Business uses stories to get kids up and moving

RYE — The wonders of technology should end the wonder of why kids today seem to move and read less.

Video games and online chats keep kids inside and sedentary; books can't match the immediate, passive payoffs of YouTube or a podcast.

The situation has prompted Lori Hardacker, a dance instructor from Rye, to offer schools a new enrichment program that combines reading and movement in an attempt to address both problems.

"Moving the Story Off the Page" is designed for children in preschool through the fifth grade.

"I go into a school with a book or story (usually relating to dance or movement), props and music," said Hardacker, who last month launched Dance Parties and Fitness in Motion. "We read the story, and then we get up and move." Hardacker hopes her program will help counter societal trends that contribute to obesity, such as the elimination of recess, cutbacks in physical education classes and the increasing loss of children's activities and interaction to the "virtual world." It's a new take on enrichment education, Hardacker said. "In most programs, kids are just sitting there watching a performance," she said. "They don't get a chance to get up and participate." The reading might be a book on ballet, or a story about Hawaii used to inspire basic hula dancing.

"I'm trying to keep it a little basic right now, but in the future I'd like to bring in dance from world cultures," Hardacker said.

The props Hardacker brings to class include shakers, jump ropes, masks and musical instruments. The main props, however, are the children's bodies and their imaginations.

"I teach basic movements, gross motor and memory skills — how to jump and leap," she said. "The jump ropes may be snakes we have to jump over. Two ropes might make a river we have to leap across."

The one-hour sessions also use singing, improvisation and focus on the fun aspects of exercise to encourage kids to engage in more physical activities. Hardacker is developing a pilot program at a school in Stoneham, Mass.

Hardacker was a child gymnast who transitioned to dance at age 7. She danced and choreographed in high school, and studied dance at Roger Williams University.

She's choreographed many community and dinner—theater productions, and is currently choreographing portions of Exeter High School's production of "Beauty and the Beast."

"Dancing has always been my life. I just decided to make it my business, too," she said. "I was sick of the corporate world (she was a college recruiter), and wanted to be my own boss."

For Hardacker, who ran the Topsfield (Mass.) Dance Academy for four years, business success on the Seacoast necessitates flexibility and a multifaceted approach.

She currently teaches a six—week, after-school dance-and-movement program in East Kingston, and is developing programs in Hampton. She will soon offer teachers afternoon fitness classes in their school.

"Teachers are tired and often don't have time to go the gym," said Hardacker, "so I will go to them."

The "party" component of Dance Parties and Fitness in Motion is themed birthday parties (e.g. sports, hip—hop or Hannah Montana).

Even with these potential revenue streams, Hardacker still works as a part-time marketer for Portsmouth's Pontine Movement Theater.

Hardacker moved to the Seacoast in June, making every life change possible.

"I had my 'one-third-life crisis,'" she says. "I didn't know where I was going, but didn't want to look back. So I quit my job, ended a relationship, left Rhode Island, turned in my Jeep, chopped my hair and started my own business."

While artistic and creative services might be a hard sell in an economy tumbling towards a recession, Hardacker feels her plan and timing are right.

"Even if the price of gas is high and the economy is bad, parents and schools will still spend money on their kids," Hardacker said.

More importantly, Hardacker is doing what she wants to do.

"I love dance. I love working with kids," she said. "I know this is where I should be."