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Greetings! The
interdisciplinary dance page will focus on dance integrated with creative
writing, drama, music, and visual arts. The elements of dance can be used to enhance
understanding of the other art forms.
Elements of Dance
Space
place, levels, directions, pathways, focus, size
Time
Speed, rhythm
Force
Energy, weight and flow
The Body
Locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, shapes
Lynnette Young Overby
Interdisciplinary Section Editor
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or
questions about particular topics, please email one of the following
Adapted PE Section Editors:
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Dance/Movement and
Writing
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Arianne Macbean, Chair of Dance at Oakwook School in Hollywood, Ca,
provides guidelines for the simultaneous development of writing and
choreography skills
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Dance and Creative Writing
Mood Space:Use colored pencils, crayons or pens to delineate four
moods on your page.On top of
the color, write words, phrases, fragments of memories or movements that connect
to these moods.(For a group
improvisation, delineate four mood spaces in the room. When
students are inside these mood
spaces, they use the moods as inspiration for movement.
When they move from one space to
another they must pay special attention to the transition.
Often it is here, in transition,
where the most interesting work occurs.
Have half the class watch and the other perform.)
Dance is…: Define the word dance
in your terms. Write at least
one page on what “dance” means to you. Discuss what kind of movement makes you feel happy, sad, lonely,
playful. What kind of movement
do you like to watch and what kind of movement do you find boring? Discuss why you feel the way you do
about dance. (Have the dancer
speak the words, “Dance is…” before, during, or after she/he performs a solo
they are working on. Discuss how
this contextualizes the piece.
Movement Collage: Create a collage in
your journal of images from magazines that illustrate movement, dance or the
body working in a physical way. Make it colorful and fill the whole page with imagery. (Create ten
simple movements. Write down the
ten movements on ten different pieces of paper. Arrange them in an order that is meaningful for you.
Use this arrangement of movements to
give structure to your dance
Piece the movements together like a collage.)
Text Collage: Fill one page in your
journal with cutout texts with the the
me of “Movement”. Use only text, no imagery. (Give
each student four cards. The
first card has a structural device written on it- theme & variation.
The second card gives them an
emotional landscape- uncertain.
The third card gives them a quality- sustained.
The fourth card gives them a body
part- fingers. They arrange the
cards in a fashion that is meaningful to them and use the arrangement and
words as a score for a short choreographic study.)
Seasonal Writing: Write a story, idea
or experience about each season of
the year. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Approach each one differently
textually: Write a short story for one, a poem, a list, an anecdote, a
picture, a drawing, etc. (Set an previously choreographed piece in a
specific season by changing the costuming, the set, the music and, if you
can, the lighting. Try it with
each season. Discuss how this
contextualizes the piece.)
Mood space, Dance is…, Movement collage, Text collage,
and Seasonal writing activities resource:
MacBean, A. Scripting the Body. North Hollywood,
California.
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Dance explorations can allow the students to comprehend the visual
design concepts of horizontality and verticality.
Dance and Visual Art
Lines and Structure; Dimensions
Visual horizontality
The horizon is
at eye level no
matter where the level of the eyes.
Make drawings from a variety of eye levels: the floor; sitting;
standing on a table. This
reinforces the notion of horizontality and encourages the consideration of
different viewpoints.
The
artist Mondrian
reduced his conception of the world to the dynamic
relationship between verticality as the line of aspiration and
horizontality as the line of stability.
Lesson:
Verticality (7+)
Use the body to explore
vertical lines (in the classroom as part of an art or math lesson).
Stand in parallel groups, parallel
to the wall. Find postures
that combine horizontal and vertical lines and notice the angles thus
formed. Create shapes in two's
and three's in which these lines cross, overlap, extend, match, and contrast.
Using a skeleton or
each other, find body parts that can bend or make curves such as fingers,
hands, arms, and spine.
Investigate the skeletal frame of the body.
