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Universal Language: Cultures Connected Through Dance
These activities provide multiple entry points for students to think deeply
about successful dance-making as well as practice their skills of observation,
analysis and reflection. Often, the students will “think like dancers
do” by using their bodies to respond and interpret.
Do these learning activities meet the Standards?
These classroom-level activities and embedded assessment tools can assist
students in meeting the Analysis & Interpretation Standard of your district.
Keep in mind that the Middle and High School standard requires students to
analyze and interpret a variety of works, but many of these foundational lessons
and tools will work with other dances as well.
Teachers need not follow the lessons in a linear, lock-step fashion, but may
skip forward or loop back through earlier steps and tools. Teachers may also
discover new ideas for learning activities and share successes on the Forum.
When students select and describe, they might:
• Watch video clips about The Elements
of Dance and identify what BASTE represents
• Use dance vocabulary The
Elements of Dance and concepts in talking and writing about dance
• Discuss the Dance Worksheet with a partner and fill it out together
• Draw storyboards of the scenes or floor maps of the spatial pathways
in the ballet
• Describe what they see and hear without judgment (the first question
in the Critical Response Protocol. The Critical Response Protocol may be used
several times throughout the project – it’s a practical way to
facilitate conversations that build space for listening and reflection)
When students analyze, they might:
• Use Same & Different worksheet
to compare/contrast (1) ballet with another dance form such as hip-hop, (2)
characters, (3) sections of the dance, or (4) different versions of the story
• Create a checklist through class discussion: “What do good [choreographers,
dancers, composers, designers] do?”
• Answer the questions on the BASTE Analysis Worksheet
• Speculate how different choices (student votes) might influence the
dance
• Identify specific shapes and movement motifs that are used, and explain
how these contribute to the performance
When students interpret & translate,
they might:
• Respond artistically to The Enchantment through Poetry
& Dance-making
• Participate in group conversations about one aspect of the production
after seeing the live performance Critical
Response Protocol
• Select a particular gesture or movement motif to explore in-depth
using the Elements of Abstraction
When students evaluate, they might:
• Use the earlier checklists (What do good [choreographers, dancers,
composers, designers] do? Continue to revise or add to the criteria as needed)
• Discuss or write about their personal response to the dance, supported
by observations about the elements, designs, and artistic choices
• Create and present a Kinesthetic
Report
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