Team Kenya Vs Team Uganda On THE TREND (NTV) WITH LARRY MADOWO Through Pictures!!!

Benefits Of Dance For Kids.

	The Benefits of Dance Dance is a powerful ally for developing many of the attributes of a growing child. Dance helps children mature physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. The physical benefits of dance are widely accepted, but the emotional, social and cognitive attributes have only recently begun to be appreciated.            Physical Development: Dance involves a greater range of motion, coordination, strength and endurance than most other physical activities. This is accomplished through movement patterns that teach coordination and kinesthetic memory. Dancing utilizes the entire body and is an excellent form of exercise for total body fitness. Young children are naturally active, but dance offers an avenue to expand movement possibilities and skills.            Emotional Maturity: Dance promotes psychological health and maturity. Children enjoy the opportunity to express their emotions and become aware of themselves and others through creative movement. A pre-school child enters a dance class or classroom with a history of emotional experiences. Movement within a class offers a structured outlet for physical release while gaining awareness and appreciation of oneself and others.         Social Awareness: Dance fosters social encounter, interaction, and cooperation.         Children learn to communicate ideas to others through the real and immediate mode of body movement. Children quickly learn to work within a group dynamic.         As the ongoing and sometimes challenging process of cooperation evolves, children learn to understand themselves in relation to others.            Cognitive Development: Young children will create movement spontaneously when presented with movement ideas or problems that can be solved with a movement response.               Movement provides the cognitive loop between the idea, problem, or intent and the outcome or solution.            This teaches an infant, child and, ultimately, adult to function in and understand the world. The relationship of movement to intellectual development and education is an embryonic field of study that has only recently begun to be explored. Educational Philosophy. Dance is basic to learning. Children learn most readily from experience. John Dewey understood this when he asserted, “Action is the test of comprehension” (Dewey, 1915). To learn by “doing” and to act on knowledge is the basis of kinesthetic learning. Kinesthetic learning is becoming more widely understood through the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980), Howard Gardner (1944- ), and other cognitive theorists.    Dance, in particular, integrates kinesthetic learning with understanding. Preschool children do not conceptualize abstract processes (Piaget). They primarily learn through physical and sensory experiences. When children are provided with creative movement problems that involve the selection of movement choices, they learn to think in the concrete reality of movement. Thus, learning the art of dance helps young children develop knowledge, skill, and understanding about the world.    Dance helps children develop literacy. To the young child, verbal language and movement are entwined. Preverbal movement expression does not cease when a child develops language. The road to literacy involves the translation of movement expression and communication into words. Learning language and learning dance are not separate threads, but are woven together and incorporated into a fabric of communication and understanding.    Dance provides young children multiple perspectives. It is “a foundation of experience necessary for the future development of more advanced skills and a way to affirm an inner life and alternate realities” (Stinson, 1990). Through dance, children develop enhanced sensory awareness, cognition, and consciousness. It is this heightened state that creates the magic of movement that is dance. B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Macjo Arcade, Ongata Rongai. Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.

THE SUNDAY TALENT CIPHER SESSION IS BACK!!!!

                                              WE ARE BACK……. It’s another instalment of WAKILISHA STREET CIPHER…
Emcees,Dance/Music & Spoken Word Artists come out and participate in the hottest FREESTYLE SESSION in the city. Make sure you bring your skills, or meet BARZ, our resident chicken…….. 



This event is for all ages and has unlimited spaces at The Uchumi Maasai Mall Ongata Rongai your entry to Rongai and your way to Kiserian its one of the Major Land Marks in Kajiado County.

Gentle Ladies & Men,
I officially welcome ya'll to ‪#‎WAKILISHA‬ "Street Cipher"
This coming 12th October frm 3pm
@The Uchumi Maasai Mall Ongata Rongai.
Celebrating Talent/Fashion & SME's in our County. Great Showcases/Free Wi-Fi and Many More Fresh Vibes
Poster Design Courtesy of: Alfred Awiwi. (BboyAce)

 Please contact us for information on (+254) 700 472 451.

B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Nella Fitness Centre, Ongata Rongai.

Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.

It's Easy as ABC!!!!

