Glitter & Razz Blog

Self-Portrait Collages that the Kids Made with teaching artist, Audette Sophia. They simply used ripped construction paper, glue sticks, and a lot of imagination. This is the epitome of the open-ended, creativity-based art activities we value here at Glitter & Razz. And the kids LOVED IT!

Superheroes and Shining Stars are back!  It’s August at Glitter & Razz and that means Itty Bitties – our week-long arts camps for 4-6 year olds.

Our Superstar team of teaching artists – Cinda, Cassie, Sophia, and Kiona – plus 2 youth interns, Nora and Talia, are leading the kids on an adventure of creating their very own play that accesses their own power to help save the world.  Today in Drama Class with Cassie, we talked about what makes a superhero? We went to the “superhero grocery store” and collected all the things superheroes do (because, as we teach, acting is doing).  We decided that superheroes help people, wear special costumes, have magical powers.  Of course, there are even super hero princesses.  After collecting all the things super heroes do, we created characters. This the first step in our play creation process and is exciting as the kids get to come up with their very own super hero. We practiced using our voices onstage and learned that we have to use a strong and loud voice to be heard. The kids are already experts at our super hero warm up!

In Move & Groove, our creative movement class with Sophia,  we played with generating movement and copying each others moves.  This copying was a great way to encourage shyer kids who couldn’t think of/share their own moves right away. There was a lot of shyness in Move & Groove in the beginning, but by the end of the day everyone had warmed up.  By the time we played some freeze dance with scarfs, you would have thought we knew each other all our lives!

From Allison:

These past 2 days at camp have been full of excitement, joy and generosity that doesn’t quit!  We had the absolute pleasure of hosting Vicki Dello Joio as a guest artist to work with the girls yesterday.  Vicki is a personal friend of mine and one of the women I admire most.  She is Chi Kung Master who after 30 years of teaching, recently documented her “Way of Joy” Practice in a book that was literally life changing for me to read.  Lynn and I take her classes any chance we get and knew that her playful style, humor and beautiful spirit would be a perfect fit for the girls.  We were right!  They loved “shaking awake” with Vicki and sensing the powerful chi energy between their hands after rubbing them together.

In our celebrations ritual, one of the girls thanked Vicki for “teaching me something new that I didn’t know yet in my life.” Another thanked her for giving us our Way of Joy warm up that we do every morning to kick off our day- which we’ll share with you at Saturday’s show.

Since our amazing ensemble of actors is ahead of the game (we’ve NEVER run through the WHOLE show on Wednesday before!) the girls are getting extra practice on projecting their voice. Lynn is reinforcing the idea of a play as a gift for the audience- if the audience can’t hear you, they can’t receive their gift.  It’s like giving a present that’s impossible to unwrap. Sharing your voice is more important than costumes, props, the set or anything else.  Those things are coming along famously as well.  With the show around the corner, it’s naturally time for the girls to begin expressing fears and some performance anxiety.  This morning in expressive arts, we danced our feelingsfrom “Stage Fright” to “Ta-Dah!”

From Stage Fright...

...to Ta Da!

In pairs, girls danced across the floor, showing different ways they can transform feelings of fear into excitement for the play.  Here’s what they came up with:

From Stage Fright to Ta-Dah!

1. Pretend you are performing in your room to your dolls
2. Practice your lines and think positive!
3. “Brush out the bad stuff” using Way of Joy Chi Kung
4. Trust that the audience will like it
5. Look out over their heads at the back wall
6. Drink water.  Have a snack.
7. Take 3 deep breaths- blow away the fear
8. Remember, your friends can help you
9. Imagine the audience is sitting in their undies (make yourself laugh)
10. Look over the script and be confident
11. Stay focused
12. Just follow through- do it cause you said you would
13. Remember the audience will be proud of us
14. Think of how happy you’ll feel after the play
15. HAVE FUN!!!!

I am loving my daily expressive arts hour with the girls.  Basically, I get to bring the best of what I know and am learning about communication, processing feelings and building positive self worth to the girls.  We’ve expressed our anger through ballets that show ripping paper, screaming into pillows and exercising.  We put our feelings on the page in mandala drawings.  We’ve played friendship games, made celebration dances and sung “I feel good about myself.” We collaged journals and wrote poems about being a girl.

