Inspiration for Creating Dance

This unit is one of two units revised from the dance Course Profiles written in 1999.  These two units from this profile have been revised to be more appropriate to the curriculum revisions in 2010.  Both units may be used in isolation or as the basis for an intermediate dance class. 

Note:  These revised units contain many different portfolio components.  These components can be used as mini-assignments on their own or the teacher can incorporate any or all of them into a portfolio assignment as he or she sees fit for his/her course.  

Other Unit Available:   

Unit 4 - The Grande Finale

Unit Overview - Inspiration for Creating Dance

Students continue to develop technique in this unit and are also guided through the process of creating dance from a source. Students compose dance in small groups utilizing a variety of sources/stimuli, explore options in accompaniment and incorporate elements of stagecraft to present a completed work. Students develop skills in the use of the language of dance criticism while participating in self- and peer-assessment.

Notes

• This unit can be adapted to suit the dance form or one of the dance forms being taught in the course.
• The teacher may want students to have prior knowledge, understanding and experience with the elements of dance (body, energy, relationship, space, time) before starting this unit, as well as the basic choreographic forms (ABA, Theme and Variation, Round, etc.) although these will be reviewed during this unit.

Big Ideas/Guiding Questions for Unit

• Can dance successfully communicate your important feelings and ideas?
• Does all work that you compose through the creative process need presentation to an audience to be fulfilling?
• Does an audience need to understand the intent of the choreographer to truly understand and/or relate to a dance work?

Learning Goals

• Use the elements of dance to create and perform a variety of movement phrases inspired by different sources.
• Manipulate three or more elements of dance in movement phrases.
• Use improvisation to develop movement phrases.
• Use choreographic forms, techniques and structures to connect movement phrases.
• Accurately demonstrate dance technique.
• Provide feedback to others to help their development of movement skills.
• Use feedback from teachers and peers to improve their work in dance.
• Describe their development as a dancer using portfolio materials.
• Demonstrate the ability to describe movements as well as perform them.
• Apply dance studio roles and responsibilities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of safety issues in dance class; character traits needed in dance class; copyrighted music and choreographic work.
• Apply stage presence in rehearsal and performance.
• Use the tools of stagecraft to enhance presentation.

Materials

• Visual examples of dance with a variety of different accompaniment.
• Audio examples of a variety of different accompaniment.
• Inspiration for dance composition, such as books, short stories, poetry, visual art, music, photographs, etc.
• Props such as scarves, rope, musical instruments, etc.
• TV/DVD/VCR/Stereo System
• Computer lab, library and/or music room
• Chart paper and markers
• Teacher-designed Guided Improvisation Activity
• Index cards and/or student notebooks/journals
• Samples of Dance Programs
• Video Recording Device
• BLM#1 - Review of Compositional Forms
• BLM#2 - The Creative Process
• BLM#3 - Observations and Impressions
• BLM#4 - Rubric for Evaluating Group Collaboration
• BLM#5 - Rubric for Evaluating Group Composition
• BLM#6 - Rubric for Evaluating Dance Technique
• BLM#7 - Transition Activity
• BLM#8 - The Critical Analysis Process
• BLM#9 - Peer Observation Sheet
• BLM#10 - Program Notes Assignment and Rubric
• BLM#11 - Portfolio Component Three Assignment and Rubric (Imaging Dance)
• BLM#12 - Portfolio Component Four Assignment and Rubric (Stagecraft)

Assessment

Notes/Differentiated Instruction

Students will have the opportunity to read about, listen to, view, and participate in a variety of dance techniques.

Students will have the opportunity to work individually, with partners, in small groups and as a whole class.

The teacher can post visual reminders of key concepts in the unit with such tools as word walls, anchor charts, topic headings and enlarged rubrics.

Resources

Allen, Lillian. Conditions Critical. Verse to Vinyl Records. Distributor: Festival Records, Vancouver, British Columbia. V5V 3M6 (604) 879-2931 Fax (604) 879-4315.

Allen, Lillian. Nothing but A Hero. Verse to Vinyl Records/SOCAN, 1986. PO Box 311, Station E, Toronto, Ontario. M6H 4E3. (416) 922-5602.

Allen, Lillian. Revolutionary Tea Party. Verse to Vinyl Records/SOCAN, 1986. PO Box 311, Station E, Toronto, Ontario. M6H 4E3. (416) 922-5602.

Coerr, Eleanor. Sadako and The Thousand Paper Cranes. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1977. ISBN 0440474655

Fox, Mem. Feather and Fools. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1989. ISBN 0152004734

UNICEF. I dream of peace: Images of war by children of former Yugoslavia. Toronto: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. ISBN 0062511289

Additional Resources

Beatty, Patricia. Form Without Formula. Toronto: Underwhich Editions, 1985. ISBN 0886580374.

Blom, Lynne Anne and L. Tarin Chaplin. The Intimate Act of Choreography. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1982. ISBN 0822934639

Blom, Lynne Ann and L. Tarin Chaplin. The Moment of Movement - Dance Improvisation. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1988. ISBN 0822935864

Cohen, Selma Jeanne, ed. Dance as a Theatre Art: Source Readings in Dance History from 1581 to the Present. 2^nd ed. Princeton Books, 1992. ISBN 0871271737

Ewing, William A. Breaking Bounds: The Dance Photography of Lois Greenfield. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1992. ISBN 0811802329

Franklin, Eric. Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance. Windsor: Human Kinetics, 1996. ISBN 0873229436

Knaster, Mirka. Discovering The Body’s Wisdom. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1996. ISBN 0553373277

Messinger, W.E. and W.H. New. A 20th Century Anthology: Essays, Stories, and Poems. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc., 1984. ISBN 0139349448

Schrader, Constance A. A Sense of Dance: Exploring Your Movement Potential. Windsor: Human Kinetics, 1996. ISBN 0873224760

Tufnell, Miranda and Chris Crickmay. Body, Space, Image. Toronto: Virago Press Limited, 1990. ISBN 1853811319

Newspapers

The Globe and Mail – contributing writers such as Paula Citron, Robert Everett-Green, Alina Gildiner, Deirdre Kelly, and Liam Lacey

The Toronto Star – contributing writers such as Paula Citron, Michael Crabb, Dierdre Kelly, and William Littler

Periodicals

Contact Quarterly

Dance Chronicle

Dance Collection Danse

Dance Scope

Dance Magazine

Dance Teacher Now

The Dance Current

The Dancing Times

The New Yorker

Vandance

The New Dance Review, New York

Videos/ Films

Dancing. Los Angeles: Thirteen/WNT Productions and RM Arts, 1993. Programs 1-8, 58 min.

Program 1:  “The Power of Dance”

Program 5:  “New Worlds, New Forms”

Program 6:  “Dance Centrestage”

Program 7:  “The Individual and Tradition”

Program 8:  “Dancing in One World”

The Dancemakers: Dance Video Series & Videos Toronto: Arts Inter-Media Canada/Dance Collection Danse, 1995. ISBN 0929003314

Web Sites

dcd.ca  Tel: 1-800-665-5320

www.dancecritics.org

www.something-fishy.org

www.theatrebooks.com