  What most people don't know about dancing is that you have to enjoy the music when you're dancing to make it more extravagant. Dancing involves feeling the beat, feeling the music. LIVE IT, LOVE IT, LEARN IT. You never just get up on stage and start to move feel the rhythm love the rhythm and enjoy it.
       So when you go out, remember you are there to have fun and so is everyone else. No one is judging you on how you dance, but if they are then they probably aren't the sort of people worth worrying about. If your self esteem is low, your body language will reflect this, so go out there and have fun.

Hate being the one in the corner of the room while everyone else is enjoying themselves on the dance floor? Have an event coming up that will require you to step out to the beat? If a little crisis of confidence or some uncertainty about how to move is keeping you from joining the fun, look no further than this article for what you need to know to spin, step and strut the night away in style!

 

 

1. Bob your head. Start by understanding the beat in your head to get how themusic is. If it helps, count 1, 2, 3, 4 in your head. 

 

2. Shift your weight. Shift all of your weight to one foot. You can lift the other foot slightly off the ground to make sure all your weight is off of it.

• At every other count (preferably 1 to 3) shift your weight completely to the other foot. You can also shift your weight at every single count, but starting out slowly will help you get comfortable before you begin dancing fast.

• Keep your legs loose and bend your knees slightly; there should be just a little bit of "bounce" to your weight shifts, and a subtle bounce (in place) on the counts when you aren't shifting your weight as well. 

3. Move your feet. Once you're shifting your weight to the rhythm, begin moving your feet. Right before you shift your weight to a foot, move it slightly, even just an inch or two from where it was before. When you move your foot, keep it fairly close to the ground.

• If you're dancing with someone else, be sure to move around in a way that accommodates your partner without stepping on him or her.

  
4. Add some hip action. When you put your weight on a foot, move your hips (and your body) slightly in the direction of that foot. If you shift your weight onto your right foot, for example, move your hips to the right. You can twist your body slightly to add a little more movement. For example, when you move to the right, put your right shoulder forward a little and left shoulder back vice versa for when you move to the left. 

 5. Move your arms. If you're uncomfortable, the tendency is to keep your arms close or to let them hang limp. Instead, move your arms around. Keep your hands open or in very loose fists. You can put your arms in the air or at 90 degree angles at your sides (like when you're running)or try one of the arm moves listed below. Whatever you do, don't get stuck on just one move; keep switching it up.

• Roll the dice. Make a loose fist and shake your arm and hand as though you are shaking a pair of dice for a roll. After a few shakes, "roll" the dice. Don't overuse this move to the point that it becomes comical. (More commonly used by men).
• Mow the lawn. Bend forward and with one hand grasp the starter of an imaginary lawn mower. Pull your hand back as though you're pulling on the string to start the mower. Once you get it going, you can take a few steps while you mow the lawn. This move requires a certain amount of confidence to pull off, but it's a lot of fun and can bring a smile or a laugh to those dancing around you. (More commonly used by men).
• Swing an air lasso. Grab an imaginary lasso and swing it above your head as though you're about to rope a cow. Shift your weight to the foot opposite your "lasso hand" and thrust your hips in that direction. (More commonly used by women).
• Pump your fist. Make a fist and then make a pumping motion overhead in a celebratory fashion. (Best used when attending a concert). 
• Watch other dancers. If you’re not sure how to dance to a song, take your cues from other dancers. You don’t want to copy them exactly (unless it’s a standardized dance), but you can get some ideas.
• Get a dancer friend to help you learn a dance move. For most people, watching others do the same is the key. Just get someone who knows what they are doing to show you, then if you just follow in their lead, you can surely get it in the end of the day with a little bit of practice every night!
• Bring a friend who is a terrible dancer but just doesn't care. You'll feel less self-conscious that way, and their confidence might rub off on you!
• Remember to keep your dancing speed with the tempo of the song you are dancing to.
• Don't worry about what other people say when you are dancing have fun.
• Smile and look like you're having fun. Not showing any emotions shows that you don't know what you're doing and you're not very comfortable with it.
• Invite a friend over and make your own dance to a song. It will make you more confident when you are in a position where you have to dance.

Well that's all for now, until next time do have a Good Luck :-)

B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Nella Fitness Centre, Ongata Rongai.

Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.

Start Doing It For Yourself.

