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Creative Dance for All Ages
376 Pages
Creative Dance for All Ages, Second Edition, has had a long history of providing a dance curriculum to teachers and students preparing to teach creative dance. Author Anne Gilbert demystifies expectations when teaching creative dance and provides the theory, methods, and lesson ideas for success in a variety of settings and with students of all ages. This one-stop resource offers dance teachers everything they need, including a sequential curriculum, lesson plans, instructional strategies, assessment, and other forms. It’s like having a seasoned dance teacher at your side offering inspiration and guidance all year long.
Internationally recognized master teacher and author Anne Gilbert Green presents creative dance for everyone and tips on meeting the challenges of teaching it. She offers a complete package for teaching creative dance that includes the theory, methodology, and lesson plans for various age groups that can be used in a variety of settings. Gilbert also offers an entire dance curriculum for sequential teaching and learning. The second edition of her classic text has been revised, reorganized, and updated to meet all the needs of dance teachers.
The second edition of Creative Dance for All Ages includes these new features:
• An easy-to-navigate format helps you quickly access the material and find lesson planning and assessment tools.
• Content reflects changes in the field of dance education to put you on the cutting edge.
• Forty age-appropriate and brain-compatible lesson plans are accessible through the web resource, which save prep time and help ensure compliance with the latest standards.
• Five downloadable video clips demonstrate the lesson plans and teaching strategies and how to put them to work in the classroom.
• Suggestions for modifying lessons help you include students of all abilities.
• Eight assessment forms and curriculum planning templates are adaptable to your needs.
If you’re a novice teacher, the book also contains these features to ensure effective instruction:
• The same conceptual approach to teaching dance was used in the first edition.
• A sequential dance curriculum helps you systematically cover a 10-week quarter or 16-week semester.
• Class management tips put you in control from the first day.
Creative Dance for All Ages, Second Edition, is an unparalleled resource for dance educators who are looking for a conceptual creative dance curriculum that will support teaching to learners of all ages. Whether in a studio, company, recreational, or educational setting, you will discover a comprehensive and well-rounded approach to teaching dance, emphasizing the how as much as the why.
Part I Fundamentals of Teaching Creative Dance
Chapter 1 Introduction to Creative Dance
Chapter 2 Planning and Teaching Your Creative Dance Class
Chapter 3 Developing Your Teaching Skills
Chapter 4 Warming Up, Teaching Concepts, and Cooling DownChapter 5 Locomotor and Nonlocomotor Movements
Part II Concepts and Sample Lesson Plans
Chapter 6 Place
Self-Space and General Space
Chapter 7 Level
High, Middle, Low
Chapter 8 Size
Big, Medium, Little, Far Reach, Mid-Reach, Near Reach
Chapter 9 Direction
Forward, Backward, Right Side, Left Side, Up, Down
Chapter 10 Pathway
Straight, Curved, Zigzag
Chapter 11 Focus
Single Focus, Multi-Focus
Chapter 12 Speed
Slow, Medium, Fast
Chapter 13 Rhythm
Pulse, Breath, Pattern, Grouping
Chapter 14 Energy
Smooth (Sustained), Sharp (Sudden)
Chapter 15 Weight
Strong, Light
Chapter 16 Flow
Free, Bound
Chapter 17 Body Parts
Head, Arms, Hand, Pelvis, Spine, Trunk, Legs, Feet
Chapter 18 Body Shapes
Curved, Straight, Angular, Twisted, Symmetrical, Asymmetrical
Chapter 19 Relationships
Over, Under, Around, Through
Chapter 20 Balance
On Balance, Off Balance
Chapter 21 Specialized Lesson Plans
Anne Green Gilbert founded the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington, in 1981 and the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers in 1994. Anne has had a varied teaching career. She started as an elementary school teacher, moved on to dance and pedagogy classes at the University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Washington, then taught children’s dance classes at Cornish College and Bill Evans/Dance Theatre Seattle. She has been an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University for many years and taught for Lesley University’s Outreach master’s program for 10 years. For the past three decades, Anne has taught toddlers through adults at Creative Dance Center, trained teachers through her Summer Dance Institute, and conducted hundreds of workshops and residencies across the United States and abroad. Anne developed the BrainDance, a focusing warm-up exercise, in 2000. The BrainDance is used in many schools, studios, and homes around the world. Anne is internationally recognized for her work with young artists and her creative process. She has choreographed dances for university dance companies as well as Northwest dance companies and Kaleidoscope.