Imagine
(or create!) a classroom in which the objects are out of alignment; notice
how we hang pictures straight. Try hanging pictures, artwork and notices crooked…what is the
effect? Why is it difficult to
work on a table with uneven legs, or to sit on a tilted chair?
Why can horses sleep standing up?
What is the difference between things that stand on one, two, three, and
four legs?
Explore
leaning lines and leaning bodies.
How do they look and feel?
Explore broken straight lines, use bent straws for reference. Create a movement motif in which
the bodyline becomes increasingly broken. Explore the mood, feeling and meaning of this sequence. Consider movements that snap,
break, rupture, fracture, even or torn.
Change
the speed and the continuity using jerky, sudden, gradual, smooth,
continuous and interrupted movements.
Combine
several bodies to create a group motif.
Consider the effect of overlapping in front or behind;
moving in unison; moving one at a time; identical shapes; joined shapes.
Choreograph
a motif with six bodies incorporating four changes of shape: reach, lean,
snap, fold. Reverse the
sequence and use words or rhythm music.
The
motif could be used in a dance study about landscape; disintegrations;
earthquake; collapse; assembling; construction and destruction.
Three-Dimensional Structure and Design
Lesson: Inside and Outside- Looking at an Onion (7+)
Cut in half an onion,
draw and
note its structure. Separate
each layer, noting the shape and relationship of each successive layer.
Consider the notion of
parallel lines in the curves.
Compare the center with the external layer, investigate old and new
onions and stages of growth.
Draw, label, describe.
Dance
Each child is one layer and
finds a layer shape and a way of becoming that shape. Add individual layer shapes to
create a cross-section. Consider transitions and ways of moving into place.
Create
a group dance, in creasing the number of bodies to make outer layers.
Consider stages of wrapping and
explore the qualities of protection, encircling, and wrapping around.
Reflect these qualities in the
shape of the body and in the movement.
Reverse
the process to combine wrapping and unwrapping.
Verticality and Looking at an Onion resource:
Lowden, M. (1989). Dancing to Learn. New York, New York: The Falmer
Press.
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Exploring Drama
Through Dance
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Movement and Pantomime
Movement is an essential tool in developing expressive skills in drama.
One of the first skills
taught to all ages is that of pantomime.
The imaginative tool of observation is key to determining
what an object looks and feels like, and to transform that image into a
realistic pantomime experience.
Dance and Drama
Transformation Games: Making the Invisible Visible
Space objects are made of space- the very stuff that
surrounds us all.
A “space
ball” is not an imaginary ball. It is a part of space- thin air- that is
balled “ball”. To help
students achieve the connection possible through space object activities,
give the teaching cue “keep the ball (or other object) in space and not in
your head and give the ball its time in space!”
Enjoy the following space object activities.
- Space Substance
Purpose: To “sense” space.
Focus: On the space substance
between the palms of players’ hands.
Part 1.
Divide group into two teams- player
and audience. Using the first
team, each player working individually, have them move hands up/down, close
together/far apart, and ever which way just so long as palms are always
facing. Players are to focus
on the space substance between palms.
Part 2. With teams of two, players stand
opposite each other, three or four feet apart, with the cupped palms of
their hands facing the palms of fellow player.
Players are to move hands up/down, closer
together/farther apart, and keep focus on the space substance between the
four palms of the hands.
- Tug of War
Purpose:
To awaken the invisible
communication among players.
Focus:
On keeping a rope moving in space.
Description: Pair off in twos. One at a time each
player tries to pull the other over the centerline, exactly as in
playground tug of war. Here,
however, the rope is not visible but made of space substance. Ask players to pick a partner of
equal strength!
This message
is received with laughter. It
creates mutuality- a bond- contest not competition.
- Jump Rope
Purpose: On interaction among members of a
large group using space substance
Focus:
On keeping a rope moving in
space.
Description:
Count off into teams of four or
more, or allow random groupings. Each team will play its own game of jump rope, with some players
turning the rope. (Turning the
rope requires more concentration than jumping.)
