Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN Core Program Year 1 Arts Foundations DANCE LESSON – Dancing Levels in Space Artist-Mentor: Jo Petroff/Debbie Gilbert - Grade Levels: K – Fifth Grade

Examples:

Enduring Understanding Moving at high, medium, and low levels of space, and the gradations in between, can make dance more interesting to the audience and the performers. Target: Moves using various levels of space.

Criteria: Performs a full range of movements occurring on or low to the floor (low), rising to kneeling or crouching (medium) and standing and in the air (high).

Target: Moves as a leader or mirror image using various levels. Criteria: Initiates or copies movements from low to the floor to standing on tiptoe.

Target: Plans and performs a sequence of movements with a partner at specific levels (choreography). Criteria: Plans and performs a series of movements with a partner utilizing movement in high, middle and low space.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

1. Leads students in BrainDance warm-up. (Originally developed by Anne Green Gilbert, video reference: BrainDance, Variations for Infants through Seniors). Music: Eric Chappelle, #20 “Potpourri” from Music for Creative Dance, Volume III. Demonstrates the dance using the following sequence of movement patterns: Tactile: (standing) Rub hands. Tap body lightly from head to toe. Stomp feet; Breath and Core-Distal: (sitting) Breathe in through the nose and out the mouth. Repeat. Gradually increase the size of the breath, growing from the center of the body when you inhale, and shrinking when you exhale; Head-Tail: (standing) Curl the body forward from head to tailbone. Curl it backwards. Repeat forward and back. Curve from side-to-side several times; Upper Half: (sitting) Stabilize the lower half of the body and only the top half dances; Lower Half: (sitting) Stabilize the upper half of the body. Only the bottom half dances, staying in one spot; Body-Half Right: (standing) Stabilize the left side of the body and only the right side dances; Body-Half Left: (standing) Stabilize the right side of the body and only the left side dances; Swing: (standing) Swing upper body up and down several times; Cross-Lateral: (sitting) Reach across the body with one hand and then the other. Repeat several times. Explore other cross-lateral movements, e.g. elbow to opposite knee or hand to opposite foot; Spin and Jump: (standing) Spin clockwise. Stop and jump in place. Spin counterclockwise. Stop and jump in place for 4 counts.

Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

Prompts: Did anyone notice some changes we made in the BrainDance today? Right! We went from standing to sitting, back to standing, etc. In dancer terms we were using levels. Student: Moves with teachers cueing movements including level changes. 2. Introduces level exploration—Guides students in exploring low, medium and high levels corresponding to pitch levels in music. Shows dance word sign for levels. Music: Eric Chappelle, #11 “Levelance”, Music for Creative Dance, Volume I. a. Asks students to sit and listen to the music, hearing examples of high, low, and medium-pitched sounds. Asks students to use their hands to dance at the various levels. b. Plays the music. Directs students to move at levels which correspond to the pitch level of the music and the agreed upon parameter for each level. Freezes at musical pauses and continues when music continues. Prompts: When the music is low—dance low. When the music is high—dance high. Let’s determine as a group what the parameters or boundaries of high, medium, and low will be. Student: Moves relating pitch of music to levels in space: low, high, and medium levels as determined by the music. Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist—room scan, reverse checklist 3. Leads students in mirroring activity. Music: Eric Chappelle, #1 “Sunrise”, Spirit of the Tao Te Ching, Richard Warner a. Models it: Asks for student volunteer. With teacher as first leader, moves smoothly at varied levels for partner to follow as if looking in a mirror. Starts with hands, then other body parts. Continues to move using the entire body. Uses low, medium, and high levels and gradations in between. Freezes when the music stops. Repeats the activity with the student as leader. b. Guides class through the activity: Divides the class into pairs. Leads students to perform the activity as modeled. Asks students to trade leadership a few times. Prompts: Move slowly and smoothly if you are the leader, and if you are the mirror image, be observant and follow your leader as clearly as possible. Student: Works with partner in mirroring both as a leader and a follower. Uses low, medium and high levels and gradations in between. Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist—room scan, reverse checklist 4. Introduces class to space-travel choreography as a group. Leads “blast-off” movements and visits Jupiter (low level), Saturn (medium level) and Earth’s moon (high level). Music: Eric Chappelle, #7 “Breathe”, Music for Creative Dance, Volume III; #12 “Quarks”, Music for Creative Dance, Volume IV a. Leads students to model and explore levels of space as a group. Leads a practice of “blast-off”: Guides students to condense the body in and down (on a reverse 10 count) in preparation for a big jump (on “blast-off”) upward into the highest level of space. Prompts: This is like a rocket breaking through the earth’s gravitational field. Uses the reverse countdown (10, 9,8. . . . 2,1,0) and on “blast-off” guides students to jump as high as s/he can. b. Leads discussion on two different planets and the moon: Jupiter, Saturn, and earth’s moon. Leads discussion on the amount of gravity or other characteristics each has in order to establish three different levels. Prompts: When you visit Jupiter, you will move on low levels because Jupiter’s force of gravity is 2.5 times that of earth. For Saturn, you will move at medium levels because a person weighing 85 pounds on earth would weight 90 pounds on Saturn. Lastly for the earth’s moon, you will be floating at high levels because the gravity is 1/6 as strong as the earth’s gravity. c. Prompts: Blast-off from earth to explore Jupiter (low level). Blast-off from Jupiter and explore Saturn (medium level). Next, blast-off from Saturn to explore the earth’s moon (high level). And

Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

finally, blast-off and return to earth. Don’t forget to listen for the count down: 10, 9, 8 … 2,1,0, Blast-off! Student: Uses low, medium, and high levels and gradations in-between in a context. 5. Guides class through the choreography of a space-travel movement sequence with a partner from planning to rehearsal. Divides class into pairs. Asks pairs to decide on two places to visit (Jupiter, Saturn, or earth’s moon) and end with a final return to earth. Prompts: Movement on each planet or moon must demonstrate one level clearly. Partners should mirror each other for the blast-off sequence. Be sure to rehearse your composition including the blast-off sequence. Remember the movement on your planets or moon must clearly demonstrate one level and the blast-off is in a mirror image configuration. Student: With a partner, selects two locations and decides what level of movement to use. Creates and rehearses the movement sequence beginning with the “blast-off”; visits two places, and returns back to earth. 6. Leads students through a performance and response process. a. Reminds students that their responsibility is to watch for the artist’s clarity of the level of space they have selected. Explains that we will be watching each study to see if the level students chose to move at was clear. Teaches students the sign language for yes (fist nodding up and down), or no (index and middle finger tapping up and down on thumb) as a quick form of assessing their peers’ performance. But if they say no, then they need to say what they DID SEE. Explains that when people assess each other with ‘no’ they must defend their assessment and mention what the performers could change in their performance to make it clear. b. Directs student groups to perform their work according to the level they’ve chosen (all groups visiting low and medium planets perform at the same time, etc.) Asks peers to use sign language to assess the performance. Repeats with students who have chosen medium and high planets/moon and then with students who have chosen low and high planet/moon. Prompts: Look for the artist’s clarity in use of a level. Use sign language for your response. Student: Performs with partner and responds to peers’ dances. Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based peer reflection, criteria-based teacher checklist 7. Leads students in reflecting on their choreography, their peers’ choreography, and in the use of levels in their daily life. Student: Reflects on the use of levels in space in their choreography, peers’ choreography, and in their daily lives. Fills in self-reflection page. Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based self-reflection

Vocabulary Materials and Resources WA Essential Learnings & Frameworks Performing Arts: levels in space: high, medium, low; mirroring

Performing Arts: Tacoma, WA Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma, WA Seattle, WA University of Washington World Series of Dance Pacific Northwest Ballet Music: Eric Chappelle, Music for Creative Dance: Contrast and Continuum, Volumes I, III, and IV; Richard Wagner, Spirit of the Tao Te Ching Classroom: Dance Word Signs: levels—high, medium and low

AEL 1.1 concepts: levels AEL 1.2 skills and techniques: mirroring AEL 2.2 artistic process: creates, performs AEL 3.1 communicates ideas

Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN DANCE LESSON – Dancing Levels in Space SELF-ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

Levels of Space Mirroring Choreography Student Name:

Performs a full range of

movements low to the floor

Performs a full range of

movements rising to kneeling or

crouching

Performs a full range of

movements standing and in

the air

Leads movements for partner

Copies movements of partner

Plans and performs a series of movements at

specific levels

Total 6

Criteria-based Reflection Questions:

Self-Reflection: What levels of space did you choose for your choreography? What levels of space do you use the most in everyday living? When do you use other levels of space? Peer to Peer: What levels of space did you see in a peer’s dance?

Name: Date:

Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN DANCE LESSON – Dancing Levels in Space

ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

Levels of Space Mirroring Choreography Students Performs a

full range of movements low to the

floor

Performs a full range of

movements rising to kneeling or

crouching

Performs a full range of

movements standing and

in the air

Leads movements for partner

Copies movements of partner

Plans and performs a series of

movements at specific levels

Total 6

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Total Percentage

Criteria-based Reflection Questions: (Note examples of student reflections.)

Self-Reflection: What levels of space did you choose for your choreography? What levels of space do you use the most in everyday living? When do you use other levels of space? Peer to Peer: What levels of space did you see in a peer’s dance?

Thoughts about Learning: Which prompts best communicated concepts? Which lesson dynamics helped or hindered learning? Lesson Logistics: Which classroom management techniques supported learning?

Teacher: Date:

Arts Impact Core 1 – Arts Foundations Summer Institute – Dance: Dancing Levels in Space

ARTS IMPACT FAMILY LETTER DANCE LESSON – Dancing Levels in Space Dear Family: Today we focused on dancing in the different levels in space.

• We explored movements occurring low to the floor or on it (low levels), rising to kneeling or crouching (medium levels), or standing and moving in the air (high levels).

• We did a mirroring exercise. In pairs, the students moved in one spot leading or copying

movements (like a mirror image of their partner). They had to use movements from low to the floor to standing on tiptoe.

• We planned and performed our choreography, a series of movements with a partner, which

began with a “blastoff”, and then utilized movements at specific levels to demonstrate movement for two planets or our moon in our solar system.

At home you could look for movements that happen at different levels, such as sleeping, studying, riding the bus, play basketball, or playing an instrument. When in my day did I use low levels? Medium levels? High levels? What daily activities do you do in each level?

Enduring Understanding

Moving at high, medium, and low levels of space, and the gradations in between, can make dance more interesting to the audience and the performers.