Lesson 2 - Giving, Sharing and Receiving

Creating, Presenting and Performing

A1. The Creative Process: use the creative process, the elements of dance, and a variety of sources to develop movement vocabulary 

A1.2 create and perform movement phrases that use the elements of dance to express physical or emotional states;

A1.3 use improvisation and the elements of dance to show how movement and body language are used for non-verbal communication in daily life;

A2. Choreography and Composition: combine the elements of dance in a variety of ways in composing individual and ensemble dance creations

A2.1 use a variety of choreographic forms, structures and techniques to create and perform a series of movement phrases

A2.2 create and perform movement phrases inspired by a theme of workplace skill building;

A2.3 identify and use a variety of compositional approaches to communicate ideas and feelings through dance. 

Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing

B3: Connections Beyond the Classroom: demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and possibilities of continuing engagement in dance arts

Foundations

C3: Responsible Practices: demonstrate an understanding of safe, ethical, and responsible personal and interpersonal practices in dance activities

C3.1 identify and follow responsible practices while creating, performing and viewing dance; and

C3.2 demonstrate collaborative skills in a variety of situations and settings.

Learning Goals

(Unpacked Expectations)

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• demonstrate the basic principles of contact improvisation;
• express the power of working with a partner both physically and creatively
• create a short composition that integrates partner work and the key elements of contact improvisation.

Readiness

Students will need to know the roles involved in any gesture of kindness (the giver and the receiver) and the concept of an action having a reaction. They will be able to integrate the elements of dance into compositional work. Throughout the course experiences, students will be constantly working in an environment that nurtures both safe practices and genuine trust amongst peers and the teacher.

Terminology

Materials

Cue cards

Portfolios

Music (from sources that represent varying

tempi and genres)
 

BLMs

Individual/Pairs/Whole Class > Reflection and Discussion

Give students the first few minutes of class to review their Ripple Effect Maps and to complete the second side to BLM #1  (related to giving, sharing and receiving). Guide students to turn to a partner of their choice to share one or two elements of their entry through dialogue related to the workplace "ring". Give students the opportunity to share their thoughts with the whole class. Within the whole class discussion, refer back to the pebble (the initiation/the action) and the resulting ripples in the water (the reaction). Inform students that they will engage in partner work throughout the lesson in order to further experience giving, sharing and receiving through weight and movement. If any of the students are not presently working, they can tailor the discussion and the responses to a job that they previously had or to another ring on the map (i.e. family).

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Teacher Observation
Whole Class Discussion
Teacher Feedback

Assessment as Learning (AaL) 

Peer Feedback
Dynamic Duo Exit Cards
Portfolios (map analysis)

Differentiation (DI)

Utilizing teaching strategies and tools that correlate to student learning styles inventory (i.e. Think, Pair & Share, provide extra time, if required, for portfolio task completion)

Quick Tip

True experts in the field of Contact Improvisation are company members of  Motus O Dance Theatre and Karen and Allen Kaeja, if possible, they would be excellent guest artists to have within the dance studio
For the informal performances, students are encouraged to bring in music to play for their peers

Link and Layer

Partner Work
Trust Exercises
Community Building

Hyperlinks in the Lesson

www.motuso.com

https://www.kaeja.org/

Pairs > Warm Up

Invite students to find a new partner to work with for the warm-up activities. Determine which person in the partnership will lead a warm-up series and which partner will follow the exercises and movements. Direct students to then switch roles for the remainder of the introductory warm-up work. While the students warm-up, play a variety of songs that involve tempo and genre shifts. Lead students through a series of partner stretches (e.g.: sitting back to back with students legs outstretched in sitting 1st/pike position, one student initiates pressing into his or her partner's back, which allows the partner to get a stretch over his or her legs and reverse the action/reaction-based stretch).

Pairs > Contact Improvisation

Instruct students to find a different class member to work with. Call out various body parts (i.e. elbow to elbow, back to back, finger to head) that will become fixed points of contact, while students explore their space and their relationships. Instruct students to sit back to back and link arms. Provide time for students to experiment with standing up and sitting back down in this formation. Ask students to explore the actions of pushing and pulling balances with their partners. Give students the opportunity to share examples of these balances to the rest of the class.

Pairs > Call and Response

For the next phase of this exploration, designate one partner to be the callers and one partner to be the responder. Instruct callers to create a short improvisational phrase. When the phrase resolves, ask responders to kinaesthetically answer their partners' phrases with their own movement sequences. Explore the concept of call and response in these partnerships several times. Allot time for students to reverse roles, as well. Within the partnerships, instruct students to create interactive compositions that include evidence of pushing & pulling, giving & receiving, fixed point of contact and call & response. Encourage students to either work with their own music or to work in silence.

Whole Class > Sharing 

Organize half of the class to share their duets, while the other half of the duets observe. Guide students to then change roles (performers/audience). Facilitate a whole class discussion centering around the question how do our movement experiences and our daily experiences become enhanced by the help and/or the balance of others? 

Pairs > Exit Card

Students will complete the Dynamic Duo exit card with their last partner, prior to leaving the class. (See BLM #3).    
For the next lesson, each student will be expected to bring an article to class that is personally engaging. The article could be from a local or a global source.