Shrade and I recently got to review this very innovative DVD series. I have never seen such a production that is very appealing for both kids and adults. Nursery Tap Hip to Toe was created by Juleen Murray Shaw. After she became a mom she fell in love with nursery rhymes and how versatile they were. A lightbulb went on and she began to create what is now known as Nursery Tap Hip to Toe with DVD's and CD's. There are two volumes that feature nursery rhymes, ballet (toe-prancing), hip hop and tap dancing. Many awards have been given to both volumes in the collection. Another great feature is that each DVD case also has a CD of the exact soundtrack to the DVD. That way, you can listen to the nursery rhymes on the go! These DVD's are made for children ages 2-7. They are about 30 minutes long and feature almost 60 different nursery rhymes.
The performances themselves are outstanding! I fell in love with the costumes, scenery and the imagination of the director to only show the dancers from the waist down. Juleen combined the simple (nursery rhymes) with creativity (she put her own spin on many of them), the familiar (again, nursery rhymes) with uniqueness (each performance had it's own individual style), and it was entertaining yet educational! There were also several new rhymes that I had never heard. My son was hopping and singing by the end of each DVD. These could provide hours of fun for every member of the family. Along with learning the nursery rhymes, kids can also learn fun dance steps and burn off some of that energy.
Be sure to check out Juleen's
website. All of her products are listed and there is short demo for you to see what I love about this series! Each DVD set is $19.95 or if you order both volumes you pay $34.95.
Juleen also has a
blog where she writes about nursery rhymes, phonemic awareness, music, children's lit and the importance of the arts in education.
You can also follow Juleen on
Twitter.
