Investigate how traditional dance origins can be traced back into the past. Some dance forms cross cultural lines or are sporned by the technological age.
Investigation of dance forms can be great fun. Watch videos of dance styles or select movies that have great dance scenes in them. Students can gain a feeling not only for the dance but as well for the era from which it came.
- Students might want to take on a dance style and practice it with a friend. They then make a presentation to the class explaining moves and traditions.
- Students could put on a dance in the lunch hour and invite the school
- Sometimes dance companies will come into a school and teach the students over a period of time
- Students could dress in the style of the country of origin or the age from which dances originated
- You might ask students to design a fashion piece to be worn when dancing. This will bring about an understanding of the idea that “form follows function”
- Perhaps students could script a conversation dancers have when dancing This small script could be turned into a comic quip
- Perhaps students could create a dance animation
Information about dance styles to begin investigations or impersonations is handy. Here a two websites to help you enjoy the adventure
Central Home Website has a lot to offer. There are fun diagrams of dance steps as well as the The History of Dance
Dance History Research and Scholarship Dance History, Ballet History! Let this page serve as your Dance History Bookmark
Follow the links to great ideas about teaching dance. This page is about the work of Degas and you can see that the topic is ballet – but from a behind the scenes viewpoint.