As in the regular jump rope game, the jumper who misses
must exchange places with a player turning the rope.
- Play Ball
Purpose: To focus players’ attention on a
moving space object.
Focus: On keeping the ball in space and
out of the head.
Description: Players count off
into two large teams. First,
one team is the audience, then the other.
Working individually within the team, players each start
to toss a ball against a wall, etc.
The balls are all made of space substance.
When the players are all in moti
on, side coach to change
the speed at which the balls are moving.
Variation:
Play game with a space substance
ball that changes weight. As
ball becomes lighter or heavier, players’ bodies may seem to become lighter
and heavier or to move in slow motion.
Teaching cues: Use your full body to throw the ball. Keep your eyes on the
ball. Throw and catch the ball as fast as you can.
Catch the ball in slow motion.
Now the ball is moving normally.
Space Substance Activities Resource:
Spolin, V. (1986).Theatre Games For the Classroom. Evanston, Illinois:
Northwestern University Press.
Storytelling Through dance/movement
The following story dances incorporates dance, drama and science
The Rainforest:
A Kaleidoscope of Living Things
Characters:
Children divided into the following roles.
Narrator and
Logger (could be teacher)
- Trees
- Gorilla babies
- Tree Kangaroos
- Tropical Birds
Narrator:
Introduction:
A rainforest is like a wild garden zoo filled with
exotic plants and animals. The
rainforest has three layers, including the forest floor, the understory and
the canopy. Mainly insects live on the forest floor, although large mammals like gorillas and jaguars are found there too. Many smaller animals, including anteaters, lemurs, and tree kangaroos live in the under story. This is also where many
small tress and shrubs are found. The canopy or top layer is made up of the tops of trees, which can grow to be over 200 feet high. Many tropical birds, monkeys, apes, snakes, and other animals live in the
canopy. The animals and plants form a kaleidoscope of living things.
Story Dance
(The trees are in a
scattered formation on the
floor. The other creatures
wait on the side until they are cued to enter the space, one group at a
time)
Narrator:
On most days in the rainforest, the animals play
happily, gather and eat food, and sleep soundly.
On the forest floor, the gorilla babies, stretch,
yawn, and sleep in various positions.
The tree kangaroos play together in the understory, and the
beautiful tropical birds fly from tree to tree, looking for food.
(Students improvise, and interact for a minute or two)
One day loggers came with big chain saws.
They cut down each and every tree.
(The narrator can pantomime this
section, or a group of children can be designated as the loggers)
The animals looked around and found no shelter because
there were no trees remaining.
They animals cannot live without trees, so one by one the animals
and plants die. (The students slowly fall to the
ground)
After many years, new trees were planted.
The trees grew and the animals and
plants returned. (Students
designated as trees, grow tall, other students slowly exit to sides)
Once again, the gorilla babies stretch, yawn and sleep
in various positions. The tree
kangaroos play together in the understory, and the beautiful tropical birds
fly from tree to tree, looking for food
Ending:
Narrator: We must preserve our beautiful rainforests by caring for the
environment. Each one of us
can make the world a better place for you, and me and everyone on earth.
Students freeze in an ending shape.
Resource:
The Kaleidoscope of Life Touring Company, Lynnette
Overby, Director
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Legend: The First Sunrise
This legend is from The Dance and The Drum by Elizabeth
and John Paynter, published by Universal Edition.
This story
is a very good example of a context that lends itself to dance
interpretation. There are, of
course, many ways of using the story; the following is an example of
selected passages in which the essence of the story is used to define and
structure the movement while providing opportunity for improvisation and
personal expression.
Part 1
When the world was made the sky
was so close to the earth that no light could get in.
Everyone had to crawl around in the
darkness collecting things to eat with their bare hands.
Living was difficult and uncomfortable. There was no
space where the birds could fly.
Introductory movement
Explore movements that maintain
close contact with the floor; roll, crawl, bend, creep.
