Dance
Dancing is a special way for students to both get exercise, explore their body, and learn how to express their emotions through non-vocal communication. I have taken dance classes all my life and have choreographed multiple shows, and I find that dance is the one way that students are able to have fun and complete something amazing without ever looking at a script.
Dance
Projects/Assessments
Week 3: Student perform small, choreographed ballet dance for assessment, based on rubric.
Week 5: Student perform small, choreographed jazz dance for assessment, based on rubric.
Week 7: Student perform small, choreographed tap dance for assessment, based on rubric.
Week 11: Dance styles/ forms presentations.
Week 17: Groups perform choreographed dances for a grade, participation in talk-back is also considered for an added grade.
Week 1: Students are welcomed into the classroom and are taught basic differences in types of dance through examples of videos and vocabulary.
Week 2-3: Basics of ballet are taught, including all foot positions, arm positions and basic techniques including en barre and open-floor dancing. This will culminate into a small, choreographed section to be performed for a grade.
Week 4-5: Basics of jazz are taught, including foot and arm positions as well as basic techniques that culminate into a small, choreographed section to be performed by the students for a grade.
Week 6-7: Students are taught basics in tap performance, beginning with single step foot work, to double step, into floor-crossing foot work. This will culminate into a choreographed section to be performed for a grade.
Week 8-9: Students return to the classroom, and begin a history of dance, beginning with Ballet into Modern, with talking points focused on Afro-Cuban Styles, Kabuki, Latin, Tango, and Acrobatic Dance.
Week 10: Students choose a dance artist or form they want to present on and begin both making a visual presentation to the shared, and learning a small amount of their chosen dance moves that they will teach to the class.
Week 11: Students present their dance forms throughout the week, in both lecture and hands-on teaching.
Week 12-16: Students choose a dance style, or figure to study and either re-create or create a new dance with the move set created by the style/person. This dance sequence should include move sets that the students are able to accomplish, with the amount of people per dance. In this project multiple students can be in multiple dances; however, they must rehearse with the groups when needed. This time in the semester is student-led with additional help provided from the teacher.
Week 17: Student's perform their pieces for the class and engage in a talk-back asking questions about the process, the dance style and the topics the children learned during.