"I teach dance education because dance saved my life, and I want to pass its values on to the next generation. Dance teaches students to understand the basic concepts of art and beauty through
movement, and it helps young people to become citizens who are
more aware of the world around them."
I invite you to look at my lesson plans below
CREATIVE LESSON PLAN
Creating Connections from Imagery to Movement though Improvisation
This lesson is intended for a small class of high school students who have been dancing for 2 years. The students taking this class are also enrolled in a dance composition course, which will feed into the concepts discussed in this lesson. This lesson builds on exploration as dancers create shapes and ideas that are reminiscent of images. Students will work to create a storyline with multiple images and emobdy those images through shapes. Students will perform their dances for the class and reflect upon their expereince with a journal entry/free write.
Class will conclude with a cool down
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
• What do these images remind you of?
• How can you embody the feelings of an image?
• What kinds of shapes could fit into your image?
• How can you embody what you see in an image by creating shapes with your body?
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will be able to:
• Articulate connections between movement and images through discussion
National Dance Standard: (4) Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in dance. Texas Dance Guidelines: (B1:C) Experimentation Explore movement to a variety of sensory stimuli such as sight, sound, and touch.
• Demonstrate a dance phrase by performing for the class
National Dance Standard: (1) Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance. Texas Dance Guidelines: (3A) Performance Recognize that dance requires concentration.
• Write about the experience of creating shapes through imagery by journal/free write
National Dance Standard: (7) Making connections between dance and other disciplines
Texas Dance Guidelines: (D1)
Response Verbalize the meaning of dances choreographed to tell a story.
MATERIALS NEEDED
• Journal and writing utensil
• Video of images and small posters of images
PROCEDURE
INTRO AND WARM-UP
(TOGETHER- 15 minutes)
• Teacher will lead a warm up while displaying a video on a large screen at the front of class. Warm up moves will closely replicate shapes, images, and emotions from the video. Students will follow along.
· Questions to ask before/during/after warm up: What types of images do you see in video? What types of images do you see in movement? How would you embody the images you see on the screen? What do the images remind you of? Teacher will commentate on connections from video to movement as the warm-up proceeds.
TRANSITION
· Students will be asked to find their own space in the studio
· Students will be given 5 images (at random) to use for the next section
EXPLORATION
(AWAY-25 minutes)
· Teacher will prompt students to explore movement on their own through improvisation. Students will explore by accessing ideas, feelings, and shapes that are connected to the images.
· Students will create a 1 minute dance with a beginning, middle, and end, and be prepared to perform the dance for class.
· Students are not allowed to visit with others as they work.
· Teacher will play instrumental music/pandora station
· Teacher will visit with each student as the class continues to keep them on track and remind them of time limit.
TRANSITION
· Students will be asked to sit at the front of the studio
· Students will be reminded of audience participation guidelines
· Teacher will tell audience what to look for as they watch
PERFORM AND DISCUSS
(TOGETHER-15 minutes)
· Students will perform their solos to the class
· Class will participate in short discussion of each dance
· Questions to ask before/during/after each solo: What types of images do you see in the solo? What does the movement remind you of? Did you get a sense of storyline as you watched? What constructive feedback could you offer the dancer?
· Soloist will reveal images used in dance at the end of solo
PERSONAL REFLECTION
(AWAY-5 minutes)
· Students will write in journal about their experience
· Questions to prompt free write: What was new to you about this experience? What did it feel like as you were moving? What storyline did you create with your images?
CLASS COOL DOWN
(TOGETHER)
· Class will form a large circle
· Teacher will lead students in a cool down
· Teacher will leave the class with some final thoughts about lesson
· Think about the images you had, and the movement you created based on those images. Why do you think you connected your image and movement in that way? What other factors were informing you in your decisions? Could your images be connected in another way to create another storyline? Use what we learned today to continue exploring movement from image.
BALLET TECHNIQUE LESSON PLAN
Basic ballet technique with an emphasis on performance
This ballet lesson is intended for beginner ballet students who are at a high school level and have been dancing for about a semester. The lesson will focus on performance qualities used in ballet. We will explore how professional ballet dancers dance by watching a performance video and work toward embodying their qualities through a beginner technique class. Students will participate in a classic ballet barre exercise, a petit allegro combination, and finally, students will create their own dance combination using movement from class and effort qualities as discussed. These activities will then lead into a performance for peers with discussion on what they learned and how they applied it in their groups.
Lesson will conclude with a cool down and reverence
Essential Questions
• What efforts do ballet dancers use while they perform?
• How can we as dancers embody these qualities?
