Dancing Through the Animal Kingdom to Skill Development!

At Flame Dance Studios, our Hwyl a Sbri classes are where imagination, movement, and storytelling come together in a whirlwind of fun. Every week, our dancers dive into an imaginative world where movement, music, and storytelling come together—helping children build confidence, develop coordination, and discover just how fun learning through dance can be!

Last term, we explored the animal kingdom through movement. From tiptoeing past sleeping tigers to galloping like horses or hopping with happy bunnies, each class was full of adventure in a playful, engaging setting. And with a bilingual Welsh and English approach, children don’t just learn to dance - they absorb new language skills naturally through movement.

How We Use Music, Storytelling & Movement to Engage Young Dancers

Each term, our classes follow an exciting themed adventure, and last term’s journey was all about animals! Our dancers embarked on thrilling missions where they discovered secret dance moves hidden across jungles, farms, oceans, and even prehistoric lands full of dinosaurs!

Every session has a clear structure, with a mix of warm-ups, technique exercises, creative movement, and dance routines, all tied together through playful storytelling and engaging music.

Here’s how we brought our animal adventures to life across our different classes:

Developing Jumping & Spring Power

Jumping was a huge focus for us this term, and it’s been amazing to see just how much progress our dancers have made. Across all styles, from lily pad leaps in Modern and Ballet to bunny criss-cross jumps in Commercial and stepping or jumping from height in Ti a Fi, children explored a wide range of jumping actions designed to develop:

• Leg strength – strengthening the muscles needed for safe, powerful movement

• Take-off and landing control – learning how to jump and land with balance and precision

• Confidence with height and explosive movement – helping children feel bold and brave in their bodies

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Jumping activities also build rhythm, coordination, and spatial awareness—and this term’s animal theme gave us a playful, imaginative way to practise them all.

Example: 

In Commercial Hwyl a Sbri, the Bunny Hip Hop section brought energy and structure together, with criss-cross drills that progressed from slow to fast. These fast-paced sequences helped dancers work on quick reactions and jump stamina—all while helping a cheeky bunny escape a dancing dinosaur!

Each style brought something slightly different to the table, but the goal remained the same: helping our dancers grow strong, capable, and confident in the air and on their feet.

Enhancing Coordination Through Travelled Steps

Last term, we placed a strong focus on movement that travels, helping children learn how to move through space with confidence, coordination, and control. Whether galloping like horses, stomping like dinosaurs, or marching proudly with puppies, these exercises gave our dancers the opportunity to practise:

• Coordinating arms and legs together – learning how to move as one whole body

• Changing direction safely – navigating the space while staying in control

• Moving in time with a group – developing awareness of others and working as a team.

  
  

These skills are not only essential for dance but support overall physical development, balance, and spatial awareness.

Example: In Commercial Hwyl a Sbri, the children galloped up and down the room like horses, galloping sideways and forwards. We also added partner gallops, where dancers worked in pairs to mirror and match each other's pace, giving a lovely introduction to working in unison.

In Mini Me, we introduced one of the most challenging travelling steps for our youngest independent dancers - skipping. Every lesson, children practised skipping “to the farm,” starting by working as a group, then taking turns to have one-on-one support from their teacher. Skipping requires a complex combination of rhythm, balance, coordination, and confidence, and being able to do it at just three years old is a huge achievement. We were so proud to see many of our dancers mastering this tricky skill by the end of the term!

Building Musical Awareness & Rhythm Response

Each lesson last term was filled with opportunities to listen, respond, and move in time to music, building the foundations of musicality in ways that felt joyful and playful. Through clapping games, call-and-response songs, and rhythm-based movement, children learned to recognise the beat, match their steps to the music, and begin to understand tempo, phrasing, and flow.

Example: In Modern & Tap, we explored copying simple tap rhythms and sounds, with one child demonstrating a rhythm with improvised taps and their friends responding with the same rhythm. These games not only built rhythmic understanding but also helped children anticipate and react with quick thinking.

Across all classes, our original tracks became fast favourites. Songs like Mae’r Teigrod yn Cysgu encouraged dancers to freeze and tiptoe on cue, while Sawl Anifail ar y Fferm? had our youngest dancers learning to count and clap on beat.

By the end of term, we saw dancers become more consistent with their timing, more confident in moving to music, and more engaged in listening closely to what came next - key musicality skills that set the stage for their continued growth in dance.

Storytelling Through Movement

One of the most magical elements of this term has been the way our lessons have come to life through storytelling. Every class followed a consistent adventure-style narrative. This structure gave children a sense of familiarity, while keeping their imaginations sparked and their curiosity high.

Whether they were unlocking the Golden Groove in Commercial, discovering the Golden Feather of Grace in Ballet, or going on a Gruffalo hunt in Ti a Fi, each storyline offered a playful framework to anchor physical learning.

Example: 

In Ti a Fi, the story changed weekly to keep things fresh and exciting. One week, we were searching for a colourful butterfly who had lost her colours. Another week, children climbed and jumped from volcanoes to rescue dinosaur eggs before they hatched. In another we helped Farmer Molly get the animals ready for the big farm festival with haystack jumps and partner gallops. Every activity served a developmental purpose - but to the children, they were just helping their animal friends and solving exciting problems!

These storylines didn’t just make the classes more fun, they gave children a reason to move, copy, and try again. They weren’t just doing a balance - they were helping a flamingo show off its wings. They weren’t just jumping - they were escaping a volcano or leaping over crocodiles. That sense of purpose made the learning stick.

Supporting Balance & Body Awareness

This term, our animal adventures gave us the perfect opportunity to explore balance, stillness, and body control. Core skills that support all styles of dance. By mimicking animal movements and navigating tricky terrains, children developed greater awareness of their bodies in space, refined their control, and learned to shift confidently between quiet focus and energetic action.

From standing like flamingos to sneaking across rivers on tiptoes, these moments weren’t just fun, they were laying the groundwork for strong, stable dancers.

Throughout the term, activities that focused on standing on one leg, moving with quiet precision, or navigating across imaginary terrain helped children:

• Practise full-body control

• Build spatial awareness

• Explore the contrast between stillness and motion

  
  

These might seem like small things, but they’re big wins in early dance development. Balance builds focus, improves technique, and creates the foundation for more advanced movement later on. And when children can stand tall and still in their bodies, it makes such a difference in their style and line.

Example: In Ballet Hwyl a Sbri, one of our most magical moments came during our visit to Flamingo Lake. Dancers stood tall, lifted one leg into balance, and stretched their arms wide like elegant flamingo wings. We held hands in a circle to support each other at first, then let go and tried it solo, cheered on by proud friends and teachers.

What's Next?

We absolutely loved exploring the animal kingdom through dance last term and are so proud of the progress our young movers have made, physically, creatively, and socially.

This term, we’ve headed into our Toys and Teddies adventure - a term full of soft toy stories, imaginative games, and brand-new ways to explore movement.