Today, though, we practiced a technique that I just started learning myself…boundary setting through the “magic IF/THEN.”  Last Spring, I took a workshop with Sharon Strand Ellison on her theory of Powerful, Non-Defensive Communication.  I found it challenging- almost like learning  a new language.  I also found her ideas  totally revolutionary.  It was amazing to me that as a young woman, I could be so quick to apologize or be accommodating rather than speak my truth.  I needed coaching on how to set clear, powerful AND peaceful boundaries.  I’m still practicing- probably will be for years to come.  But I wanted to share a little bit of what I’m learning with the girls.

Sharon’s CD, “Taking the Power Struggle out of Parenting,” provided the perfect age-appropriate tool for the girls.  ‘The Magic IF/THEN” is a limit setting statement for folks of any age.  It goes like this: When you are in a situation where you want to stand up for yourself if a peaceful and powerful way, you can say “If you_________________, than I___________________” offering scenarios of what YOU will do based on another’s actions.  After all, we only have control over ourselves.  I told the girls a story of a sister who often played catcher so her older brother could practice pitching.  When the brother teased her in the morning before school, she said “If you keep teasing me, than I won’t play catch with you after school.” She said it in a calm voice.  She chose something she would REALLY do (“If you keep teasing me, than I will never talk to you again” doesn’t work- he won’t believe you and it’s not realistic.) I had all our Go Girls draw pictures in their journals of a time when they wanted to stand up for themselves.  Most girls wanted to draw about standing up for a friend instead.  I celebrated their empathy and challenged them to think about themselves.  I reminded them how important it is to stand up for themselves- they are just as important as their friends!  We created partner scenes based on their ideas and practiced magic IF/THEN’S.  It was hard for most of the girls.  But they were intrigued by it, wanting to talk through lots of scenarios and expressing worry about hurting the other person’s feelings.  After our class, one of our oldest girls came up to me and asked “Can there be Go Girls camp for parents?  They really need to learn this stuff.”  Truth is, practically everybody everywhere needs this stuff- practice being loving, clear and powerful with ourselves and others.  Imagine a world where girls and women could do this with ease…may our Go Girls lead the way!

A couple of other highlights from the day:

1. Our beloved Martin, our art teacher, and his wife, Betty, brought their 3 week old son, Santiago, into meet the girls today.  He was very popular:

And, here’s a little taste of our play rehearsal with Lynn:

At the end of last week, Allison, our staff, and me were all beaming by the love and joy that is Go Girls! Camp this summer.  We were all reflecting on the fact that none of us felt impatient or tested or the least bit grumpy all week.  And we gave ourselves a lot of credit for this fact.  This is our 3rd year of Go Girls! Camp so, we believe that, like a fine wine, it has opened up and matured into how it should be in its ideal form.  Allison and I have both had a big year of personal transformation this year and we feel like we have brought the richness of this experience to the space.  Of course.  How could we not?

Last week was pure heaven.

Then, this week started.

Yesterday, I transformed my role from teacher/facilitator to play director.  This play that we have created that takes place in a restaurant in the jungle on the hottest day of the year.  And now I am testing my ability to be patient and cool and present and full of joy as I take on the task of staging and rehearsing our play in one week.

Play rehearsals have begun!

This happens every year.  I have lots of experience with this.  I am actually quite good at this.  The only difference now is that, because of all of the personal transformation work I have done on myself. I notice a whole lot more when I am getting testy and grumpy.  And I am much more conscious of letting this energy seep out onto the other folks I am working with.

And rehearsal is tough for all of us.  It means sitting around, doing nothing, waiting until it’s your turn to do something.  It means doing something again and again and again.  And, although we did a whole big lesson last week on how to give and receive loving and constructive feedback, rehearsal still means hearing about what you still need to improve (over and over and over again).  It’s tough.  But, it’s why we are here.  It’s why we do this.  Rehearsing and performing a play, especially an original one, is one of the toughest things folks can do.  Quite frankly, I feel so grateful everyday that I am in the position to guide girls through this tough experience and share with them the thrill of coming out the other side.