• Which strategies work best when embodying these efforts?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
• Articulate 3-5 efforts/qualities seen in video by listing them on a chart
Texas State Standards (2A) Communicate using appropriate anatomical terminology
National Standard (1) Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
• Demonstrate efforts/qualities through movement exploration
Texas State Standards (1C) Communicate non-verbally using dance movements (2) Creative expression/performance National Standard (2) Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
• Differentiate which strategies yield the best qualities when performing through discussion and peer coaching
Texas State Standards (1A) Demonstrate refined kinesthetic and spatial awareness, using self-evaluation, insights, movement inflection, and interpretation. (1B) The student develops sensitivity toward others when working in groups (3D) Create a solo and/or group dance using thematic development, variation, and resolution to successfully communicate an idea. National Standards (4) Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in dance
Materials Needed:
• Ballet barres
• Proper attire and ballet shoes
• Paper and writing utensil
• Power resistant bands
PROCEDURE:
INTRODUCTION & WARM UP
(TOGETHER)
• Introduction to class (Hi class! Today we will be exploring the ways in which ballet dancers move. To begin, what is an effort? How does an effort change our movement? Think about these things as we warm up with a classic ballet barre)
• Follow the leader warm up (Teacher will say how to do each section of the barre by calling out the efforts/qualities. For example “reach your hands up to the sky in a slow way. Move your feet quickly, and glide your foot out into second position,” to name a few.) Barre exercises that are worked on in every class: alignment, placement, foot positions, tendu, demi-plie and grande-plie, degage, battement and grande battement, ron de jambe, and port de bras.
TRANSITION
· Put the ballet barres away then grab your water bottles and power-resistant bands. Meet me on the other side of the studio. As you watch this video- work on stretching and articulating your feet.
WATCH A VIDEO
(AWAY)
• Watch a short performance video of a professional ballet dance company
• Discuss with the class which efforts/qualities were utilized in movement
How did the dancers move? What qualities did they utilize as you watched? What did their qualities remind you of?
• If time permits ask students to come up with a metaphor or similes for 1 quality. Is there an object you can relate the qualities to? Examples: “She moved her feet so quickly, it was as if she were standing on quicksand,” or “She was quick like a rocket,” or “he moved light as a feather.”
TRANSITION
· Put your water bottles and power resistant bands away and join me in the center.
PETITE ALLEGRO
(TOGETHER)
• Teacher demonstrates petite allegro (Jete, jete, jete, temps leve X2, jete temps leve, X2, pas du burre, changement X2)
• Students learn combination and teacher asks questions: What qualities are you sensing as you dance? Do you feel light and quick like the dancers on the video? As you practice think about the strategies you are using to implement the qualities/efforts from the video. What are you thinking about as you move?
TRANSITION
· Get in groups of 4 or 5 and find your own space to work in the studio
CREATE (SMALL GROUPS/TOGETHER)
• Rearrange material from class by collaborating with group
• Choose one effort/quality that your group will focus on (light/quick/heavy etc.)
• Work on your combination for 8 minutes and be prepared to perform for class
(As groups are working, teacher walks around and helps students stay on track, encourages students to recall efforts from class/video, and assigns each group a number)
TRANSITION
· Get your water bottles and come sit at the front of the studio, group one is on the floor ready to go. Audience I want to remind you to be respectful and pay attention. Think about which efforts the dancers are using. What strategies are they utilizing to maintain their efforts? What could the group as a whole do to enhance their performance?
EVALUATE
(TOGETHER)
• Dancers perform work in groups.
• Discussion on work (performance qualities and possibly creative/choreographic choices)
• Class offers two things group can improve for next time
ENDING
(AWAY)
Traditional/Russian reverence with performance qualities
DANCE MASTER LESSON PLAN
This lesson plan is intended for 12th graders/Advanced dancers and explores American Dance Master William Forsythe. The lesson will build upon learning about Forsythes’ history, work, methods (or techniques), and the technology he utilizes to create dance. Furthermore, we will implement his practices by embodying his movement into our own bodies. Lastly, we will create our own dance using Forsythes’ methods to present to the class for critical analysis.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. How is William Forsythe contributing to the dance community?
2. What are the things that helped shape William Forsythe’s work?
3. What other mediums does Forsythe utilize in his work, and how is he doing so?
4. How can we embody Forsythe’s techniques as we dance?
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will be able to:
1. Articulate three ways William Forsythe is contributing to the dance community by writing a short essay.
National Standards:
TEKS:
2. Describe at least two ways in which William Forsythes’ work is different from other choreographers/dancers/genres etc. through classroom discussion.
