MamaDances is a rela­tion­al art pro­mot­ing par­ent-child bond­ing and social con­nec­tions through an active, play­ful, cre­ative, and cel­e­bra­to­ry dance expe­ri­ence, sup­port­ed by music and music mak­ing. Devel­oped by dance artist, Eryn Dace Trudell in Mon­tre­al, Que­bec, it has been offer­ing class­es, work­shops and occa­sion­al­ly per­for­mances to the pub­lic in Mon­tre­al and the sur­round­ing areas since 2006. MamaDances also pro­vides train­ing for facil­i­ta­tors wish­ing to bring the pro­grams into their com­mu­ni­ties and spaces.

Two Pro­grams:

Par­ent and Child Dance

Par­ents with chil­dren (1–4 years) have fun and engage with their chil­dren and each oth­er through dance, play­ful phys­i­cal con­tact, rhythms and songs in var­i­ous lan­guages from var­i­ous cul­tures. Designed to inspire move­ment through obser­va­tion, dance and cre­ative explo­ration, these class­es focus on child devel­op­ment through shared and attuned qual­i­ty time.

Mom and Baby Dance

Moth­ers (dads/parents/grandparents/ guardians) and their babies ( 2–12 months) come togeth­er in a tem­po­rary com­mu­ni­ty of music, gen­tle, play­ful phys­i­cal exer­cise, cre­ative dance expres­sion, explo­ration and con­nec­tion; sim­ple activ­i­ties designed to unlock, moti­vate and engage kinet­ic, phys­i­cal ener­gy, while being with one’s baby.

No pre­vi­ous dance expe­ri­ence is required. These class­es are open to all moth­ers, fathers, and caregivers.

Why dance?

Mom-and-baby and par­ent-child dance offer ben­e­fits that sup­port the phys­i­cal, emo­tion­al, social, and cog­ni­tive devel­op­ment of both chil­dren and care­givers. What makes dance espe­cial­ly pow­er­ful is that it nur­tures the rela­tion­ship itself while sup­port­ing indi­vid­ual growth.

For Babies and Young Children

• Strength­ens attach­ment and bond­ing through pos­i­tive phys­i­cal con­tact, eye con­tact, and shared experiences.
• Sup­ports brain devel­op­ment by inte­grat­ing move­ment, music, rhythm, and sen­so­ry stimulation.
• Devel­ops motor skills such as bal­ance, coor­di­na­tion, spa­tial aware­ness, and body control.
• Encour­ages com­mu­ni­ca­tion before lan­guage devel­ops, help­ing babies express needs, emo­tions, and curios­i­ty through movement.
• Builds emo­tion­al reg­u­la­tion by pro­vid­ing a safe, respon­sive envi­ron­ment where chil­dren can explore and return to con­nec­tion with their caregiver.
• Fos­ters social devel­op­ment through observ­ing and inter­act­ing with oth­er chil­dren and adults.

For Par­ents and Caregivers

• Deep­ens con­nec­tion with their child through joy­ful, present-moment interaction.
• Reduces stress and iso­la­tion, which can be par­tic­u­lar­ly impor­tant dur­ing the ear­ly par­ent­ing years.
• Pro­motes well-being through phys­i­cal activ­i­ty, cre­ative expres­sion, and com­mu­ni­ty support.
• Increas­es con­fi­dence in read­ing and respond­ing to their child’s cues.
• Pro­vides oppor­tu­ni­ties for play, help­ing par­ents recon­nect with spon­tane­ity, cre­ativ­i­ty, and pleasure.

For the Par­ent-Child Relationship

• Cre­ates a shared lan­guage of move­ment and play.
• Strength­ens attune­ment, help­ing par­ent and child become more respon­sive to one another.
• Encour­ages par­tic­i­pa­to­ry inter­ac­tion, where both par­ent and child influ­ence and respond to each oth­er in real time.
• Builds pos­i­tive mem­o­ries and rit­u­als that can sup­port fam­i­ly resilience and connection.

From a Devel­op­men­tal and Rela­tion­al Perspective:

Dance is unique because it engages the whole person—body, emo­tions, imag­i­na­tion, and rela­tion­ships. Through mov­ing togeth­er, par­ents and chil­dren prac­tice coop­er­a­tion, empa­thy, turn-tak­ing, mutu­al influ­ence, and non­ver­bal com­mu­ni­ca­tion. These expe­ri­ences help lay the foun­da­tion for secure attach­ment, healthy devel­op­ment, and a strong sense of belonging.

