I love singing and reading nursery rhymes with my kids and we love to make up our own. We find it really fun to find and sing different versions of those we love best.
The following are 30 well-known nursery rhymes that with the help of my kids have been remastered into wonderful rhymes all about dance. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy singing and creating them!
Soon to come: YouTube singalong videos with movements for all the songs, Audio files of all the songs for you to purchase so you can put it on in the car for your kids to sing to and lots of craft and other activities for fun times with your kids. To make sure you are the first to know when all these awesome goodies are out and ready, subscribe to our newsletter here. Only newsletter subscribers will have free access to the most popular 2 tracks once they are available!
- Five Little Dancers (Five little Ducks)
- DISCO (BINGO)
- Black Swan (Baa Baa Black Sheep)
- The Grand Old Ballet Teacher (The Grand Old Duke Of York)
- Jack Be Nimble (Jack be Nimble)
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Dancer (Twinkle Twinkle Little Dancer)
- Five Hip Hop Dancers (Five Little Monkeys)
- All In An Afternoon Dance Class (Here we go round the Mulberry Bush)
- Tip Tap Tip Tap (Hickory Dickory Dock)
- Ballerina Buns (Hot Cross Buns)
- I’m a Little Dancer (I’m a Little Teapot)
- Mary Had A Ballet Bag (Mary Had A Little Lamb)
- Ms MacMaster Had a Dance School (Old MacDonald Had A Farm)
- One Two Tie Up My Ribbons (One Two Buckle my shoe)
- Mary, Mary, Ballet Fairy (Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary)
- The Dancer On The Stage (The Wheels On the Bus)
- Pointe, Pointe, Pointe Your Foot (Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
- One, Two, Three, Four, Five (One, Two, Three, Four, Five)
- Ten Little Dancers (Ten Little Indians)
- Three Ballet Mice (Three Blind Mice)
- This Little Dancer (This Little Piggy)
- Baby Dancer (Baby Shark – Campfire Version)
- Round and round she/he dances (Round and Round The Garden)
- Ring-A-Ring o’ Posés ( Ring-A-Ring o’ Roses)
- Who Stole the Dance Moves From The Star Dancer? (Who Stole The Cookies From The Cookie Jar)
- First, Second, Third and Fourth (Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)
- Move Your Body (Clap Handies)
- Tip Tap (Drip Drop The Rain Is Comming Down)
- My Back Bridge (London Bridge)
- Ten On The Stage (Ten In The Bed)
Five Little Dancers
Sung to the tune of 5 Little Ducks
Five little dancers went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Plié Plié
But only four little dancers pliéd
Four little dancers went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Glissé Glissé
But only three little dancers Glisséd
Three little dancers went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Posé Posé
But only two little dancers Poséd
Two little dancers went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Sauté, Sauté
But only one little dancers Sautéd
One little dancer went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Téndu, Téndu
But none of the little dancers Téndued
So the Dance Teacher went out one day
Twirling on the stage and leaped away
Dance Teacher said Jété, Jété
And all the little dancers Jétéd back on stage
BALLET TERMINOLOGY USED:
Plié: to bend the knees in turnout
Glissé: glide
Posé: to step from one leg to the other with a straight knee.
Sauté: jump
Téndu: to stretch
Jété: thrown
You can swap out any terminology to what you might be trying to teach your little dancer, two syllable words work best (and yes we know that in French you don’t say Jétéd, but I bet most English speaking dancers do and don’t even realize it!)
DISCO
Sung to the tune of the nursery rhyme Bingo
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
D I S C O (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
D I S C clap (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
D I S clap clap (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
D I clap clap clap (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
D clap clap clap clap (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
There was a kid who loved to dance and disco was their favorite
Clap clap clap clap clap (repeat x 3)
and disco was their favorite
Black Swan
Sung to the tune of the nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep
Black Swan, Black Swan
Have you any Tutu’s
Yes Maam, Yes Maam
Three costume bags full
One for the studio
And one for rehearsal
And one for the ballerina twirling on the stage
The Grand Old Ballet Teacher
Sung to the tune of the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke Of York
The grand old ballet teacher
She had 10,000 students
She made them stand on the top of their toes
And go up and down again
And when they were en Pointe, they were en pointe
And when they were on flats, they were flat
And when they neither up nor down
They were en Releve!