 

Remember today, for it is the beginning.
Today marks the start of a brave new future.

For a few weeks been asking my pals about the weaknesses and strengths they see in me, so as to see if i gain some sense of approval or importance and a from couple of research i have done and collected days later i finalized a new list of 15 things; which ended up being, I think, a perfect complement to this article about Things to Start Doing for Yourself.
Here it is, a positive ‘to-do’ list for the upcoming months and years – 15 things to start doing for yourself:

 1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.

 2. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.  Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch.  These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.

 3. Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed.  Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become.  Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.  Because you are the one person you can forever count on.  Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.  Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there.

 4. Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter.  If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself.  Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you.  And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most. 

5. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.  Be yourself.  Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else.  Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms.  Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it. 

6. Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle.  Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  Right now is life.  So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.  Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.

 7. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress.  If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning.  Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again.  Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving.  Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures.  One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet. 

8. Start being more polite to yourself. – If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?  The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.  You must love who you are or no one else will. 

9. Start enjoying the things you already have. – The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc.  Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind.  You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now.  So take a quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and what you already have. 

10. Start creating your own happiness. – If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out.  Smile because you can.  Choose happiness.  Be the change you want to see in the world.  Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.  Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it.  If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it.  But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too. 

 11. Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance. – In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win. 

12. Start believing that you’re ready for the next step. – You are ready!  Think about it.  You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward.  So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow. 

13. Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. – Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be.  Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment.  And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them. 

14. Start giving new people you meet a chance. – It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made.  People and priorities change.  As some relationships fade others will grow.  Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work.  Trust your judgement.  Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory.  Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.

 15. Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time.  You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself.  You are competing to be the best you can be.  Aim to break your own personal records.

B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Nella Fitness Centre, Ongata Rongai.

Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.

10 Dance Career Tips From Professional Dancers.

Dance careers especially in my Country can be difficult to jump-start, so i tried to list down some advice from professional dancers in and around the globe? 

 This weekend, I had some additions to our usual group of friends, professional dancers. After I got over my initial sense of awe, we began to talk about their dance careers. I've always been fascinated with how people rise to the top of their profession. Professional athletes, movie stars and bands, they all have a unique story but there are usually some core similarities. This article outlines the basic things you should do to start your career in dance to become a professional dancer. Now, you'll need a little bit of luck, good timing and connections as well, but you could get all of that while getting a Big Mac at your local McDonalds. Natural talent is a good base, but it won't take you to the top. You need to nurture that talent, develop it and present it to the right people. This article shows you the basics. Some are more obvious than others. Most of you just need some reassurance that you're taking the right steps to reach your goal, while others have no idea where to start. I believe that not all people in the know have the level of talent they need, and not all people with talent are in the know. I want to change that, so let's start! 


 1. People do not become professionals in anything by reading a few articles or practicing a few hours a week. They become students of their profession. Students go to school. This goes for professional dancers as well. Now, there are a select few that push themselves on their own and have developed a wonderful ability, but that is still not enough. Their talent is rough and unrefined. Regardless of how many years you've practised in your basement, everyone needs some formal training. Nothing can replace a veteran dancer showing you right from wrong, critiquing you and encouraging you. Start by going to a dance studio. Obviously, the sooner you do this the better. You,ll rack up experience and the younger you are the more receptive you are to learning. A good rule of thumb is the bigger the dance studio the better the dance professionals. However, a good teacher has experience, but also a connection with their pupil. This relationship can be forged at smaller, local dance studios as well. Remember, this is just the beginning. There are many professionals that reminisce about a grade school teacher that influenced them the most. Of course, it was probably some Julliard professor that trained them the most, but the person who taught them passion and desire is usually someone they met earlier in their dance career.


2. Dance camps and other supplemental dance institutions are a great way to increase your exposure to various aspects of the dance industry. You will network, learn techniques and be exposed to different teachers and performances. Going outside your comfort zone is a great way to build independence, character and a sense of responsibility as a dancer. 