We’ll all keep taking our moments of silence, doing our Qi Gong, and remembering that we are all strong enough to come out the other end of this.

Art helps us relax

Good thing we have the Book Nook for Quiet Times

And back to rehearsal...our 1960's inspired choreography is not easy!

Our incredible staff of interns saves the day!

Let's not forget the importance of play time for relaxation

We are now up to 3 songs for our final Go Girls! show.  We started out with Dancing in the Streets by Martha and the Vandellas.  Today, we learned the choreography created by our incredible youth intern, Alaysia Brooks.

This following song was written by Brendan as a possible Go Girls! theme song.  It, along with Dancing in the Streets, was one of the possible songs that girls could sing as part of their auditions for vocal solos.

I can be more than one way
“Girl” can mean a lot of things.

I can be quiet or bold
I’ll tell you what I think
I am so powerful
I’ve got a song to sing.

Go Go Go Girls!

Go Go Go Girls!

Yes, that’s right.  We did auditions today and had a great talk prior to the auditions about how not every girl will get to have a solo in the show.  They brainstormed all the different types of feelings one might have if they don’t get to have a solo.  It ranged from “sad” and “mad” to “proud of their friends who do make it” and “proud of myself for doing it anyway.”  And I was for sure proud of all the girls who took a risk and auditioned by themselves in front of the whole camp.  I would have been scared when I was a girl.  Heck, I’d be scared now!

Here is the song – the power ballad – that will feature the most solos:

I can be soft and tender
Powerful and Strong
I can be what ever I want to be

Ballet or monkey bars
Active and Calm
The one that I belong to is ME

I am so special
In my own way
So let’s all Celebrate!

I know in my heart that I am so Proud
To be who I am and sing out loud

Oh I love being a girl!

After reading a poem from Eve Ensler’s newest book, the girls wrote in their journals in response to the question, “What do you like about being a girl?”  Here is what they said:

I love being a girl.

We can be whatever we want to be.  We can be soft and tender. Or powerful and strong.

We are special in our own way.

I like having girl friends who care about me.

We have true power. Girl power.

We can be wise and think before we act.

Girls can be creative.

Girls are strong.

Girls can be more creative with their hair.

We can be calm and active.  It’s like we can have it all.

Girls can wear dresses.

We are more colorful.

Girls are better at monkey bars and ballet.

Girls care about others and care about themselves.

They truly love each other and everybody else.

They can be tough and soft and kind.

They surely won’t leave anyone behind.

Girls can be how they want to be.

A princess or anybody.

Girls don’t get in as much trouble as boys.

Girls can play basketball and girls can wear make-up.

Girls can actually stay quiet for 5 minutes.

Girls can meditate.

Girls can be close to their mothers.

Girls are smart.

Girls can play music.

Girls have great friends.

Girls are nice.

Girls are good singers and dancers.

Girls are fun.

We are not forced to do anything.

Girls can be equal to boys.

We can put our hair in styles.

We get to wear jewelry.

We get to wear dresses and pretty clothes.

I can be myself.

I don’t have to do anything that boys do, but I can.

I care for animals.

I can do things for myself.

Girls can do all sports.

Girls can stand up for themselves.

They can choose what they want to be.

We can be cute.

We can be glamorous.

We can be the star of the show.

We can keep secrets.

We can have mother-daughter days.

Girls are soft and tender and tough.

Nobody is a boss over me.

Girls can love and be more peaceful.

I have power over myself, because I am a girl.

CHECK OUT how the girls made these incredible self-portrait prints:

Whew.  30 girls.  Ages 6-10.  7 hours.  And, it’s still going.  The few girls who are left in Aftercare right now are keeping themselves busy by playing Party Quirks.  And, with the help of the teenage youth interns and the popularity of Glee, they are singing songs from my youth at the top of their lungs.  The laughter and energy is totally infectious.

This is how the whole day has been.  Full of laughter and joy.  At the same time, it was the first day of camp so we also did a lot of sitting and talking.  It’s just how the first day is.  We have to set the structure and the tone of the camp.  “Here’s what we do here at Go Girls! Camp and here’s why we do it.”  You know, that kind of thing.