Jack Be Nimble
Said with the rhythm of the nursery rhyme Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble
Jack be Quick
Pas Dé Chat over the Candle Stick
Jack be nimble
Jack be Quick
Grand Jeté over the Candle Stick
Jack be nimble
Jack be Quick
Cabriolé over the Candle Stick
BALLET TERMINOLOGY USED:
Pas Dé Chat: step of the cat
Grandé Jeté : Large throwing step
Cabriolé : A leap inwhich legs are extended and beaten in the air.
You can swap out any terminology to any leaping step you might be trying to teach your dancer.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Dancer
Sung to the tune of the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Dancer
How I marvel at your splendor
Up above on stage so high
Gravity you do defy
Twinkle Twinkle Little Dancer
How I marvel at your splendor
Five Hip Hop Dancers
Said with the rhythm of the nursery rhyme Five Little Monkeys
Five hip hop dancers, popping on the stage,
One popped off and bumped his/her rib cage
Manager called the doctor and the doctor raged
No more hip hop dancing on the stage!
(Repeat for numbers four, three, two and one)
No hip hop dancers, popping on the stage,
Director said you’re all gonna lose your wage!
Manager called the doctor and the doctor raged
Get those hip hop dancers back on stage!
All In An Afternoon Dance Class
Sung to the nursery rhyme Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
Here we go locking and popping our chest
Locking our chest, popping our chest
Here we go locking and popping our chest
All in an afternoon hip hop class.
Here we go tapping and shuffling our feet
Tapping our feet, shuffling our feet
Here we go tapping and shuffling our feet
All in an afternoon tap class.
Here we go stretching and kicking our legs
Stretching our legs, kicking our legs
Here we go stretching and kicking our legs
All in an afternoon jazz class.
Here we go pointing and flexing our toes
Pointing our toes, flexing our toes
Here we go pointing and flexing our toes
All in an afternoon ballet class.
Here we go rolling and contracting our spine
Rolling our spine, contracting our spine
Here we go rolling and contracting our spine
All in an afternoon contemporary class.
Here we go bending and tumbling our bodies
Bending our bodies, tumbling our bodies
Here we go bending and tumbling our bodies
All in an afternoon Acro class.
Tip Tap Tip Tap
Sung to the nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock
Tip, tap, tip, tap
Tippity, Tappity, Tap
The ball change was done on flat
The Teacher asked why,
The student didn’t try?
Tippity, Tappity
Tip, tap, tip, tap
Tip, tap, tip, tap
Tippity, Tappity, Tap
The ball change was done on rise
The Teacher just smiled,
seeing her advice applies
Tippity, Tappity
Tip, tap, tip, tap
Ballerina Buns
Sung to the nursery rhyme Hot Cross Buns
Ballerina buns
Ballerina buns
One a bobby
Two a pin
Ballerina buns.
If you are a dancer
you can make them in your sleep!
Three a bobby
Four a pin
Ballerina buns.
I’m a Little Dancer
Sung to the nursery rhyme I’m a Little Teapot
I’m a little dancer
watch me move
Wiggling my fingers
Tapping my feet
When I hear the music then I start
Twirling and swirling to the groove.
I’m a little dancer
watch me move
slow as a turtle
Faster then light
When I hear the music then I start
Twirling and swirling to the beat.
Mary Had A Ballet Bag
Sung to the nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mary had a ballet bag,
ballet bag,
ballet bag
Mary had a ballet bag
Its cloth was pink as gum
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went,
Mary went,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The bag was sure to go.
Ballet, Jazz and Tap shoes too,
Tap shoes too,
Tap shoes too,
Ballet, Jazz and Tap shoes too,
She had a lot of shoes.
knee pads, water bottle, hairbrush too,
hairbrush too,
hairbrush too,
knee pads, water bottle, hairbrush too,
It held a lot of stuff.
One day it ripped and fell apart,
fell apart,
fell apart,
One day it ripped and fell apart,
It couldn’t take the strain
Her mother sewed it up again,
up again,
up again,
Her mother sewed it up again,
Cos Dance Moms are the best.
Now Mary keeps the bag at home,
bag at home,
bag at home,
Now Mary keeps the bag at home,
except for dance classes.