3. When you graduate high school, you'll be looking to go on to college. This decision should be well thought out. You're going to trust them with your education that will play a significant role in life after college. As an aspiring, professional dancer, you will want to attend the most prestigious dance school you can find. Try to find an accredited dance school, but at the very least any dance school is better than none. Make sure you start planning before it's time to apply, like well before. You should begin your research about dance schools while you're still in high school. Find out what requirements they are looking for in a dancer. Do whatever you can to better your chances at being accepted. By the end of your formal training, you should, if you haven't already, be narrowing down your dance techniques to a few select, specialized styles. You need to seek out the best dance teacher(s) you can find in those styles and train! train! train. Like any profession, it's all about education, and for a professional dancer, you never stop learning and practising. Once again, if you are serious and want to advance in your dance career, at this point you need an expert, a real professional dance teacher. 

 4. The next tip is something that I've written about before as my facebook post. You need good head and body shots, and for that you need a good photographer. I’ll Refer to my next article, 4 Tips for Great Actor Head-shots, on Talent Trove for more information about what you need for a good portfolio. Yes, it's about actor heads-shots, but there are some valid and transferable tips for dancers as well. The important thing to remember for your body shots as a dancer is that you should take pictures of yourself in various dance-wears. Don't wear flashy jewelry, use lighting or shadows to create illusions, or distract the observer with a complex or interesting background. You should be the focus and the subject of interest, nothing else. Good photographs can really help you further you dance career by grabbing the attention of those who should be watching you.



5. At this point, you should already have been to minor dance auditions and castings, just to get your feet wet and some sort of experience, however, now you are ready for some serious work and it is work. Don't ever forget that this is your job, your profession. This new level of dance might come as a shock or seem like foreign territory, but you must believe that you are good enough to be here. You are good enough to be here. This is a higher standard. It will be different. It will be difficult, but that is what makes it so much greater when you succeed. You've come this far. This is what you've been training for, and others have found potential in you, enough to accept and train you. You belong here. The more of these auditions and casting calls you attend, the more comfortable you will become. 


 6. Those networking and people skills you picked up during your days at dance camp and college will now come into play. You're in the deep end of the pool now, playing with the big kids. Time to mingle and make new friends. You have to start talking to those professional dancers you see walking the studio halls during your dance auditions. Talk to other dancers who are auditioning. Talk to the judges, casting directors, agents, anyone that will talk to you. Ask them questions, pick their brain, and learn from their stories. Even if they don't answer your questions, their behaviour, demeanour, and way of conversing with you will teach you something. The best thing you can do is become friends with someone successful.

7. You should be fairly comfortable with auditioning by now, and ready to start searching for a dance agent or a dance agency. You will most likely have to perform a dance routine for them in order to be accepted, however, once you're in you will be given opportunities that you otherwise wouldn't know existed. These dance agents and dance agencies get the scoop on dance auditions and casting calls so try your best to get represented by one. Once you are in, your dance career will be given wings. However, this is no time to take it easy and coast on through. Now is the time to step it up.

8. Back to what I mentioned before, you never stop learning and practising.Well, it's time to train! train! train. Practice makes perfect, I know you've heard that before. This intense training period isn't about learning new styles as it might have been about before. This dance training will focus on honing your existing skills and techniques down to a sharp, crisp point. You need to be awesome in what you do, not mediocre in a broad range of areas. A professional dancer needs to be at the top of their specific field, not hovering in the middle across the board. You'll have plenty of time later to expand your horizons, but for now you need a job so you can gain valuable experience and money. Also, stop and take a breath. Look around, you're becoming a dancer, and your dance career is beginning to take shape. Enjoy it!

9. When you think you're ready, and don't wait to long at this point, start researching some choreographers you would like to work with or train with as a pupil. Most dance choreographers will offer dance classes at their own dance studios. You have to wait this long before you attempt to train with a professional dance choreographer, because they are just that, professionals. Dance choreographers will only work with the best dancers so you have to be at a certain point of your dance career for them to take interest in you. There are many benefits to working with a dance choreographer. You become familiar with the way this aspect of the dance industry works. They will begin to recognize you and perhaps throw some work your way. You will also be updated and trained in the most current dance techniques and trends. The fewer things that surprise you during a dance audition the better.

10. At the end of all this there is one important thing to remember, that usually separates those that make it and those that do not. If this is truly what you want, and you've dreamt about it all your life, never give up trying. Every successful person in the world has one thing in common. They were relentless in their pursuit of happiness. If you want to make the most out of your dance career, it will take a lot of hard work so don't get discouraged. You'll get rejected. Everyone does. Being a dancer is not easy for anyone, but people do it. Why not you?

