Dance

Grade 7: Dance

• Body: body awareness, use of body parts, body shapes, locomotor and non-locomotor movements, body bases, symmetry versus asymmetry, geometric versus organic shape, angular versus curved shape, isolation of body parts (e.g., moving just the shoulder when the rest of the body is still), weight transfer (e.g., lunge, leap, roll)

• Space: levels, pathways, directions, positive versus negative space, proximity of dancers to one another, various group formations, performance space (e.g., confined, large)

• Time: pause, freeze, with music, without music, duration, rhythm, tempo, acceleration/deceleration

• Energy: effort, force, quality, inaction versus action, percussion, fluidity (e.g., wring, dab, mould, flow, bind)

• Relationship: dancers to objects, opposition, groupings (e.g., large and small groups), meet/part, follow/lead, emotional connections between dancers, groupings

Story Through Dance

Start by watching the Sandhill Crane video then create movements that tell a story.

Watch and interpret this video of two Sandhill Cranes dancing and communicating through movement and vocals. Consider the key concepts below when analyzing this video and completing the next steps:

Body: body awareness, use of body parts, body shapes, symmetry versus asymmetry, geometric versus organic shape, curved versus angular shape
Time: tempo, rhythm, pause, stillness, duration (e.g., short, long), acceleration/deceleration
Relationship: dancers to props/objects (e.g., in front of, inside, over, around), meet/part, follow/lead, emotional connections between dancers, groupings

Some questions to consider when creating your story:

How would you describe the movements of the Cranes?
What movement(s) has the most impact on their message?
What message/story do you see in this dance?

Your next step is to observe a creature outside and its movements over time - many minutes/days or different times within a day. It could be the squirrel on the fence line dodging any hazards, an ant while it travels with its cache, a bird soaring in the sky riding the wind currents, or find some authentic videos with animal movements to study online. Once you have observed at least one animal’s movements, assess and break down their movements using the body, time and relationship concepts mentioned above.

When you are feeling creative, put together your own interpretation of movements from an animal you have observed or create your own story using different movements in a short dance.