Anne is the author of Teaching the Three Rs Through Movement, Creative Dance for All Ages, Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Teaching Creative Dance (DVD), and BrainDance (DVD), and numerous articles. She is an active member of the National Dance Association, National Dance Education Organization, and Dance and the Child International (daCi). Anne served on the daCi board for 12 years. She is founder and past president of the Dance Educators Association of Washington, an organization promoting quality dance education in all Washington State K-12 schools. As a member of the Arts Education Standards project, she helped write the Washington State Dance Standards and Learning Goals. Anne is the recipient of several awards, including the NDA Scholar/Artist award in 2005, the National Dance Education Organization Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and the Lawrence Tenney Stevens American Dance Award for her work with boys and men in dance in 2014.
Anne is the mother of three Kaleidoscope alums and grandmother of seven dancing grandchildren. She lives in Seattle with her husband.
Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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Planning Creative Dance Lessons
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together.
The focus of each lesson is one or two dance concepts from figure 1.1, which you can also find on the web resource for easy printing. The dance concept is the thread that ties the entire lesson together. The conceptual approach is more effective in engaging and educating dancers of all ages than a steps-only approach or a theme-based approach. A steps-only approach deprives students of the tools they need to explore and create their own movements and artistic voices. A theme-based approach (lessons on seasons, animals, stories) deprives students of the tools they need to develop dance technique and grow as skilled dancers. With each lesson, students are eager to explore and master a new dance concept to layer into their technique, improvisation, and choreography. They enjoy cycling through the dance concepts semester after semester and year after year, because the teacher introduces the concepts through different improvisations and skills each time the concepts are reintroduced. This way, students continue to develop their artistic voices and dance technique.
The five-part lesson plan creates holistic dancers who are skilled technicians, critical thinkers, creative movers, and collaborative workers. The Warming Up and Developing Skills sections will develop strong technique. Critical-thinking skills are strengthened in each part of the class through problem solving, observation, and reflection. In the Exploring the Concept section, creativity is nurtured through an exploration of the dance concepts. In the Creating section, students expand their creative development through improvisation and choreography. Positive social skills are strengthened through collaborative partnering and small group work.
The five-part lesson plan alternates teacher-directed work with student-centered work for deep learning and ensures that learning processes from the revised Bloom's taxonomy are present throughout the lesson. Note that although the learning processes are presented here in a linear fashion, several of the processes may occur in any part of the lesson.
| 1. Warming Up (Teacher-directed work) | Remembering |
| 2. Exploring the Concept (Student-centered work) | Understanding |
| 3. Developing Skills (Teacher-directed work) | Applying |
| 4. Creating (Student-centered work) | Analyzing/Creating |
| 5. Cooling Down (Teacher-directed and student-centered work) | Evaluating |
Each lesson has five parts, but each part includes subcategories that allow for choice making and flexibility should you want to lengthen or shorten the lesson. Also, you may want to spend several classes focusing more on Developing Skills and less on Exploring the Concept or vice versa.
The lesson plan format provides a balance between creative exploration and skill development. The five-part plan provides the structure and repetition that allow the students to feel safe and secure while also engaging their attention through the novelty of the various dance concepts. Try to follow it as closely as possible. As you become more familiar with the structure, feel free to experiment.
Planning a lesson is like choreographing a dance. You need a beginning (Warming Up and Introducing the Concept), a middle (Exploring the Concept and Developing Skills), and an ending (Creating and Cooling Down).
When planning your lessons, keep in mind the following elements:
- Think about space. Use a variety of spatial formations to provide novelty and maintain control. For example, start in a circle, move to a scattered formation, move in lines, and end in a circle.
- Think about time. Alternate activities involving faster movements with activities that require a slower pace or stillness. After moving quickly your students will not mind watching, reflecting, or taking turns. After taking turns or discussion, the dancers are ready for more energetic activities again.
- Think about force. Alternate high-energy movements with low-energy movements. For the Exploring the Concept section, you might choose an activity that allows the whole class to move with full-body movements through general space. You might follow with a shaping activity that is done in self-space and requires less energy. You could follow with practicing a locomotor skill such as leaping or moving in lines across the floor. Then the dancers could rest a minute as you explain the final improvisation or choreography problem.
- Think about relationships. Creative dance provides excellent opportunities for collaborating, touching appropriately, and peer coaching. Have students explore the dance concept in partners, trios, quartets, or small groups at least once during each class.
- Think about flow. Keep the class flowing from one section to another. Don't get bogged down in your directions, putting on your music, or attending to disruptive behavior. Keep the flow going!
The objective of each main part of the lesson, along with descriptions of subcategories, is outlined next.