Use the fingers to reach and take. Make the fingers and
arms look twice as long.
Combine gestures and travel pathways and freeze at the point of
longest reach; recover using closing-in movements.
If necessary, scatter pieces of
paper to be collected.
Move as
if the ceiling is only three feet high; use imagination or ropes or sheets
to show the level of the ceiling.
Compose and combine individual motifs for
(a) moving
across the floor
(b) reach
and reach, over-reaching and falling
(c) crawling
together for comfort.
Part 2
Then the magpies, who were the
cleverest of the birds, had an idea.
Working together they could, perhaps, raise the sky a little and so
make room.
They collected long sticks. Then slowly and all
together, using the sticks, they began to push the sky upwards away from
the earth. Resting, first on
low boulders and then on higher ones, they lifted the sky until there was
room for everyone to stand upright.
Introductory movement: The Magpies:
Watch, recall watching and
discuss the way magpies and crows move.
Use this observation as reference for bodily movement
(but NOT pretending to be magpies).
Define different movement
qualities, for example: Strutting: Consider the posture; lifting and
placing the feet; pathway and phrase.
Where should the focus be?
Cont'd in next column. (Exploring Drama through Dance)
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Dance/movement can be used to understand rhythmic structures.
Dance and Music
Notes:
Prepare pieces of paper before the lesson.
You will need four pieces of 9x12
construction paper. Leave one whole. Cut one in half, one in
quarters and one in eights.
You may want to write note values on the paper but it is not
imperative. “Look at this big
piece of paper. This
represents a whole note. If we
cut this piece in half, what do we have? (2 halves)
These two pieces represent two half
notes. Two half notes equal one whole note.
If we should cut each half note in half how many pieces
will we have (4) These four pieces are quarter notes.
Four quarter notes equal one whole note. If we should cut each
quarter note in half, how many pieces would we have? (8) These eight pieces
represent eight notes. There
are eight eighth notes to a whole note. (Arrange the pieces in a pyramid
with the whole note at the top.)
Let’s clap these notes starting from the whole note and finishing
with the eighth notes. Stretch
you clap out for the duration of the whole and half notes.
Now let’s think of a different
movement for each note. What
is a slow movement t
hat can take four beats to do? (Stretch, twist, bend,
swing, push, lunge, etc.) Now think of a movement for half notes, quarter
notes and eighth notes.
Instead of clapping let’s put these movements and together.
Stretch 2, 3, 4, push 2, push 2,
poke, poke, poke, poke, shake 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.”
Try other movements and other
combinations be rearranging the pieces of paper.
Orchestra:
Divide into four groups and ask each group to
choreograph an eight-count phrase that moves in self or general space.
Have them add body, mouth or
instrument accompaniment. You
are the conductor and lead the moving orchestra by pointing and gesturing
with your arms: all groups play/dance together for eight counts, then each
group plays/dances alone, half the group play/dances and then the other
half plays/dances, finally all play/dances loudly with big movements, then
all are still for eight counts and they repeat the whole pattern again. Have the groups stand
or sit in a semi-circle so that they can watch each other.
Notes and Orchestra activities resource:
Green Gilbert, A. (1992). Creative Dance for all ages.
Reston, Virginia: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance.
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Dance Composition and Music Composition
Choreography often utilizes structures found in music composition.
These forms can be used to provide
a structure to movement explorations that will transform a series of
movements into choreography.
Dance- Making Structures, or Forms
Related to Music Composition Forms
- Canon- A canon, or round, can be
describes as singing “Row, row, row your boat” in parts but using
movements in place of the lyrics.
- AB- This is (A), a movement phrase, and
(B), a new movement phrase.
- ABA- This is (A), A movement phrase; (B),
a new movement phrase; and a return to (A), the first movement
phrase.
- Rondo- This pattern is (A) (B) (A) (C)
(A) (D) (A). (A) is the primary movement phrase and is constantly
being repeated and interspersed between other phrases. (B), (C),
and (D) should be different from each other and from (A).