We started the day with our Community Circle and Expressive Arts class led by Allison.  “What does Expressive Arts mean?”  “It means that we can express our feelings.”  Bingo.  And that’s what the girls will do each day to set the tone of the day…express their thoughts and feelings surrounding the strengths and challenges of living as a girl in the world.  It began with our Way of Joy Chi Gung warm up.  Then, they crafted, through the art of collage, the journals that they will use throughout the camp.

Our Drama (taught by me, Lynn) and Art (taught by Martin) classes also introduced the idea that we are all unique individuals contributing our ideas and gifts to the group.  In Drama, we talked about the fact that we are a “collaborative ensemble” and how hard it can be to create one piece of art together.  Through games and some discussion, we practiced sharing one at a time, being noticed, and noticing what others are doing so that we can connect our ideas with theirs.  In Art,  the girls again shared their individuality through name paintings where they drew their names with white crayon and then painted around them with watercolors while they watched their names appear amidst the colors.  Like magic.  On Day One, we must always do activities where we give the girls a chance to show up and say, “This is me.  This is who I am and what I like, ” so that on Day Two, we can really dig into the process of sharing that individuality with the greater community.

The other major highlight of today was our Kidpower Workshop.  Erika Leonard from Kidpower has been so generous to share a mini-Kidpower with us 2 years in a row.  Today, like last year, she packed that hour with tons of useful skills for the girls about using strong and aware body language and words to set boundaries and stand up for themselves.  She taught the girls ways to honor their feelings while also being powerful in their interactions with others.

Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International’s exceptional “People Safety” curriculum in an essential part of our Go Girls! Curriculum and we are very thankful for their permission to incorporate their language into our shows and videos. For over twenty years, Kidpower has been a nonprofit leader in empowering people of all ages and abilities to learn personal safety skills and build self-confidence. Visit www.kidpower.org or call 1-800-467-6997 Ext. 1# for information on their positive and practical workshops and educational resources.

Kidpower’s gift of their copyrighted curriculum, like all of Kidpower’s services, is a gift from those who came before. We at Glitter and Razz are proud to have joined Kidpower’s 1,000 Donors Campaign, and we encourage you to do the same. Whether you can give a few dollars or a lot, your gift counts! Donate by going to:https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2854 or call the Kidpower office.

Finally, the girls learned their first song with our music director, Brendan.  It’s Martha and the Vandella’s Dancing in the Streets.  Brendan told them it was a song that was made in the 60’s and someone asked, “So, is it a hippy song?”  We all busted out laughing.  But, it wasn’t as funny as when we got to the lyric, “they’ll be swingin’, swayin’, records playin’” someone said, “oh yeah, a record is a black round thingy with a hole in the middle” and someone else yelled out, very enthusiastically, “My dad has one of those!!!”

Let’s pay a little tribute to Martha and the Vandellas:

Since 2004, we have led one-of-a-kind birthday parties where kids create and perform their own plays in honor of the birthday girl or boy.  We are very proud of our Make A Play/Change The World Methodology inspired by our creative camps and afterschool classes.  And we are particularly proud of the reputation our parties have earned over the years as “magical,” “fun,” “intelligent,” and “an exercise for the imagination.”

This is why it is much difficulty that we announce that we are no longer in the business of hosting birthday parties in our Dramatic Play Space.  Instead, we are focusing our time, energy, and passion on the creative learning experiences (camps, classes, special events) that are at the heart of our mission.

However, this is not the end of Glitter & Razz as an option for your Special Event.  We still believe that our Make A Play/Change The World Methodology is a great way to celebrate community and connection , family and friends.  We still have talented teaching artists on hand to come to your Special Event to lead folks of all ages through the process of creating your very own peaceful and powerful plays.

Your event could be a birthday party in your home.  But it could also be:

• A Holiday Party
• A Wedding
• A Family Reunion
• A Corporate Picnic for Families

Or any event where the magic and power of theater can help you come together to laugh, play, be creative, and change your part of the world just a little bit.

Make a Play.  Change the World.

Our first year of What’s Goin’ On was quite a success. The parents of the campers said so themselves.