Warming Up
A warm-up prepares the body and brain for movement and learning. Isolated body part movement and full-body movement warm up all the muscles, increasing elasticity and helping to prevent injury. Aerobic movement oxygenates the brain to aid focus and attention.
Quick Warm-Up
A quick warm-up can be any 2- to 3-minute activity that is aerobic. Use this primarily in classes for ages 0 to 5, before doing the sitting BrainDance with rhymes, to give young children a chance to move around after sitting in preschools or car seats. However, a familiar folk dance or alternating locomotor and nonlocomotor movements might be an appropriate start to classes with older students, even adults. If you are working in a studio, this allows latecomers to arrive before the beneficial BrainDance.
BrainDance Patterns
The BrainDance is a series of exercises that warm up students' brains and bodies. It is composed of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly, while sitting or standing, has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing the central nervous system. It is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Specific BrainDance warm-up activities appear in chapter 4.
Introducing the Concept
Dancers move to a word wall or charts to see, say, and do the dance concept you have chosen for the lesson. For young students the introduction is brief. Older or more experienced students enjoy discussing and exploring the nuances of the concepts.
Individually exploring a dance concept through guided improvisation.
Exploring the Concept
The dance concepts are internalized through guided improvisation. After the exploration, dancers over age 4 briefly reflect verbally or kinesthetically on what they learned through the activity.
Exploring the Concept
Dancers explore and embody the lesson's dance concept through structured improvisation individually or in pairs, trios, or quartets. Props may be integrated occasionally into the exploration.
Shaping
Dancers explore the dance concept while creating stable and mobile shapes, often in relationship to others while moving in self- and general space. Props may be added.
Instruments
Dancers explore the dance concept while playing rhythm instruments in self-space and general space. Rhythm concepts such as pulse and pattern are also explored, as well as locomotor and nonlocomotor skills (see chapter 5). Instrument explorations are most often included in lessons for ages 0 to 6 but may be enjoyed at any age.
Developing Skills
Dancers develop skills by learning dance steps and then practicing them in movement combinations for phrasing and flow.
Developing Skills
Dancers are introduced to and practice locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and specific dance steps in relation to the dance concept.
Turning
Various turns are introduced to strengthen balance and the vestibular system. Turns focusing on the lesson concept may also be integrated into all parts of the lesson plan.
Combining Movements
Either the teacher teaches or students create combinations of steps focusing on phrasing, sequencing, memory, and transitions. Leaps and turns are included in combinations when time does not allow for separate exploration of these skills.
Leaping
To develop the vestibular system, dancers learn and practice various forms of leaps and springs. Young dancers move through obstacle courses that provide opportunities for moving over, under, around, through, on, and off objects such as cones, spots, hoops, and benches.
Creating
Students explore the lesson concept further through structured improvisation. Students who are ready to work in pairs or small groups explore choreographic devices and forms through choreographic studies or projects.
Structured Improvisation
Improvisation is spontaneous, unplanned movement. These structured improvisations are similar to activities described in the Exploring the Concept section. The difference is that the teacher provides fewer cues and suggestions for movement. Instead of saying "Try moving . . ." the teacher makes "I see" statements that validate the students' movement choices. Structured improvisation provides an opportunity for the teacher to assess the students' understanding of the lesson's dance concept.
Choreographing
Choreography is planned movement. Dancers create dance phrases or studies based on a structure or prompt. The teacher or dancers decide on the structure. These studies provide the perfect opportunity to introduce and explore choreographic forms and devices. Visual art works, poetry, literature, photos, music, natural and manmade objects, and other subject areas provide a wealth of ideas for choreography.
Cooling Down
Class concludes with a closing activity that cools down the body through physical movements such as relaxation and stretching or less strenuous movements than performed previously in class. Dancers can also "cool down" by reviewing the lesson concept, sharing improvisations or choreography, and then reflecting through various modes.
Good-Bye Dance
Young dancers move across the floor individually or in pairs, trios, or groups illustrating the lesson's dance concept. This activity is a time to evaluate each dancer's understanding and ability to use the dance concept that was explored throughout class.
Relaxation and Alignment
Relaxation, visualization, and alignment exercises are used to reduce stress and become attuned to the body.
Stretching and Reviewing Concepts
Dancers stretch muscles to cool down, gain length, and prevent cramping. While stretching, the dancers may review the lesson's concepts through a variety of modes.
Sharing and Evaluating Choreography
Students perform their dances. Dancers and choreographers constructively evaluate their own and each other's dance compositions. In other words, students comment on what they created or saw in the dance, not what they simply liked or disliked. Students use a variety of reflection modes, such as speaking, writing, drawing, or mirroring movements and shapes viewed in the choreography. They might make statements about the use of the dance concept, other concepts illustrated, transitions, performance skills, or movements and relationships that made the piece exciting or unique. Examples of assessment forms are included on the web resource.
