Chapter 29

1. Chapter 29 Skill Themes in Dance

2. Chapter 29 Key Points • Chapter aims to foster an understanding of the teaching of movement concepts and skill themes in dance • Even teachers with little or no formal dance experience can make dance an exciting and enjoyable experience for students • Several purposes for dance in the curriculum • Children Moving classifies dance experiences into: • Rhythmic dance • Folk, ethnic, and square dance • Creative dance

3. The Purpose of Dance Dance experiences in physical education should give children: • The ability to use their bodies to express feelings and attitudes • A sense of satisfaction from effectively using their bodies as an instrument of expression • Enjoyment and appreciation of dance as a worthwhile physical activity for everyone • Ability to interpret and move to different rhythms

4. Types of Dance Rhythmic Experiences Focus on children’s ability to move to a rhythm Folk, Ethnic, and Square Dances Focus on structured dance forms of a particular culture Creative Dance Focuses on creativity and expression

5. Skill Themes in Dance Teaching Children Dance: Unstructured Forms • Prior to learning structured forms of dance, children need experience in moving freely in response to their internal rhythm • Children need experience in performing locomotor movements in free space in response to various rhythms • Children Moving focuses on: • Rhythmic dance: emphasis on children’s ability to move to rhythm • Creative dance: emphasis on provoking creativity and expression.

6. Chapter 29: Skill Themes in Dance Teaching Children Dance: Unstructured Forms (cont) • Rhythmic and creative dance are many a times taught concurrently during a lesson • Very young children are usually in tune with their bodies; hence it will be important for teachers to provide expressive dance experiences that enhance this innate expressive ability

7. Progression in Teaching Rhythmic Experiences • Children move to their own internal rhythm (fundamental body actions and traveling skills) • Children move to an external rhythm (such as a drumbeat) imposed by the teacher • Manipulatives are added to the rhythmic experiences (i.e., streamers, scarves, lummi sticks, balls, jump ropes) • Use of teacher‑designed routines to elicit group responses to a given rhythm • Use of student‑designed routines (alone, with a partner, with a group) combining various movement qualities and patterns (i.e., jump rope routines, ball handling routines to music)

8. Progression in Teaching Creative Dance • Children develop sensitivity to and awareness of movement through exploration (focusing on fundamental body actions and traveling skills) • Children perform tasks that focus on the spatial quality of the movement (use the movement concepts to help children realize the potential of a movement) • Children explore movement as a tool for self expression (expressing an idea, attitude, or feeling) • Children structure their communicative movements into organized forms (sequencing) • Children design a dance (structuring several sequences into a whole)

9. Chapter 29 Key Points Teaching Children Dance: Structured Forms • Folk and square dance: • Range from simple to very complex. • Require competence in moving to a designated rhythm before they can be completed successfully

10. Chapter 29 Key Points Some Teaching Points • Expressive dance content consists of the majority of the skills themes categorized under locomotor and non-manipulative as depicted in the wheel • Movement concepts are used to heighten and expand children’s movement possibilities as they express themselves • Dance ideas are found throughout skill theme chapters, especially in Chapter 19 (Traveling)

11. Chapter 29 Key Points Some Teaching Points(cont) • It is a professional responsibility to include dance in the physical education program. All children should have opportunity to experience creative movement and rhythmic experiences • For some students, dance may well be one of their lifetime choices for physical activity

12. Movement Analysis Framework: The Wheel