Lesson 4: Expressions of Power Dance

Drama

Drama

• explore ways to negotiate power in role, and analyse the power dynamics in different scenes

Dance

A1.1 Creating and Presenting: translate into movement sequences a variety of images and ideas from other classroom subjects, including the arts

A1.2 Creating and Presenting: use dance language to explore, interpret and communicate ideas derived form a variety of literature sources 

A1.4 Creating and Presenting: use the element of relationship in short dance pieces to communicate an idea

A2.2 Reflecting, Responding and Analysing: identify the elements of dance in their own and others' dance pieces and explain how they help communicate a message

A2.3 Reflecting, Responding and Analysing: identify and give examples of their strengths and areas for growth as dance creators and audience members

Dance

I can:

• use dance language and work with a partner to explore ideas and feelings about the contrast between power and powerlessness
• use the element of relationship in my dance piece
• use the elements of dance to help me create movements and put these ideas into a dance sequence
• express my ideas about inclusion and exclusion by developing a movement sequence with my group
• express what I did well and what I need to work on when creating dance sequences in my journal
• explore how people show their status/power with their bodies

Whole Class > Setting the Context for the Lesson

Explain that this lesson will further explore the concept of power and power relationships, and that students will be challenged to make connections between power, powerlessness, inclusion and exclusion.

Pairs > Performing One Word Scripts of Power

Brainstorm words that are used or associated with getting or having power. Discuss how the idea of power enters conversations and dialogues. Share an example and invite students to share everyday examples from their experience (e.g., a parent and child discussing/negotiating bedtime). 

Organize students into pairs, and ask them to assign themselves as A and B. Give A the word "yes" and B the word "no." Challenge students to adopt a stance inspired by their word and to improvise a dialogue using only those two words. Encourage students to experiment with voice, body, and spatial relationships to communicate their stance. After some exploration and experimentation, invite a volunteer group to demonstrate.

Direct viewers to observe carefully to analyse the power dynamics in the dialogue.
Prompts: What sorts of power were being exercised? How was that evident?

Invite one or two more groups to demonstrate, and again analyse the power dynamics. Ask one group to demonstrate using only the body and spatial relationships.
Prompt: How or to what extent do the power dynamics change when the words are taken away?

Ask students to find a new partner and repeat the exercise, but change the script so that both students have the word "yes."  Use the same prompts for discussion and analysis, as above.
Prompts: Who has the power? Why?  How would you describe this form of power?  How did the power dynamics change when the words are taken away?

Optional Extension:

Invite students to create, perform, and analyse their own one word 2-person scripts or to use their bodies to illustrate another power dynamic.  

Small Groups > Introducing Different Expressions of Power

Project or display on chart paper Different Expressions of Power (see Appendix #2) which defines four different kinds of power: Power Over, Power With, Power To, and Power Within. Read and discuss the description of each expression of power. Organize students into small groups, and assign each group one expression of power. Ask each group to generate an example of that form of power in action. Have each group report back to the large group. As a class, identify examples of inclusion and exclusion that have been shared in relation to each form of power.

Whole Class > Review > Connecting Concepts

• Thinking back to our inclusion/exclusion tableaux and dances - what kind of power was explored? (inclusion - power with; exclusion - power over)
• Reflecting on the boy in the poetry exploration in the previous lesson- what kind of power was the boy lacking? ( Power within, Power to, power with)
• Referring back to our one-word scripts- what kind of power was at play with Yes-No? and with Yes- Yes? 

Notes

Post elements of dance and some examples of words that help students express the elements on the board (BLM #5: Elements of Dance Anchor Chart).

Critical Literacy Focus

Students  examine  how the dominant social order and its relationships get reproduced and can be challenged. To do so they examine what power is and how it circulates  in  relationships.  Students benefit from developing a 'power' vocabulary  so that they can articulate what they see and experience. People can exercise power based on their gender, race, economic and educational status, size, etc. Critical theory maintains that everyone finds ways --even in the most constraining situations to exercise power: through active or passive resistance, through silence,  through violence, through dialogue. Students might examine person-to -person relationships and person-to institutional relationships. The focus is not on who 'wins' in a power struggle but on understanding how  and the degree to which people might negotiate power within their circumstances--for example, of being included or excluded.