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Exploring the concept
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Choose one to three activities from the Exploring the Concept, Shaping, and Instrument sections.
Exploring the Concept
- Spots: "Find a spot (a place marker or an imaginary spot), and try twisting various body parts on your spot in self-space. Twist your neck gently; twist your arms; try twisting your legs. Now gallop around the spots through general space and back to your spot. Shake on the spot. Shake body parts and then your whole body. Now slide through general space around the spots and back to your spot." Continue alternating nonlocomotor movements in self-space and locomotor movements in general space. This alternation keeps the dancers from becoming too tired. Try alternating high- and low-energy movements, such as float/run, shake/walk, twist/gallop, slash/crawl, stretch/jump.
- Pause: "Every time the music stops, freeze in a shape. If I say ‘self-space,' dance in one place when the music starts again. If I call out ‘general space,' dance all around the room until the music stops." Call out locomotor and nonlocomotor words to encourage new ways of moving.
- Glue: "Imagine that two of your hands and one of your feet are glued to the floor. Now, can you find ways of moving in that shape in self-space? Become unglued, and slide through general space to a new spot, then glue your belly to the floor. Can you roll through general space to a new place in the room?" Continue in this manner using different body parts and other locomotor movements. "Instead of gluing body parts to the floor, try gluing to the wall, an object, or a person!" Keep alternating self-space (nonlocomotor) and general-space (locomotor) movements.
- Find a Friend: "Dance through general space (or skip, hop, glide, and so on). When the music changes or I give a signal, find a friend as quickly as possible and then connect in a shape. Now dance together, connected or unconnected, in self-space until the music changes again. Say good-bye to each other, and dance through general space." You can direct the movement or the dancers can dance freely, depending on their experience. The dancers can keep the same partner or find new partners each time. You can use spots or cones to define self-spaces. The dancers would find a spot (use half as many spots as dancers) and a friend at the spot.
- Gestures: "Dance through general space. When the music stops, I will call out an everyday action. Do that action in self-space. Make the action big and use your whole body, or do the action with different body parts. When the music begins again, dance through general space in a new way." If you are working with inexperienced dancers, give specific general-space movements such as fly, skip, wiggle, or gallop. Gesture suggestions include wave hello, brush teeth, comb hair, iron clothes, put on shoes, write your name, eat food, polish the table, mix a cake, bounce a ball, and juggle beanbags.
- Traveling Actions: "Start shaking in self-space. Now shake through general space. Freeze. Swing in self-space. Can you swing through general space? Freeze. Float in self-space. Float through general space." Continue, cueing the dancers to start an action in self-space, then move it through general space. Using spots cut out of yoga mats to represent self-space can be helpful, especially with younger students. Dancers move on the spot, through space around the spots, and back to their original spot. This can be done with nonlocomotor and locomotor movement. For example, swing in place on the spot, gallop around the room and back to the spot; poke in place, and skip around the room. More advanced classes can try this exploration in pairs, trios, small groups, or the whole group (which will require cooperation and spatial awareness).
- Word Cards: "Choose a card from either stack (write locomotor words on cards of one color and nonlocomotor words on cards of another color). Find a perfect spot, and put the card faceup on the floor in front of you. We will read each dancer's card and perform that action. Now find a friend with a different-colored card, and put your two cards in front of you on the floor. This time we will combine the two cards to create a special dance word. If one card reads ‘run' and the other card reads ‘float,' we will try to do a floating run!" Some of the combinations are difficult, but every one is possible. The dancers will discover many new and exciting ways of moving.
- 16 Counts: Students can do this exploration with a partner, a spot, or an object (e.g., shoe, desk, etc.). The directions are given in terms of partners. Just substitute "desk" or "spot" for "partner." When working with partners, only half the class is moving through general space at one time, so it is a good activity for large classes or small spaces. "Find a partner, and decide who will dance in general space first and who will dance in self-space first. The self-space dancer dances in a perfect spot. The general-space dancer dances around the room but must be back to his or her partner by the time I stop counting. If I say, ‘16 counts jumping,' the self-space dancer will jump in different ways on the spot while the general-space dancer jumps away from his or her partner and back to the partner by count 16. Try connecting in a shape on count 16. Now, reverse your roles. The self-space dancer will travel through general space while the general-space dancer dances in self-space. Remember, self-space dancers, keep moving in self-space for all the counts. General-space dancers, be brave and use all the space. Don't hang around your partner."
