This sub-organizer contains the following sections:

It is expected that students will:

• refine techniques specific to one or more genres
• improve their control of the principles of movement
• distinguish the definitive styles of two or more genres in terms of the elements of movement
• identify the impact of fitness, health, and safety on dance technique
• apply appropriate terminology to describe technique
  

• Lead a discussion on the components of a safe and effective warmup as appropriate for a given dance style or genre. Discuss movements that may be questionable in terms of safety (e.g., hyperextension, jazz half-splits). Have students consider how these movements could be done safely. Invite a dancer from the community to demonstrate these movements.
• After students have learned techniques from a variety of dance genres (e.g., through teacher instruction, guest instructors, video), have them create charts listing the similarities and differences in terms of the elements of movement . Introduce related vocabulary as necessary. Ask students to use these charts, individually or in groups, to focus practice of various techniques. Extend by having students research (e.g., through interviews, the Internet, CD-ROM, print resources) the various genres.
• Provide ongoing opportunities for students to practise in order to extend and refine dance techniques in given genres. Emphasize improvements in the principles of movement (e.g., strength, flexibility, alignment) and movement memory.
• As students learn dance techniques and the related terminology, have them create personal dictionaries of movement terminology, incorporating drawings, photographs, video clips, invented language, and computer graphics as appropriate. Students should add to their dictionaries over time as they learn new techniques. Encourage them to solicit input from their peers.
• Invite a school or community counsellor or health practitioner to talk about issues related to health and well-being in dance (e.g., body image, eating disorders, steroid use, lifestyle, stereotypes). Suggest that students conduct a media analysis project to examine the portrayal of "ideal" body types for men and women. Have them co-ordinate with home economics students to design one-week menus of healthy meals for dancers that contain sufficient calories for physical activity.

• Have each student choose two dance genres (e.g., ballet and rock) and select video clips illustrating each. Ask students to submit analyses of the clips, identifying similarities and differences in time, dynamics, use of space and body, and relationships. Look for:
  
  • sophistication in selections chosen
  • degree of detail in the analysis
  • accurate and specific analysis of the elements of movement in both selections
  
  During performance and practice sessions, encourage students to work in pairs to observe one another and provide feedback. Have students record observations to help their partners refine and revise their work. Assessment criteria might include:
  
  • effective use of focus
  • clear dynamics
  • accurate rhythm
  • clear movement
  • commitment to movement
  • appropriate relationship to other performers
  • movement appropriate to intended emotional quality
  
  After a community health professional talks to students about health and well-being in dance, have students record their eating habits for one week and analyse the nutritional content. Ask students to suggest changes they could make to their eating habits to meet nutritional standards for a dancer, then develop weekly healthy eating plans based on those changes. Look for evidence that students are able to:
  
  • identify and apply principles of nutrition
  • describe nutritional issues and their effects on well-being in dance
  • outline an appropriate balance of nutrients for a dancer
  • include sufficient calories for a dancer

Print Materials

• Creative Dance for All Ages
• Dance Composition & Production
• Dance Education Initiative
• Movement Improvisation
• The Young Dancer
  

Video

• Ballet Class For Beginners
• Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra
• Carmen
• Dance Centerstage
• The Dancemakers Series
• Denishawn
• Fonteyn And Nureyev
• Giselle
• Hoop Dancing
• The Individual and Tradition
• The International Championship of Ballroom Dancing
• The Jazz Workout
• Lester Horton Technique
• Lost in the Shuffle
• Martha Graham
• The Nutcracker
• Points In Space
• The Power of Dance
• Sleeping Beauty
• Swan Lake
• La Sylphide
• Tap Dancing: Intermediate

Video

• The Ballroom Dance Pack
• Teaching Beginning Dance Improvisation

Video

• Contrast and Continuum: Volume I

Previous Page Next Organizer

  BC Ministry of Education Home Page