Students participate in guided improvisation led by the teacher and then continue to develop their movement phrases, manipulating the elements of dance and adding transitions and use of compositional forms.

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.
  • Provide feedback to others to help their development of movement skills.
  • Use feedback from teachers and peers to improve their work in dance.
  • 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.

Materials

  • Teacher-designed Guided Improvisation Activity

Minds On (Approximately 15 minutes)

Action! (Approximately 50 minutes)

  • The teacher should advise students to use this time to improvise and play with different movements, making note of their favourite or most effective movements and/or movement phrases before selecting them and organizing them into structured compositions. 
  • The teacher conferences and observes each group to ensure they are making adequate progress and to monitor use of time in order to adjust presentation dates as needed.
  • The teacher circulates to assist student groups in compiling/selecting appropriate movement choices.
  • The teacher reminds students of the importance of artistic expression and voice, in addition to the use of transition and compositional form(s) to create meaning in the piece rather than just stringing steps together.
  • The teacher provides adequate in-class time for students to compose their group composition.

Consolidation (Approximately 10 minutes)

  • The teacher or a student leads the class though a physical cool-down.

Note

  • The teacher can create large posters to outline the Compositional Forms and Creative Process for students so they can easily refer to the forms and processes as they work.