Change the number of counts and the movement frequently. Explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movement. Floating in self-space and floating through general space create different feelings and use some different muscles, as do hopping in place or hopping from place to place. Very young dancers work best without partners. Individuals alternate moving in self- and general space on, away from, and back to their personal spot. Call out 16 counts jumping in self-space, then 16 counts jumping in general space.
- Corner, Middle, Side: "Dancers, make a shape in the middle of the room, skip through general space to any side wall, and shake in self-space when you get there. Skip to a corner. Float in the corner. Jump backward to the middle, and twist with a friend in the middle. Turn quickly to a side wall, and wriggle at the sidelines. Slide to a new corner, and swing in the corner. Creep to an opposite corner, and stretch in all directions in the corner." Continue in this fashion alternating corner, middle, and side directions and locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Use simple or complex movements depending on the dancers' abilities. Keep the action moving and the commands creative.
- Follow the Leader: "Follow my movements in self-space when the music is slow. When the music is fast, dance any way you wish through general space. When the music is slow again, follow my movements." Alternate following and free dancing several times. Instead of slow/fast music, use soft/loud music or songs with a verse and chorus or just give a signal to change from self- to general space.
- Mirror and Shadow: "Find a partner. Choose a leader. The leader moves through general space while the partner follows (or shadows) the leader's movements. When the music changes, face each other and the shadow will copy (or mirror) the leader's movements in self-space. When I give the signal, change leaders and do shadowing through general space and mirroring in self-space with the new leader." Give inexperienced dancers specific movement ideas to get them started. Instead of changing music, give a clear signal of when to change from shadowing to mirroring.
- Back to Back: "Stand back to back with a partner. Make a shape touching knees (you can turn around and face each other), then elbows, then thumbs. Now, skip away from each other through general space. Come back to back with your partner again (or they can find new partners). Connect hips, now fingers, now shoulders. Dance any way you like through general space away from your partner." Continue until the music ends. This is a wonderful way to get the dancers to know each other and feel a connection as a group. The body part connection can be simple, such as three basic body parts. Or, it can be more complex, such as connecting a high body part of one dancer to a low body part of another dancer or connecting two body parts to a partner's two body parts or connect in an opposite shape.
- Space Between: "Find a partner. Try to move around the room keeping the space between your hands always the same, perhaps one foot apart. There is no one leader; you must cooperate. (With young dancers you may want to designate leaders.) The leadership can change anytime. Alternate moving in self-space and general space. Try having other body parts as the invisible connection point such as noses, shoulders, bellies, or backs." With more advanced dancers work in trios and small groups.
- Seven Jumps: This exploration uses the music for the folk dance called Seven Jumps. The music has a repeating phrase of 32 counts interspersed with sustained notes of various lengths. "Move through general space any way you like for 32 counts. When you hear the sustained notes, freeze in a shape. The sustained sections change duration so on the longer sections, we will do nonlocomotor movements in self-space." On the locomotor section, have students practice different movements or practice the same movement different ways - gallop low, strong, backward, and so on. On the sustained sections, have students practice different nonlocomotor movements. Instructions for the dance are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006). Seven Jumps music is listed in appendix D. However, Music for Creative Dance Volume II #9 (Chappelle, 1994) is a different, fun version of Seven Jumps.
- Solos: "Dance in self-space any way you like (or you can call out a specific movement). When I call someone's name, that person can dance a solo through general space. Then I will say, ‘self-space' (or name a movement, such as ‘shake'), and we will all dance together again until I call another name." Continue until all dancers have had a chance to do a solo through general space. If dancers are shy or the class is large, call two or three names at one time. Try the opposite - solos in self-space and group dancing in general space.
- Props: Use props with the previous activities. Dancers move with their props (squares of plastic tablecloth material, scarves, streamers, balloons, full-body resistance bands) in self-space, under your direction: "Hold it while you make shapes; dance on, over, under, or beside it; balance it on different body parts." Dancers move their props through general space with these directions: "Toss and catch it, move it with your feet, hold it in different directions as you travel, balance it on different body parts." Dancers can dance individually or work with a partner. Alternating self-space and general space creates a nice exploration.
- Activity Songs: For ages 2 to 7, choose music under the concept of place from the Music for Young Children list in appendix D. Instrumental pieces in that list (marked with an asterisk *) are appropriate for any age.
Shaping
- Moving Shapes: "Make a shape. Move that shape to a new place in the room. Shake out the shape, and try a new shape. Now move the new shape to a different place in the room." Continue. You can ask the dancers to gallop the shape, turn the shape, and so on, or let them figure out their own movement. Encourage them to hold the shape as they move.
