Mark - Week 5: Dance

Applications of lessons in dance are similar to the cricket or football trainings which I’ve run in the past. I’d never thought of the connection between the two, which is a bit silly given the fact that the movement would be as, if not more intense in dance. They are so similar in their activity, however the main difference is the open-ended expression rather than a concrete end or result (Sinclair, Jeanneret, & O’Toole, 2012).

The idea’s evoked in dance are transferable in the academic domains which is a teaching tool that could be utilised before something like creative writing. Movement has a place for student’s to develop kinaesthetic exploration, social and motor skills. The ability to control of your own space and understanding of others personal space allows students to develop awareness (Wright, Schiller & Meiners 2003).

Much of communication is non-verbal, in fact 80%, therefore developing physical movement allows for greater communication (Raymond, 2008). Exploring the different dimensions of movement that dance offers, builds communication on all levels as well as strength, imagination and creativity (Wright, Schiller & Meiners 2003).

In both the younger and older groups it was interesting to see the introduction of a topic, very little was used in the advanced age group however it was a platform in smaller children to give ideas. It seems like it would be a great thing to use as a quick activity for cross curriculum links and addressing a topic. (E.g. science on space and maybe go through things in space, then a warm up with dancing/performing as an item you’d find in space to get the creativity flowing)

I’ve recently seen a guy called the Byron Bay dancing man (Tommy Frankin), whilst not trained in dance his movement seems to be infectious. As with some other forms of modern dance that I find really cool, i’d love to incorporate the YouTube links in the tool kit into a class. Showing it’s not about being an amazingly technical dancer one way or the other but about expressing yourself, entertaining and creating. This would hopefully show students that dance comes in varieties of ways and to not be afraid to go for it. I see the expression through dance as a great building block for ideas not only for yourself but also for others, whilst giving students confidence in a variety of areas. 

Tool Kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5s7y83ZhW4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvm_LubFhr0

References

Raymond, I. (2008). Murraylands Rock and Water Program: Program overview and qualitative evaluation, May-July 2008. Unpublished program evaluation. Connected Self.

Wright, S., Schiller, W., & Meiners,  J. (2003). Children, meaning-making and the arts, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest.

Sinclair, C., Jeanneret, N., & O’Toole, J. (2012). Education in the arts: Teaching and learning in the contemporary curriculum. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.