10 minute read
Lesson Plan: Flow and Climate Change
LESSON PLAN
FLOW (FREE/BOUND) AND CLIMATE CHANGE
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Author: Anna Mansbridge | Creative Dance Center, Seattle Age Group: Upper elementary and middle school Length of lesson: 40 Minutes
1. Warming-up: (teacher-directed)
BrainDance: Alternate Free and Bound Flow throughout the BrainDance. Breath -- Free Flow; Tactile -- Free/Bound; Core-Distal -- Bound/Free; Head-Tail -- Free/Bound; Upper-Lower -- Bound/Free; Body Side -- Free/Bound; Cross-Lateral -- Bound/Free; Vestibular -Free. Suggested Music: Eric Chappelle, Music for Creative Dance Vol. IV, track 6: “Bottle Rock”
2. Introduce the Concept: “see, say, hear and do”
Free Flow: movement that is not easily stopped. It is uncontrolled and off-balance. Movement pours freely in and out of the body. Think of a river flowing freely, or painting a surface with broad, sweeping strokes. Bound Flow is movement that is careful and restrained, controlled, on balance and easily stopped. Think of a robot, or water slowly freezing. Paint a window frame with a steady hand, being careful not to get any paint on the glass. Stillness: a still dancer is completely bound, but expresses a continuous flow of energy. Stillness is exciting as it creates a sense of anticipation. Successive Flow: travels from one body part to another, like the movements of a snake. Simultaneous Flow: body parts move at the same time, in the joints (flexing, extending). Reference: Brain Compatible Dance Education (BCDE), 2nd Ed., pp. 101-102
3. Exploring the Concept (student-centered)
Free and Bound (Water and Ice) BCDE, p. 107 Climate prompt: the earth is heating up, and icebergs are melting at the poles, causing the water levels to rise, and flooding. The world’s largest iceberg cracked off Antarctica in May 2021 – five times larger than New York City. Optional Prop: scarf or plastic Begin in bound shapes, like an iceberg, then begin to melt until flowing freely in the ocean. Keep responding to the music, flowing freely then becoming frozen. Suggested Music: Music for Creative Dance by Eric Chappelle, Vol. I, track 4, “Lucky Stiff”
Reflection: Move your arms freely if you found that moving with free flow was more challenging. Make a still shape if you found moving with bound flow more challenging.
4. Developing Skills (teacher-directed)
Creative Folk Dance: Mayim (BCDE, p. 177) Mayim is a dance from Israel, and means "water" in Hebrew. This dance is usually done in a circle, but can also be done with a partner, or solo. Section 1: Grapevine step (free flow) Section 2: 4 walks forward, bringing arms up over head with free flow like the ocean waves, clap, then walk backwards. Repeat.
Bridge: Hold still in a bound shape Section 3: Turn with free flow like a whirlpool for 8 counts one way, then the other. Suggested Music: Rhythmically Moving 5, “Mayim”
5. Creating (student-centered)
Cinquain (BCDE, p. 211) Together create a cinquain on climate change.
Use the one below, or have each group create their own, starting with “Climate” and ending with “Change”. Improvise to the poem.
Noun Adjective, adjective Verb, verb, verb, Four-word phrase (or short sentence) Noun or synonym Climate Urgent, Reversible Burning, Melting, Flooding How do we save the planet? Change
6. Cool Down
In groups, share the cinquain improvisations. Perform one movement you saw that you noticed.
Sit with eyes closed and reflect on what was enjoyable about the lesson, and think about one thing that you will take-away and explore with your students. Quick review of Flow: Free/ /Bound.
Anna Mansbridge, MFA, choreographer, dancer and educator, is originally from Australia and the UK and now resides in Seattle. She is the Director of Kaleidoscope Dance Company, a youth dance company founded in 1981 by world-renowned dance educator Anne Green Gilbert, and she has been on the faculty of the Creative Dance Center teaching modern, ballet and creative dance to all ages since 1999. Anna joined the daCi USA board in 2009, and was the Chair 2017-2020. She is the secretary for daCi international.
LESSON PLAN
DRAWN TO DANCE
Author: Sara Malan-McDonald | Phoenix, AZ Age Group: Open to all ages and levels. Adapt as needed. Length of lesson: 50 Minutes
Lesson Description
This is a 50(ish) minute movement lesson inspired by the work of contemporary visual artist Nick Fagan. In this lesson, participants will use the artist’s visual works to inspire the creation of both visual and movement-based art. It involves careful observation of the artwork, a variety of movement responses, and has a connection to dyslexia.
Materials List:
* Choose several works from Nick Fagan’s Love Hours 2022 exhibit: His work includes metal and wood sculpture and woven fiber work. Choose some of each. * Something to color with (pencils/crayons/markers etc.) and something to draw on (multiple pieces of paper). * Music of your choice, with an engaging and interesting quality
Lesson Progression
1. Have participants get paper and something to write/color with. Ask them to doodle while listening to the music selected by the teacher. After the song share the doodling and some thoughts on how that was influenced by the music. Put the papers away for now. (7 minutes) 2. Show the class an image for one of Fagan’s installations made from hard materials like metal or wood and have the participants embody the artwork on various levels and with various body parts. Explore balancing fulcrum shapes where a lever can pivot. Encourage them to choose their favorite shape inspired by the metal/wood installation. This is the inspiration for the beginning shape of the dance they are making in this session. (5 minutes)
Nick Fagan, metal scuplture
3. Take out a new piece of paper and fold in half and then again in half/2 (so, in fourths). Show participants four of Nick Fagan’s art works/installations. Each installation gets a square on the paper that students divided the paper into fourths. Look at each piece of art and write a word for each. Give participants at least 30 seconds for each art work. Then flip the paper/turn it upside down and trace the inverse of the word on the opposite side. Now guide participants to trace the first upside-down and backwards words with their bodies/parts of their bodies. (This relates to the artist’s experience with dyslexia.) Depending on participants’ focus, repeat this with all four of the upside down/backwards words they wrote. (20 minutes)
4. Break. Talk about how Nick Fagan’s experience with dyslexia has shaped his art and how it relates to his exhibition and the dances in this session. Optionally, consider referring to Nick Fagan’s artist statement in which he explains his perspective. (3 minutes).
5. Review the first two sections of the dance. (2 minutes)
6. Show class an image of one of Fagan’s woven fiber installations. Guide participants in a movement exploration that juxtaposes sharp/hard/angular/ straight movements (like the metal/wood sculpture) and soft/flexible/curving/woven/ movements (like the woven yarn). End dance in a weaving, connecting shape. Encourage participants to make this weaving shape with another person or object in the room. (5 minutes)
7. Assemble the entire dance together and prepare for the big share with the other group. The dance can be created as solo or in small groups. (6 minutes).
8. Wrap things up. If you have time, pull out the first drawing inspired by the music and talk about it. (2 minutes)
9. Share the dance compositions with the entire group.
10.Conclusion and Reflection: Ask participants if making dances inspired by Nick Fagan’s work helps them appreciate/interact with the art differently than
Nick Fagan, fiber scuplture simply viewing it with their eyes. Whether their answers are affirmative or negative, ask them why they feel the way they do. (5 minutes)
Sara Malan-McDonald resides, teaches dance and makes art in the greater Phoenix, AZ area. She is the mother of five wonderful humans. She believes that everyone who has the desire to dance, has the right to do so and tries to facilitate as many dancing/dance making experiences as she can.
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