- Body Halves: "Freeze the lower half of your body in a shape. When the music starts, dance with the upper half of your body in self-space. When the music stops, freeze the upper half in a shape and dance with the lower half through general space." Students alternate upper and lower halves dancing. More experienced dancers can also alternate right and left halves.
- Geometric Shapes: "Make a triangle shape with your body in self-space. Can you move that shape through general space while tracing a triangle on the floor? (Young dancers can relax the shape before tracing the shape through space.) Try making a circle body shape, then tracing a circle on the floor. Now try a square, a figure 8, and a rectangle." This can also be done in pairs or groups. The groups can create a large shape and move it through space.
- Copy Shapes: "Make a shape. Remember the shape by closing your eyes and feeling the shape in your muscles. Open your eyes, gallop through general space to a new spot, and make the same shape. That is shape number 1. Shake out the shape, and make shape number 2. Close your eyes, feel the shape, open your eyes, and skip to a new spot. Remake shape number 2." Continue this way for 4 or 5 shapes. "Can anyone remember their shape number 1?" This helps the dancers to make very different shapes. Encourage level changes and using different body parts, sizes, and directions. More experienced dancers can dance any way they like through general space.
- Three Shapes: "Make three shapes in self-space - shape! shape! shape! Gallop that shape through general space to a new place. Make three new shapes - shape! shape! shape! Turn the last shape to a new place." Have students repeat the activity, practicing different locomotor movements through general space. They can also work with partners, dancing with the partner through general space or dancing away from the partner.
- Copycat: "Find a partner. Partner 1 makes a shape. Partner 2 copies the shape. Partner 1 comes alive and dances through general space. Partner 2 changes the shape when partner 1 leaves. Partner 1 returns to partner 2 and copies the new shape. Now partner 2 dances away while partner 1 changes into a new shape." Encourage use of levels, size, directions, and so on. Continue until the music stops.
- Shape Museum: Half of the students form various shape statues that are spread around the room in self-space. The other half dance around the shapes, then copy the shapes at random. Only one dancer at a time should copy a statue. When a statue has been copied, the statue comes alive and becomes a dancer. A statue stays frozen until copied by a dancer. Encourage dancers to use different movements while dancing from statue to statue. They can move under and over statues if possible. As a variation, statues could change shapes when they are not being copied. This is a good exploration for large classes or small spaces because only half the dancers are moving at a given time. Young children can do this activity with a partner. After the statue has been copied, he or she dances away while the partner forms a new shape. Then the one dancing away returns to copy the new statue. This is a favorite activity and has many variations in subsequent chapters.
- Sculptor and Clay: "Find a partner. Your partner will be a statue. Mold your statue into a shape. Move your statue's body parts very gently. Statue, hold your shape. Sculptor, remember to mold your partner into a shape that will be comfortable to maintain." Reverse roles. With inexperienced students, be more directed. For example, ask the sculptors to mold specific shapes such as big and little, high and low, or strong and light. They could mold verbs, adjectives, emotions, letters, numbers, and more.
- Group Sculptor and Clay: "Half the class will stand, sit, or lie in a neutral shape. The other half will move around the shapes and mold or move one body part, then move to the next shape. The shapes are continually being changed by the sculptors who are moving quickly from one shape to the next. Statues are in self-space. Sculptors are dancing through general space." Have dancers reverse roles. This is great fun to watch. Large classes can be divided into audience and performers. Be sure to change roles, even in large classes.
- Prepositions: "Dancers, find partners. One of you will make a shape while the other moves through, under, over, or around you to create a new shape. Continue taking turns." Use Chinese jump ropes or full-body resistance bands to add dimension to the shapes.
- Shape Chain: Form the class into groups of six to eight dancers so that everyone gets multiple turns to make new shapes in the chain. "The first dancer in each group will make a shape. The next dancer in each group will make a different shape, connecting to the first dancer. Each dancer dances down the chain past the shapes and connects to the last with a different shape. When the first dancer becomes the last in line, he or she moves down the chain and reconnects to the chain. The chain keeps going until dancers run out of room or a signal is given to stop."
Forming a shape chain.
Instruments
- General Space/Self-Space: Dancers alternate playing an instrument through general space, and putting the instrument down and dancing around it in self-space.
- Self-Space/General Space: Dancers play instruments and move in self-space, then put the instrument down and dance away. Remind dancers to dance around or leap over instruments, moving safely.
- Partners: Dancers dance toward a partner and try to make music together, then dance away and make music alone. Have them alternate dancing together and apart.
