Dancing the Dance Concept
To explore the concept, choreograph a simple routine to a nursery rhyme, songlet or chorus.
It only needs to be 4 x 8 counts it needs to be repeated with a 5 second pause in the middle.
I like to choreograph a slightly harder routine for the 4yr olds and over and a very simple one for the 2 and 3 year olds.
Each week this ‘concept’ dance is exactly the same choreography but the way it’s done is different depending on what the movement quality for the week is.
For Example: I choreographed a simple dance for the 2yr olds to a Hi-5 song called Jump Forward, Jump Back (turn around, Jump forward Jump back touch the ground etc…) I chopped the song selecting only the phrase i wanted, inserted a silence in the middle – for the statue shape – and repeated the same song phrase again.
Using this choreography in this class plan you can instruct and show the children how to do it LITTLE ie ‘baby steps’ with all movements close together; creating a LITTLE shape in the pause. Second time through emphasise BIG as much as possible with all movements, jumps, turns with ‘far reach’ making a BIG shape or two at the end.
Planning ahead – in a class with the concept of direction you would use this same choreography but emphasise the direction you were moving in. In a plan with the Speed concept you could do the same choreography first time through as slow as possible and second time through as fast as possible.
This certainly gives your class a sense purpose that’s different each week without you having to spend hours making up new choreography for each part of your class plan.
How have you used the dance concepts in your class plans? Is it successful? Please comment on what has or hasn’t worked for you.
Posted on January 12, 2011