These tips are not set in stone or by any means in exact order. Everyone is different and some people might jump ahead or start one step later in their career. The important thing is that you have a clear plan with goals, and you work hard to achieve them. 
Never loose hope :-)

B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Nella Fitness Centre, Ongata Rongai.

Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.

 

Hip Hop Dance Expo Part 1.

Hip Hop Dance is great fun but very hard work if you want to dance well. So here is a flavour of what it's like to learn and lots of insider tips. And, most importantly, here is your chance to try out a full length dance class right now, in your own home, absolutely FREE!
Our very own instructional Hip Hop dance class is available for you to dance along with at home.
Just read through these pages, follow the information.....
They build to a full dance routine for beginners that features one of the most popular Street dance teachers ever.

So right here is everything you need to know to get dancing Hip Hop online.

Hip Hop Dance History

Hip Hop dance classes come under a variety of names. As Hip Hop is a cover-all term for modern Street dance, a lesson can draw its inspiration from many Street dancing styles, old and new. 
Look out for these classes...

• Funk
• Street Style
• Street Dance
• Zoo
• Hip Pop
• Fusion
• R n B Moves
• Locking and Popping
• Street Locking
• Old School AKA Old Skool
• New Wave
• Free Style
• Urban Groove
• Urban Dance
• Electric Boogaloo

And that's just a few!
The style of movement started back in the 1970's when disco and funk dancing became popular. So the roots of the dance you will do in a Hip Hop dance class can be directly traced back over 40 years.
In that time, many different types of moves and steps have been created. So you'll find there are very few set boundaries where one dance ends and another begins. You will dance a blend of styles in your Street dance class.

Therefore, you could find that after just a few lessons, you've experienced many of the classic Hip Hop dance techniques.
That way, perhaps you will feel a preference for one over the other, and as your dancing progresses you can go to a more specialist class.

So beginners classes are a fantastic way to learn a lot about most types of Street dancing in a fairly short time.
Ready to get dancing? 
Clear a bit of space.  And make sure you're wearing something comfortable - you're going to be warming up and cooling down like a pro dancer, so workout wear is best for this.
"I learnt your Hip Hop routine,
did it at my school talent show, and WON!"
Comment from one of my Students. :-) 

 

What to Wear to Hip Hop Class

Hip Hop clothes can be more or less anything, but we've still got a few valuable tips for you.

While baggy street clothes are obviously popular, bear in mind that Hip Hop is incredibly hard work and it is sensible to wear something that is going to keep you as cool as possible.
 
Then you can put some street clothes on top for when you leave the lesson, and you won't cramp up as much.
This is particularly important if the class doesn't have a cool down period - but we've taken care of that and you can learn ours. Just follow the online class all the way through!

It is a good idea for beginners to tie their hair back for these classes. You do so much head, neck and shoulder movement that it'll just get in your way and you'll end up having to fish it out of your eyes, nose, mouth and your fellow pupil's face too, when actually you need to be concentrating on what the teacher is doing.
Save tossing your mane about for when you're a little more confident of your moves, OK?

 

 

 Hip Hop Shoes

When you go to a Hip Hop class you must wear footwear the gives you really good arch and ankle support.
You are going to be doing a lot of hopping, stomping and stamps in a Hip Hop lesson.  So to prevent injury, you must have a good pair of dance sneakers on.
You absolutely should not try a Hip Hop lesson in ballet shoes, socks or bare feet – you must have support.
(However, as Lil' J once said, if you are dancing on nice thick carpet at home, arch support isn't so important - but it really is if you are dancing on a hard floor.)
If you dance Hip Hop on a hard floor without arch and ankle support you'll jar your ligaments and lower back, and put enormous strain on your joints, which as every dancer knows, is something to be avoided at all costs.

So if you are going to take your dancing seriously, get yourself a seriously good pair of sneakers.

OK, that's the end of Part 1. We're just getting started!

B-boy Harry Foundation, Compass Nella Fitness Centre, Ongata Rongai.

Email: bboyharry@live.com - Phone: +254 700 472 451.