- Continuous: Dancers alternate self- and general-space dancing while continuously playing an instrument. Signal the change of place with a drumbeat or gong; use a folk dance tune to provide phrases of music; or use the Ella Jenkins song "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound." (See appendix D.) With this song, students dance in self-space when a specified instrument plays and general space when everyone plays together.
- Freeze: Dancers play and dance in general space until the music pauses, then freeze in self-space and are silent. Have them alternate playing and freezing. Then, dancers try reversing this idea so that they move and play in self-space and then move silently through general space.
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Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
Depending on the length of your lesson, choose one or two activities from the Developing Skills, Turning, Combining Movements, and Leaping sections.
Developing Skills
- Locomotor Movements: Students practice locomotor movements in different pathways. Point out that when moving in a straight pathway, the most natural body position is one that is vertical. "If you want to move with ease in a curved pathway, your body needs to curve in the direction you are moving. When curving or circling left, your body should curve or lean left. When moving with ease in a zigzag pathway, your lower body needs to make sudden shifts from left to right, right to left, forward to backward, or backward to forward. This is most easily accomplished if you stay grounded, using bent knees, which allows you to shift weight." See chapter 5 for more ways to practice movements in different pathways.
- Nonlocomotor Movements: Dancers practice doing nonlocomotor movements in self-space. Certain movements draw certain pathways in the air. Carving, twisting, turning, and swinging generally create curved pathways in self-space. Pushing, pulling, stretching, slashing, gliding, and punching generally create straight pathways. Poking, flicking, dabbing, dodging, bending, and shaking generally create zigzag pathways in self-space. Depending on individual interpretations, some people may disagree about what types of pathways result from these movements. Discuss the dancers' impressions with them. When you take the nonlocomotor movements through general space, the easiest pathway to move in is a straight pathway. Even turning is most easily accomplished in a straight line across the floor. However, dancers should practice these nonlocomotor movements through general space in all pathways.
- Sliding: Dancers practice zigzag slides. "Slide 8 times forward left, then 8 times forward right across the floor. Next, try 4 slides left and 4 slides right, then 2 slides left and 2 slides right." Encourage the dancers to bend their knees in order to shift weight quickly from left to right. Try one slide right and one left repeatedly.
- Galloping/Polka: "Practice 4 gallops with the right foot leading and then 4 gallops with the left foot leading repeatedly." Encourage the dancers to lean slightly right and left to help with the weight shift. "Try 2 gallops with the right foot and 2 gallops with the left foot. Practice doing this sequence while turning to the right or left. This is the polka. Practice holding both hands with a partner. The reason the polka can seem so difficult is because you are doing three pathways simultaneously. You are moving in a zigzag pathway because of the constant shift of weight from left to right. You are turning (in a curved pathway) while moving in a straight (or curved) pathway down the floor." The dancers learn the polka more quickly and easily when it is explored through pathways instead of steps.
- River Run: "Practice running like a river - smoothly and in a curved pathway. The arms are by your sides, not stiff, but controlled." Try using the image of invisible arms. "The body must curve or lean right and left in whatever direction the pathway curves. Keep the knees bent and body relaxed. This will allow you to run very quickly but smoothly in a curved pathway. You may add swirls whenever you feel like it."
- Marching: Marching is a good step for straight pathways, because the accent is always on the same foot (2/4 or 4/4 beat). Have dancers practice marching in different directions, with different-sized steps and different speeds, in straight pathways.
- Lunging: Students can practice lunges (see chapter 5) in straight pathways by keeping the steps and body surface forward. They can lunge in zigzag pathways by rotating the legs and body outward on the diagonal, alternating right and left facings.
- Waltz Run: Dancers can do the waltz run (three quick steps - down, up, up) in any pathway, but it lends itself to zigzags because the accent changes from the right foot to the left foot with every three steps (3/4 meter). For this pathway, dancers would move three steps to the forward right (down, up, up), then three steps to the forward left (down, up, up), then to the right, and so on. Rotation of the hip joint outward helps dancers perform this step in a zigzag pathway.
- Jumps and Hops: Dancers practice these two movements in straight and curved pathways, then try some zigzag combinations - forward, backward, forward, backward; left, right, left, right; forward, backward, left, right.
- Step - Hop: Dancers practice step - hops in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways. A step - hop is similar to a skip, except that it is even in rhythm (2/4 meter). A skip has uneven rhythm (6/8). A nice step - hop combination is step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, hop, hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop. The step - hop, hop, hop sequences could be done in a straight pathway while the step - hops are done in a zigzag or circular pathway.
- Schottische: Dancers practice the schottische (shot ish), a common folk dance step. It goes step, step, step - hop; step, step, step - hop; step - hop, step - hop, step - hop, step - hop (4/4 time). Dancers can do this step in all pathways, with or without partners.