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Sung to the nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, she had a Barre
Hip hop hip hop O
With a plie here and a plie there,
here a plie, there a plie
Everywhere a plie, plie
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, she had a Mirror
Hip hop hip hop O
With a 5, 6 here and a 7, 8 there,
here a 5, there a 6
Everywhere a 7, 8
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, she had Sprung Floors
Hip hop hip hop O
With a jete here and a jete there,
here a jete, there a jete
Everywhere a jete, jete
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, she was the teacher
Hip hop hip hop O
With a one more time here and a one more time there,
here a once, there a more
Everywhere a once more
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, she taught lots of students
Hip hop hip hop O
With a jete here and a jete there,
here a jete, there a jete
Everywhere a grand jete
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, there were dance parents
Hip hop hip hop O
With a chit chat here and a chit chat there,
here a chit chat, there a chit chat
Everywhere a chit chat
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
And at that school, they had a recital
Hip hop hip hop O
With a rehearsal here and a rehearsal there,
here a rehearsal, there a rehearsal
Everywhere a rehearse, rehearse
Ms MacMaster Had A Dance School
Hip hop hip hop O
One Two Tie Up My Ribbons
Said to the rhythm of the nursery rhyme One Two Buckle my shoe
One, two, tie up my ribbons
Three, four, secure my bun
Five, six, stretch my legs
Seven, eight, make sure they’re straight
Nine, ten, do it again
Eleven, Twelve, music swells
Thirteen, Fourteen, floating, gliding
Fifteen, Sixteen, Tutu’s, Pointe shoes
Seventeen, Eighteen, audience applauds
Nineteen, Twenty, take a bow
Mary, Mary, Ballet Fairy
Said to the rhythm of the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, Ballet Fairy
How does your dancing grow?
With a passionate heart and a love for my art,
And lots of hard work you should know!
Jacob, Jacob Ballet Legendary
How does your dancing grow?
With a passionate heart and a love for my art,
And lots of hard work you should know!
You can change this rhyme to any type of dance type and name!
The Dancer On The Stage
Sung to the nursery rhyme The Wheels on The Bus
The Dancer on the stage goes
Up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down,
The Dancer on the stage goes up and down,
All day long.
The Dancer on the stage goes
Round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round,
The Dancer on the stage goes Round and round,
All day long.
The Usher by the stage says
Tickets please,
Tickets please,
Tickets please,
The Usher by the stage says tickets please,
All day long.
The Audience by the stage yells
Bravo, encore,
Bravo, encore,
Bravo, encore,
The Audience by the stage yells bravo, encore
All day long.
The Conductor by the stage goes
Tap, tap, tap,
Tap, tap, tap,
Tap, tap, tap,
The Conductor by the stage goes tap, tap, tap,
All day long.
The Seamstress by the stage goes
Sew, sew, sew,
Sew, sew, sew,
Sew, sew, sew,
The Seamstress by the stage goes sew, sew, sew,
All day long.
Pointé , Pointé , Pointé Your Foot
Sung to the nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Pointé, Pointé, Pointé Your Foot
Pointings so much fun.
Rondé jambé it round and round
The fun has just begun
Plié, Plié, Plié your knees
Pliés are so much fun.
Bend them out towards the walls
The fun has just begun
Sauté, sauté, sauté your feet
Sautés are so much fun.
Jump up high and reach the sky
The fun has just begun
Jeté, jeté, jeté your legs
Jetés are so much fun.
Leap out far and reach the end
The fun has just begun
One, Two, Three, Four, Five
Sung to the nursery rhyme One, Two, Three, Four, Five
One, Two, Three, Four, Five
Once I saw some dancers jive
Six, seven, eight, nine, Ten
They turned it into samba then,
Why did you not join in?
Because I had no partner duh!
Which dance did you like best?
This little tango I do best!
You can change the ballroom dance styles Samba and Tango into any other style you might like the Cha-Cha, Rumba, Foxtrot, Waltz etc.