- Theme
and variation- This is a movement phrase or section of a dance with
subsequent movement phrases or sections created as variations of the
original. We may write
this as follows: (A
), (A1), (A2), (A3).
Examples of Choreographic Forms:
- AB Create an
A section by choreographing several phrases pf movement. In your B
section, come up with several more phrases that contrast but still
fit with your first set of phrases.
- ABA
Using the
preceding example, a return to a variation of the A section would
produce a dance in the ABA form. Create a third section that is a
variation of your original A.
- Rhondo
To
create a rondo form from exercise 2, repeat the phrases in section
A and then choreograph three or four different sections of
movement. These new sections should each be several phrases long.
Perform section A followed by a new section, a return to section
A, another new section, another return to section A, and so on.
- Theme
and Variation In the theme and variations form, the choreographer
must vary the same series of phrases. These phrases are the theme.
Come up with a theme and decide how to vary it. You could, for
example, change the direction of the thematic movements. Or try
moving backward through the sequence instead of forward, large
instead of small, or with a different quality or flavor of the
separate movements in a sequence. Try performing each of these
variations by connecting them with transitions.
- Canon
Choreograph a series of movements of at least 16 or 32 counts in
length, and have all of your dancers learn the whole sequence.
To create a canon, have the
dancers perform the whole sequence with each dancer beginning on a
different count. The
dancers could begin at evenly spaced intervals two or four counts
apart, or at unevenly space
d points in the sequence.
Making Structures or forms Resource:
McGreevy-Nichols, S., Scheff,
H., Sprague, M. (2001). Building More Dances.
Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Choreographic Forms Resource:
Minton, S. (1986).
Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation. Champaign, Illinois:
Human Kinetics.
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Exploring Drama
Through Dance Cont'd
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Swooping: Consider travel or gesture with a
downward path; where the starting and finishing positions are; what the
shape of the body is. How
quick should this be and how can you share the space with others?
Balancing and lifting: Consider
body shape; getting into and out of balance; where your support is.
Use the hands as if holding a
stick. How many directions
upward can you use?
Can you
reach without always using straight arms?
Create an individual sequence
that uses some of these bird-like motifs. Incorporate the idea of gathering
sticks—how big? From where to where? --And finally lifting them.
Perform the sequence so that you
finish in groups of three and hold a finished position.
Part 3
With all their strength they
tried to get the sky even higher.
Struggling to do so they split the sky open, and through the broken
cloud
came a first few rays of light.
The gap widened, revealing the sun.
The magpies burst into glorious song as the broken
pieces of sky floated away in clouds.
Daybreak and the first dawn chorus began.
Introductory movement:
Look at the movement of steam,
or smoke from a snuffed candle.
Move as if weightless.
Move hands as if they are trailing mist; be sustained and smooth. Add gentleness to
walking. The posture is
elevated and the
focus across the space.
In a trio, follow a leader to
create a trailing mist-like group with space between you.
As you travel look forwards and
backwards to watch where you are going and where you come from. Turn the
head slowly and evenly.
Move
very slowly.
Slowly combine all the trios to
spiral into a single ‘cloud’ group.
Remain still, then suddenly step back to reveal a small hole in the center.
Keeping the trios,
gradually step away from the hole so that it
gets bigger and fills the room. Look upward as if the
space above is unlimited; finish with still groups at the edge of the
space.
Performance
Use movement to explore the story. Although there is no
performance each lesson/section reaches a level of completion. If the story
takes three lessons, discuss the previous passage, but so not spend time
recalling the movement itself.
Three classes may each
contribute a passage, thereby taking
on the role of crawling creatures, the
magpies, and the sky. Narrate
the story as it is performed.
It is tempting to add masks and finger gloves, but the movement is
more important and likely to be sufficient.
The First Sunrise activity
resource:
Lowden, M. (1989). Dancing to Learn. New York, New York: The
Falmer Press.
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