. They also often have deficits in physical and motor fitness. This can in turn lead to problems with balance and ...
Deaf blind children can be taught to enjoy dance and movement. They do, however, require long and careful preparation to reach this point.We should not underestimate the enormous challenges facing a person with a dual sensory impairment and those supporting them. The impairment can have a ...
In our increasingly complex and disturbed world it is clear that new methods are called for if we are to produce educated, well balanced young people who can take their rightful place as adults in society. Dance and education is a partnership which is finding a growing number of advocates. An ...
Is this really ballet? I asked myself after watching video clips of the Cuban dance company Danza Voluminosa (Voluminous Dance) most of whose dancers range in age from 23 to 41and all of them weigh more than 200 pounds. This group was formed in 1996 by Juan Miguel Mas, now its' director and ...
Even if you use a wheelchair exercise is vital to health. Making time amongst the continual stuggle of balancing ones life may be difficult but it is not impossible. Working out and balanced nutrition go hand in hand. Many people are simply not naturally attracted towards physical exercise. For ...
Recently it came to my notice that Physical Therapist Dr Glenn Dorman has celebrated his nintieth birthday. His book, "How to Teach Your Baby to Read," co-athored with Janet Dorman over forty years ago, started a whole new approach to teaching reading to the very young. It all began while Glenn Dorman was teaching brain damaged preschool children to read at Philadelphia's Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential. Dolman claims that a baby will learn the written word as easily as spoken language and can even learn to read before he or she learns to speak.
A suggestion for adding to the interest and ambience of a Dance and Movement Therapy session is to introduce colour. We are all aware, unless we are colour blind, of its presence in Nature and the Man Made World. There are associations with Gods, priestly vestments, people's characters and ...
Children are experiencing rhythm from the first moment of their conception. They become familiar with their mother's heart beat of of her other internal organs. Scientific research reveals that babies can hear in the womb. Parents who understand the power of rhythm and work to help their ...
Modern popular dance the world over now centers solidly on sexual attraction. Even the slow numbers which thirty years ago were used to try and induce an element of romance are gone. Everything about popular dance is earthier and more direct. This, however, is only one aspect of dance and ...
Choosing toys for children can be very difficult as we all know. We long for the gift to be a source of pleasure but realize how easy it is to miss the mark. The recipients level of maturity both physically and intellectually, interests and safety have always to be borne in mind, even more so ...
Inspirational dance may become trance dance but trance dance is always inspirational but not necessarily improvisational. However, improvisational dance can lead on to inspirational dance. Inspirational dance only happens when Mind, Body and Spirit are in perfect harmony. This harmony is a ...
FitFive Healthy Kids Program gets children off to a good start in life.For children to be fit and healthy they require a balanced diet and sufficient exercise from their earliest years. This should be self-evident to all. Habits established in childhood last a lifetime - both the good and bad ...
A Collection of Four Stories About the Ghanaian People and their Culture Author Dzagbe Cudjoe writes a series of authentic tales filled with African myth and legend in Tales my Ghanaian Grandmother Told Me. Centered on the Ghanaian people, their cultures and beliefs, these tales are ...
The ability to focus spiritual energy for a clearly defined purpose is something that the peoples of the Asian and African continents understand well. I was not surprised to learn that the dates of the opening of the Olympic games had been decided on astrological principles. It would seem that ...
Childhood obesity is already a very serious and disturbing problem in the United States of America and many parts of Europe where obesity in general is increasing.The problem looks set to spread to other parts of the world as their standard of living improves.A diet with a high fat, sugar and ...
Dances of Universal Peace uses dance as a means of reconciliation and fostering peace. Dance can express all human emotions and lead to transcendental states. The Dances of Universal Peace are Sacred Dances which do not require any musical or dance experience. The sessions are about taking part ...
Puppets really engage and delight children. Watching them is in itself a form of art therapy for the audience. In some parts of the world performances contain a moral message and are watched with deep reverence. A wonderful illustration of this is Indonesia.There puppets continue to be used to ...
Teaching children dance meditation is one of the latest therapies to come to prominence in the search for ways to help children cope in our evermore stressful world. Certain individuals in the Western World - usually in Holy Orders - have practised meditation for hundreds of years. However, it ...
The eyes gazing into mine are young, full of sympathy and deep hurt. Those eyes will never acquire a hard, cynical expression. How long will this young man remain in a job suffused with such profound pain and distress I think to myself? Slowly I turn my head to stare fearfully at a small table ...
If someone gave your child a drum for Christmas would you be pleased? I suspect not but the giver may know a thing or two that you don't. Drumming with your offspring can bring about new levels of communication between you and take you both on an exciting jou ey of exploration and discovery. ...
Modern popular dance the world over now centers solidly on sexual attraction. Even the slow numbers which thirty years ago were used to try and induce an element of romance are gone. Everything about popular dance is earthier and more direct. This, however, is only one aspect of dance and ...
"Oh, I can't exercise. I've got a bad knee. I can't lift my arms above shoulder height." How often we hear such statements. They may well be true but most problems need not stop a person from taking part in some form of keep fit activity. The difficulty for most people lies in discovering an ...