Ten Little Dancers
Sung to the nursery rhyme Ten Little Indians
One little, two little, three little dancers
Four little, five little, six little dancers
Seven little, Eight Little, Nine little dancers
Ten little dancer boys and girls
One hip hop, two hip hop, three hip hop dancers
Four hip hop, five hip hop, six hip hop dancers
Seven hip hop, Eight hip hop, Nine hip hop dancers
Ten hip hop dancer boys and girls
One ballet, two ballet, three ballet dancers
Four ballet, five ballet, six ballet dancers
Seven ballet, Eight ballet, Nine ballet dancers
Ten ballet dancer boys and girls
One tapping, two tapping, three tapping dancers
Four tapping, five tapping, six tapping dancers
Seven tapping, Eight tapping, Nine tapping dancers
Ten tapping dancer boys and girls
One ballroom, two ballroom, three ballroom dancers
Four ballroom, five ballroom, six ballroom dancers
Seven ballroom, Eight ballroom, Nine ballroom dancers
Ten ballroom dancer boys and girls
One Irish, two Irish, three Irish dancers
Four Irish, five Irish, six Irish dancers
Seven Irish, Eight Irish, Nine Irish dancers
Ten Irish dancer boys and girls
One clogging, two clogging, three clogging dancers
Four clogging, five clogging, six cloggin dancers
Seven clogging, Eight clogging, Nine clogging dancers
Ten clogging dancer boys and girls
Three Ballet Mice
Sung to the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice
Three ballet mice,
Three ballet mice,
See how they bourée
See how they bourée
They all bouréed past the danseurs sauté
Who cut off their dance with a grand jeté
Have you ever seen such a sight in your life
As Three ballet mice
This Little Dancer
Sung to the nursery rhyme This Little Piggy
This little dancer went to dance class.
This little dancer was injured and stayed home
This little dancer got new dance shoes.
This little dancer got none
And this little dancer went spinnnniiiinnnnggg (spinning)
All the way home.
This hip hop dancer went to hip hop class.
This little dancer was injured and stayed home
This little dancer got new dance shoes.
This little dancer got none
And this little dancer did the running man
All the way home.
This ballet dancer went to ballet class.
This ballet dancer was injured and stayed home
This ballet dancer got new pointe shoes.
This little dancer got none
And this ballet dancer went Pas de Bouréeeeeeeeeee
All the way home.
This tap dancer went to tap class.
This tap dancer was injured and stayed home
This tap dancer got new tap shoes.
This tap dancer got none
And this tap dancer went shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle
All the way home.
This jazz dancer went to jazz class.
This jazz dancer was injured and stayed home
This jazz dancer got jazz shoes.
This jazz dancer got none
And this jazz dancer went kick ball change, kick ball change, kick ball change
All the way home.
Baby Dancer
Sung to the campfire song Baby Shark – Campfire Version
Baby Dancer Do Do Do Do
Baby Dancer Do Do Do Do
Baby Dancer Do Do Do Do
Baby Dancer
Mommy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Mommy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Mommy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Mommy Dancer
Daddy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Daddy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Daddy Dancer Do Do Do Do
Daddy Dancer
Grandma Dancer Do Do Do Do
Grandma Dancer Do Do Do Do
Grandma Dancer Do Do Do Do
Grandma Dancer
Let’s dance lower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance lower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance lower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance lower
Let’s dance higher Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance higher Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance higher Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance higher
Let’s dance slower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance slower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance slower Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance slower
Let’s dance faster Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance faster Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance faster Do Do Do Do
Let’s dance faster
And faster Do Do Do Do
And faster Do Do Do Do
And faster Do Do Do Do
And faster
Out of breath Do Do Do Do
Out of breath Do Do Do Do
Out of breath Do Do Do Do
Out of breath
Take a bow Do Do Do Do
Take a bow Do Do Do Do
Take a bow Do Do Do Do
It’s the end
Round and round she/he dances
Sung to the nursery rhyme Round and Round the Garden
Round and round she/he dances
like a ballet star
One bourée
Two jete
Tickles every day.
Ring-A-Ring o’ Posés
Sung to the nursery rhyme Ring-A-Ring o’ Roses
Ring-A-Ring o’ Posés
An armful full of roses
Rev-e-rénce, take a bow
We all tombé
The dancers are in the wings
waiting for the encoré,
Rev-e-rénce, take a bow
We all Jeté
Who Stole the Dance Moves From The Star Dancer?