Whole Class > Warm up

Lead the class through a warm-up to prepare them for the dance lesson. See BLM #6: Physical Warm Ups for suggestions.

Full Class > Movement

Review the elements of dance, referring to BLM #5: Elements of Dance Anchor Chart.

Individual > Symbolic Movement

Direct students to find their own space in the room and choose a new word from the list that demonstrates an expression of  power. Instruct students to apply what they learned during the last activity, to create their own movement that expresses the word they have chosen. Encourage students to work past small miming movements to create larger more symbolic movements that use the whole body. It may be necessary to model this. Circulate and encourage students to use the elements of dance in order to make their body shapes and gestures more communicative. (Continue to coach until satisfied that everyone has experienced the feeling of power in their bodies.)  Instruct students to return to neutral. Direct students to create a second movement that communicates an expression of  powerlessness. Encourage them to move beyond obvious or literal representations and try to find their own unique way to express the idea. Have them return to neutral.

Ask them to compare and contrast the two movements. Have them consider how size, agility, and space can be used to express power.
Prompts: Can small be powerful? Why is size associated with power? How can this be disrupted? Under what circumstances?

Dance Vocabulary Prompts: How did you use your body to show different expressions of power? Were the shapes big? Small? Open? Closed? How did you use your body differently when you were showing powerlessness? Was there a difference in the quality of energy or amount of force in the two movements?
Instruct students to use dance terminology and refer to the BLM #5: Elements of Dance Anchor Chart when responding to these questions.

Pairs > Power Dance

Direct students to get into pairs and label themselves A and B. Inform the students that they will now use the elements of relationship (such as mirroring and interconnected shapes) to create a movement sequence that shows a contrast between different forms of power and powerlessness. Advise them that they may use the ideas generated from all of the previous activities to help them create this movement sequence. Direct them to choose their favourite powerful movements, and their favourite power negotiating movements. Partner A may start the sequence by doing a movement that is powerful, and partner B may respond by showing a movement that represents powerlessness. Instruct them to develop deliberate transitions between these movements as they change roles and pass the power between each other. Instruct students that they must show this struggle for power without touching one another. When creating their transitions, ask students to consider the following prompts.
Prompts: What caused the power shift - was it given or taken?

Continue to refer them to the element chart, especially the element of relationship, as the dynamics between the dancers will be important to work with and recognize. This brief dance sequence must have a clear beginning, middle and end, and allow students to switch roles within the dance. Once students have developed the work, add music. (Royalty free music sources: BenSound, Audionautix.)

Small Group > Sharing

To share, have one pair share with another pair, then one half of the class share with the other half.

Whole Group > Discussion > Critical Literacy Focus

Facilitate a brief discussion.
Prompts: How do people use exclusion to gain power over others. Can you think of an example? Who benefits from these examples of exclusion?

Explain that people are always negotiating power. Invite students to role play a scenario to make the concept more concrete. You may use an example generated by the students, or alternatively, you may present students with the following scenario to improvise a negotiation of power:

Pairs > Role Play Scenario

In partners, A adopts the role of teacher and B adopts the role of a student. The student has received a B- for a project that he/she thinks deserves an A. The student feels this is an unfair grade and wants to negotiate a grade that he/she feels reflects the amount of work that went into the project. 

Have students role play the scenario in pairs. You may wish to extend this role play into a forum theatre structure, to engage all students in a shared experience of the negotiation of power. Following the role play, facilitate a brief discussion to prepare them for a personal reflection.
Prompts: What strategies supported the negotiation of power? How does a low mark operate to exclude a student from something? What was the most powerful thing that the student said or did? What was the most powerful thing that the teacher said or did?  

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use Appendix #4: Observation Tracking Sheet, elements of dance checklist, and/or anecdotal notes. 

Whole Class > Discussion

Engage students in a discussion about today's work.
Prompt: How were you able to use the elements of dance to negotiate power and communicate different expressions  of power? What forms of power were expressed in the role play scenario? In what ways was the dance exploration different than the role play scenario? In ways was it similar?

Instruct students, in pairs to complete BLM #12: Dance and Drama Exit Card.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Use BLM #12: Dance and Drama Exit Card to assess the learning around using dance and role play to express issues of inclusion and exclusion.