- Gallop With Arms: Dancers practice galloping or skipping with the arms swinging forward and backward. The legs move in a zigzag pathway (up and down) while the arms swing in a curved pathway.
- Fancy Skip: Dancers practice the fancy skip described in the Developing Skills section of chapter 9. Focus on the idea of pathways as the arms trace curved pathways in the air, the front leg traces a zigzag pathway, and the back leg traces a straight pathway.
Turning
- Chaînés: Dancers practice chaîné turns in a straight pathway across the floor, a circular pathway, and a zigzag pathway by shifting weight and changing directions every four turns or so.
- Copycat: Let dancers create different turns. "Choose several turns to copy, and decide in which pathways to do the turns."
- Levels: "Practice turning across the floor sinking and rising to give the impression of a zigzag pathway in the air."
- Barrel Turns: Dancers practice barrel turns and leap turns in a circular pathway.
Combining Movements
- Word Cards: Choose six word cards to inspire a new movement phrase, selecting a combination of locomotor and nonlocomotor movements. Put the words into a logical sequence, such as sway, turn, skip, slash, gallop, stretch. Dancers practice the sequence in a straight pathway, a curved pathway, and a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence in half and choose two pathways to use; perhaps the dancers will do the first half in a curved pathway and the second half in a zigzag pathway. Then divide the sequence into thirds so dancers practice the combination using all three pathways.
- Partners: Put together a simple combination such as slide, run, jump, shape. Dancers practice the combination in a straight pathway to their partners then do it away from their partners in a curved pathway. Explore different combinations of pathways.
- ABC: Create a combination for your students using all three pathways. For example, march 4 counts in a straight pathway, slide right, left, right, left 8 counts in a zigzag pathway, river run 4 counts in a curved pathway. Dancers repeat the combination adding arm movements. Add the waltz run, polka, schottische, and other steps for more complex combinations.
- Folk Dance: Many folk dances make use of different pathways. For example, Virginia reel includes straight, curvy, and zigzag pathways. Mayim and Ve David use straight and curvy pathways. You can create your own repeating patterns to folk dance music such as zigzag slide 8 counts, turn 8 counts, move any way in a straight pathway 8 counts, run backward to your partner 8 counts, create four shapes with your partner 16 counts, turn away from your partner 8 counts. Teach authentic and creative folk dances to your students. Then students can create their own dances in the Creating section of dance class. Instructions for circle dances and folk dances are in Brain-Compatible Dance Education (Gilbert, 2006).
- Pictures: Choose three pathway designs, and put them in an order. These designs may inspire you to create a new movement phrase for your students to learn, practice, and then embellish themselves.
- Cinquain: Create a cinquain focusing on pathways. The dancers could help by making suggestions for different words. Read the cinquain as the dancers illustrate each word through movement. Pause between words to give time for movements or repeat some words to allow more time for movement. As a variation, dancers could recite the poem while they dance.
Pathways
Curved, straight
Swirling, dodging, pushing
Bodies connecting through space
Lines
- Line Design: Have each dancer draw a line connecting to the previous one on a long piece of paper or a whiteboard. Each line should represent a specific pathway. When the line is completed, choose a movement to represent each line sequence. The shape, level, size, and pathway of the line should give you an idea for movement. Put the movements together into a combination that follows the order of the line, and have dancers perform it as a group study. If the class is large, put dancers into pairs. One can draw the line and the other can choose the movement.
Leaping
- Obstacles: Create a leaping course for dancers by placing cartons, cones, or spots in straight, curved, or zigzag pathways. Remind dancers about the mechanics of leaping over obstacles in different pathways - straight bodies for straight pathways, curved bodies for circular pathways, and shifting weight for zigzag pathways.
- Combinations: Using cartons or spots, create a leaping course for your students that alternates pathways in different ways. For example, set up obstacles in a curved, straight, curved, straight course.
- Arms/Legs: "Make straight, curved, or zigzag arm shapes and movements while leaping through empty space. Try leg shapes that use a bent front leg and straight back leg, straight front leg and bent back leg, or both legs bent."
- Groups: Divide the class into groups and have them create their own leaping course with cartons and cones and spots. Each group should have the opportunity to try all the courses.
- Lines: Create a circular course for your students with cartons or spots, and add a straight section using benches or a line on the floor. Dancers leap in a circular pathway to the line, then travel on the line or bench in a straight pathway, and end in a curved, straight, or zigzag shape on a spot. Instead of a straight pathway, create a zigzag path for your students with the benches or lines.
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