Sung to the round of Who Stole The Cookies From The Cookie Jar
Begin this round creating a beat of slapping both thighs and then clapping in a 1, 2 pattern.
| ROUND 1 | |
| All together: | Who stole the dance moves from the star dancer? |
| Leader: | (Chooses and says a person in the group’s name) |
| All together: | stole the dance moves from the star dancer! |
| #1 Burglar: | Who me? (doing a dance move) |
| All together: | Yes you! |
| (everyone stops clapping rhythm and takes some time to copy the moves being shown | |
| #1 Chosen person: | No it couldn’t be |
| ROUND 2 | |
| All together: | (begin clapping rhythm again) So who stole the dance moves from the star dancer? |
| #1 Chosen person: | (Chooses and says a person in the group’s name) |
| All together: | stole the dance moves from the star dancer! |
| #2 Chosen person: | Who me? (doing a new dance move) |
| All together: | Yes you! |
| (everyone stops clapping rhythm and takes some time to copy the moves being shown | |
| #2 Chosen person: | No it couldn’t be |
| All together: | (begin clapping rhythm again) So who stole the dance moves from the star dancer? |
The song continues until everyone in the group has been chosen and had a turn at both being chosen and calling out a name.
First, Second, Third & Fourth
Sung to the nursery rhyme Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
SUNG WITH ACTIONS FOR THE POSITIONS OF THE ARMS
Perform first slowly then repeat again faster and faster until you collapse in giggles.
First, second, third and fourth
Third and fourth
First, second, third and fourth
Third and fourth
Fourth Croisé
And then to Fifth
SUNG WITH ACTIONS FOR THE POSITIONS OF THE FEET
Perform first slowly then repeat again faster and faster until you collapse in giggles.
First, second, fifth and fourth
Fifth and fourth
First, second, fifth and fourth
Fifth and fourth
Degage to fifth
And hold in reléve
First, second, fifth and fourth
Fifth and fourth
Move Your Body
Sung to the nursery rhyme Clap Handies
Move your body, move your body
To the beat of the drum
Move your body to the music and have fun
Move your Feet, move your feet
To the beat of the drum
Move your feet to the music and have fun
Move your legs, move your legs
To the beat of the drum
Move your legs to the music and have fun
Move your hips, move your hips
To the beat of the drum
Move your hips to the music and have fun
Move your chest, move your chest
To the beat of the drum
Move your chest to the music and have fun
Move your chest, move your chest
To the beat of the drum
Move your chest to the music and have fun
Move your hands, move your hands
To the beat of the drum
Move your hands to the music and have fun
Move your arms, move your arms
To the beat of the drum
Move your arms to the music and have fun
Move your shoulders, move your shoulders
To the beat of the drum
Move your shoulders to the music and have fun
Move your head, move your head
To the beat of the drum
Move your head to the music and have fun
Move your body, move your body
To the beat of the drum
Move your body to the music and have fun
Tip Tap
Sung to the nursery rhyme round Drip Drop The Rain Is Comming Down
Tip Tap
Tip Tap
The beats are coming out
Tip Tap
Tip Tap
Shuffling all about
Let’s try a ball change
A front slap
drop a heel
And hit spring in a circle
Then toe dig, dig, dig.
My Back Bridge
Sung to the nursery rhyme London Bridge
In my back bridge
I’m pushing up,
Pushing up,
Pushing up.
In my back bridge
I’m pushing up,
Look I’m almost there!
In my right/left/middle split
I’m pushing down,
Pushing down,
Pushing down,
In my right/left split
I’m pushing down
Look I’m almost there!
Ten On The Stage
Sung to the nursery rhyme Ten In The Bed
There were ten on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Moonwalk over,
Moonwalk over,
So they all Moonwalked over and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were nine on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Piourétte over,
Piourétte over,
So they all Piourétted over and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were eight on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Shuffle over,
Shuffle over,
So they all Shuffled ove, and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were seven on the stage
and the little dancer raged
running man over,
running man over,
So they all did the running man and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were six on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Jeté over,
Jeté spring over,
So they all Jetéd and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were five on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Tap spring over,
Tap spring over,
So they all did some tap springs and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!
There were four on the stage
and the little dancer raged
Tap spring over,
Tap spring over,
So they all did some tap springs and one fell off!
OOOUUUUCCCHH!