For pro­grams such as MamaDances, par­ent-child dance can also be under­stood as a form of rela­tion­al learn­ing: chil­dren devel­op through con­nec­tion, and par­ents dis­cov­er new ways of know­ing, sup­port­ing, and enjoy­ing their chil­dren through embod­ied inter­ac­tion. The dance becomes not just an activ­i­ty, but a space where rela­tion­ship, cre­ativ­i­ty, and devel­op­ment unfold together.

Competencies for Parent-Child Dance Facilitators

Facil­i­ta­tors of par­ent-child and mom-and-baby dance cre­ate wel­com­ing spaces where fam­i­lies can con­nect, play, and learn through move­ment. While facil­i­ta­tors come from diverse back­grounds, the fol­low­ing com­pe­ten­cies are at the heart of effec­tive practice:

1. Rela­tion­al pres­ence: The abil­i­ty to be present, atten­tive, and respon­sive to both chil­dren and care­givers. Facil­i­ta­tors fos­ter an atmos­phere of trust, respect, and belong­ing where each fam­i­ly feels seen and valued.

2. Under­stand­ing Child Devel­op­ment: A basic under­stand­ing of how babies and young chil­dren grow, learn, and com­mu­ni­cate helps facil­i­ta­tors offer expe­ri­ences that are appro­pri­ate, engag­ing, and supportive.

3. Move­ment Facil­i­ta­tion Skills: Com­fort lead­ing sim­ple move­ment expe­ri­ences, using music, rhythm, play, and imag­i­na­tion to invite par­tic­i­pa­tion and explo­ration. Facil­i­ta­tors encour­age cre­ativ­i­ty rather than focus­ing on per­for­mance or technique.

4. Abil­i­ty and Respon­sive­ness: The abil­i­ty to adjust activ­i­ties to meet the chang­ing needs, inter­ests, and ener­gy lev­els of the group. Facil­i­ta­tors under­stand that flex­i­bil­i­ty is often more impor­tant than fol­low­ing a plan.

5. Inclu­sive and Wel­com­ing: A com­mit­ment to cre­at­ing envi­ron­ments where all fam­i­lies feel safe, respect­ed, and able to par­tic­i­pate in ways that work for them.

At the Heart of the Practice

More than any­thing, effec­tive facil­i­ta­tors under­stand that par­ent-child dance is about rela­tion­ships. Their role is not to teach fam­i­lies how to move cor­rect­ly, but to cre­ate oppor­tu­ni­ties for con­nec­tion, com­mu­ni­ca­tion, joy, and dis­cov­ery through movement.

With curios­i­ty, empa­thy, and a will­ing­ness to learn, facil­i­ta­tors can help nur­ture mean­ing­ful expe­ri­ences that sup­port both chil­dren and their caregivers.

The Par­ent Child Pro­gram is com­posed of 16 dif­fer­ent types of activ­i­ties includ­ing: warm-up, hel­lo song, action songs, ges­ture songs and dances, instru­men­tal with vocal guid­ance, instru­men­tal with song, cross­ings, cir­cle dances, slow dance, object explo­rations, good-bye song.

The Mom and Baby pro­gram is com­posed of 10 dif­fer­ent types of activ­i­ties includ­ing: ways to begin, floor­work, tran­si­tions, stud­ies in cir­cle, trav­el­ling stud­ies, chore­o­gra­phies to dane with babies in car­ri­ers.  

Sam­ple Activ­i­ty with Focus on Music Mak­ing (see PDF):

A sound­ing study which involves impro­vis­ing on a 6 Beat Loop. 

This is a study that can be done with any age group. It comes from the MamaDances Par­ent and Baby Dance Pro­gram and is used as a way to begin/ an ice-break­er/ a warm up that pro­ceeds danc­ing. It not only teach­es rhythm and impro­vi­sa­tion but also allows the facil­i­ta­tor to assess the skill lev­el of the par­tic­i­pants and the group.

It is appro­pri­ate for any­one with lit­tle or no expe­ri­ence in music, dance  or improvisation.

It is best to be done in small spaces and the vol­ume can be var­ied, so it can be done in spaces that don’t nec­es­sar­i­ly have sound insulation.

It works well in groups with up to 15 participants.

It is meant to be play­ful, incite laugh­ter and have fun. 

Objec­tives: 

• keep a beat
• have fun
• be sil­ly
• lis­ten
• cre­ate
• make sound collectively 
• make sound individually
• learn to improvise
• warm up and groove

It is influ­enced by my expe­ri­ence with beat box, fla­men­co and body per­cus­sion com­bined and sim­pli­fied for beginners.