National Standards:
1. Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
2. Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
3. Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
4. Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in dance
5. Demonstrating and understanding dance in various cultures and historical periods
TEKS:
3. Adapt William Forsythe’s techniques into a dance practice by showing the class a dance performance.
National Standards:
1. Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
2. Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
3. Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
4. Making connections between dance and healthful living
TEKS:
MATERIALS NEEDED
PROCEDURE
ENGAGE
EXPLAIN
ELABORATE
EVALUATE
Sources:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter117/index.html
http://www.aahperd.org/nda/profdevelopment/standards.cfm
This lesson plan is intended for 12th graders/Advanced dancers and explores American Dance Master William Forsythe. The lesson will build upon learning about Forsythes’ history, work, methods (or techniques), and the technology he utilizes to create dance. Furthermore, we will implement his practices by embodying his movement into our own bodies. Lastly, we will create our own dance using Forsythes’ methods to present to the class for critical analysis.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. How is William Forsythe contributing to the dance community?
2. What are the things that helped shape William Forsythe’s work?
3. What other mediums does Forsythe utilize in his work, and how is he doing so?
4. How can we embody Forsythe’s techniques as we dance?
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will be able to:
1. Articulate three ways William Forsythe is contributing to the dance community by writing a short essay.
National Standards:
- Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
- Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
- Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in dance
TEKS:
- Identify historical figure(s) and their significance in dance history
- Develop sensitivity toward others when working in groups.
- Communicate using anatomical and dance terminology correctly
2. Describe at least two ways in which William Forsythes’ work is different from other choreographers/dancers/genres etc. through classroom discussion.
National Standards:
1. Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
2. Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
3. Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
4. Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in dance
5. Demonstrating and understanding dance in various cultures and historical periods
TEKS:
- Knowledge and skills
- Develop sensitivity toward others when working in groups.
- Response/evaluation. The student makes informed judgments about dance's form, meaning, and role in society.
- Evaluate personal work and the work of others, using a valid rationale and demonstrating sensitivity toward others
- Analyze technology's effects on the professions of dance and other fine arts
3. Adapt William Forsythe’s techniques into a dance practice by showing the class a dance performance.
National Standards:
1. Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
2. Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures
3. Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
4. Making connections between dance and healthful living
TEKS:
- Identify the effective use of dance elements in practice.
- Perform basic compositional forms, using fundamental choreographic processes
- Express ideas and emotions through movement
- Interpret images found in the environment through movement
- Develop sensitivity toward others when working in groups.
- The student develops an awareness of the body's movement, using sensory information while dancing.
- Demonstrate refined kinesthetic and spatial awareness, using self-evaluation, insights, movement inflection, and interpretation
MATERIALS NEEDED
- Journal and writing utensil
- Internet access to One Flat Thing Reproduced, William Fortsythe’s Company Website, and other various YouTube videos of William Forsythe dancing.
PROCEDURE
ENGAGE
- Class will watch “One Flat Thing Reproduced,” explore Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced (an interactive website), and participate in a group discussion.
- Teacher will lead class in-group discussion as students answer questions such as: Who this artist is? What he is doing? What is successful or unsuccessful about the work? And who else in the dance community is doing this type of work?
- Students will break up into five groups and each group will be instructed to research a particular area regarding the artist.
- Areas include (but are not limited to) Group 1: History, Group 2: influence, Group 3: technology, Group 4: education, and Group 5: techniques used in his practice (what is different about him?)
EXPLAIN
- Each group will present findings to the class through an informal classroom presentation and provide three main points regarding their topic.
- Students will then participate in a self-warm up as they reflect upon the main points regarding this artist.
ELABORATE
- Teacher will lead students in a “non-repeat” score and dancers will investigate the technique involved in this score, through solo-body exploration.
- Teacher will set up dance video of artist and guide students in a transition from warm up to dance practice using techniques of artist displayed in the video. (Students will embody the movement seen on video as it plays).
- Teacher will transition students into a short improvisation session to further explore this score without the video. Teacher will instruct students to prepare a 1-2 minute improvisational dance using this method.
EVALUATE
- Students will perform their explorations one by one to the class as the video plays in the background (behind the dancer).
- Class will compare dancer and video as the dancer performs.
- Class will discuss and offer up various ways each dancer can enhance this technique and/or embody the methods better within their practice.
- Students will then write a short essay stating three ways this artist has contributed to the dance community, what they will take away from learning about this artist, how this method felt in their bodies, and what this method looked like as we watched the dancers dance.
Sources:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter117/index.html
http://www.aahperd.org/nda/profdevelopment/standards.cfm