Dance Theatre of Harlem (Grades 6-8)

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

The Broad Stage presents

Dance Theatre of Harlem

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STUDENT MATINEE

FRI APR 20, 2018 11 AM GRADES 6–8

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DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Jane Deknatel Director, Performing Arts Center EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS STAFF

Ilaan E. Mazzini, Director of Education & Community Programs

Alisa De Los Santos, Education & Community Programs Manager Mandy Matthews, Education & Community Programs Associate EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Phone 310.434.3560 education@thebroadstage.org thebroadstage.org/education

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Education and Community Programs at The Broad Stage is supported in part by The Herb Alpert Foundation Barbara Herman, in honor of Virginia Blywise The California Arts Council Johnny Carson Foundation City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Sony Entertainment Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Ziering Family Foundation, a Support Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.

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THE BROAD STAGE 1310 11th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 Box Office 310.434.3200 Fax 310.434.3439 info@thebroadstage.org thebroadstage.org

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Greetings from The Broad Stage!

Dear Educators,

Arts integration, collaboration and social responsibility is at the core of the Dance Theatre of Harlem study guide. Lessons one through three challenge students to explore new ways of movement individually and with group choreography work. Lesson four teaches students about the development of Dance Theatre of Harlem and encourages them to discuss and reflect on issues in their community that they would like to see change. Students are then asked to create a theory of change for their issue and communicate their plan through movement. Lesson five address the stereotypes in ballet and how different communities combat them.

Please take some time to work through some or all of the activities in this guide with your students. Each element of the guide has been developed by dancers and educators to help explain the concepts behind the performance and augments subjects you are teaching in your classroom. As always, the activities support the California Common Core and the VAPA Standards with arts integration as the focus. We hope that this guide proves to be helpful in preparing your students for the presentation.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or ideas. We’ll see you at Dance Theatre of Harlem!

Sincerely,

Education & Community Programs Staff

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We are so excited to bring Dance Theatre of Harlem to The Broad Stage. Dance Theatre of Harlem is a multi-cultural dance institution based in Harlem, New York dedicated to arts education, building community and enriching the lives of youth and young adults through the arts. Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dance Theatre of Harlem founder, Arthur Mitchell was inspired to start a company and school that provided children the opportunity to learn and study dance. Dance Theatre of Harlem has continued to pursue Mitchell’s mission for the past 47 years through the Dance Theatre of Harlem professional dance company and school. Their performance will capture classical and neo-classical ballet at its finest.

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Contents

Lessons Lesson 1: An Introduction to Movement - 5 Handout 1: Elements of Dance - 9 Handout 2: Create a Phrase - 10 Lesson 2: Movement, Choreography and the Systems of the Body - 11

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Handout 3: Theory of Change Worksheet - 18 Lesson 4: Theme and Variation in Choreography - 19 Lesson 5: Stereotypes in Ballet - 22 Handout 4: Excerpt from “Searching for the next Misty Copeland” - 24

Additional Resources Glossary - 25

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Lesson 3: Dance and Social Change - 15

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Lesson 1: An Introduction to Movement Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Introduce students to the elements of dance and independently explore movement through those elements.

Duration: 1 hr. 30 min.

Standards: CCSS Grade Seven, SL.1.c.: Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

CCSS Grade Six, W.10.: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

VAPA Dance, Grade Six: 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material.

VAPA Dance, Grade Six: 4.3 Discuss the experience of performing personal work for others VAPA Dance, Grade Seven: 1.4 Identify and use a wider range of space, time, and force/energy to manipulate locomotor and axial movements.

Concepts/Vocabulary: Elements of dance - foundational concepts and vocabulary that help develop movement skills and discuss movement: body, action, space, time and energy, etc.

Gesture - a movement that does not involve carrying the weight of the whole body and can express emotion, ideas or attitudes.

Levels - the height of the dancer in relation to the floor.

Locomotor movement - movement that travels from place to place usually by the transfer of weight from foot to foot. Locomotor movement includes walking, running, leaping, hopping and jumping; and the irregular rhythmic combinations of the skip (walk and hop), slide and gallop (walk and leap).

Nonlocomotor movement - movement that occurs in the whole body or a body part that is anchored to one spot only. Nonlocomotor movement includes bending, twisting, stretching, swaying, rocking and swinging.

Phrase - a brief sequence of related movements that has a sense of rhythmic completion.

Guiding Questions: What are the different ways that your body can move?

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Materials: Handout 1: The Elements of Dance, Handout 2: Create a Phrase

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Lesson Plan Mini Lesson: What do you already know about dance?

Explore students’ knowledge and curiosity about dance by completing a KWL Chart exercise. A KWL chart is a graphical organizer that is designed to track the students’ learning during the course of a lesson or unit. Ask students to fold a piece of paper into thirds and label the three columns, what I know, what I want to know and what I learned.

Ask students to complete the first column by writing down everything that they know about dance.

Encourage them to think about the history of dance, types of dance genres, famous dancers and choreographers, dance movements, social dance, what they have seen on television and in movies, and experiences in their personal or family life.

Have students get in pairs and share what they wrote. After sharing, ask students to work on column two with their partner and write down what they want to learn about dance. (i.e. specific dance steps, the role of dance in culture, the evolution of dance, where they can experience dance, etc.)

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Review all of the items from the two columns as a class, and point out the items that will be covered during this unit including the elements of dance, choreography, dance warm-up, stereotypes in dance and a brief history of ballet.

Continue the discussion by asking students, what role has dance played in your life? Discuss and brainstorm different reasons people have danced.

• Express emotions • Tell stories • Form of celebration • Connect to heritage Ask students to add anything new to their KWL Chart that could go in column three or any of the previous two columns.

Dance Warm-Up and Stretch Stretching and warming up the body is essential before dancing “full-out” or fully. Dedicate 10 minutes to stretching with your class in sets of 2-4 eight counts. Ask students to stand and move in the space behind or to the side of their desks. Lead students through the warm-up by following the instructions below:

• • • • • • • •

Shake your head “no” and nod your head “yes”.

Slowly roll your shoulders back, then forward, both together and one at a time in succession.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and reach down to your right foot. Switch to the left.

Stay standing with your feet shoulder width apart and stretch your arms up to the sky as far as possible. Slowly fold over at the waist, rolling your body down and reach for the floor.

Stay standing with your feet shoulder width and extend your arms out to the side and wrap your arms around your body as if you are “hugging” yourself.

Place your hands on your hips and slowly rotate your hips around in a circle from right, to front, to left, to back, and then in reverse.

Lift one leg behind you while balancing on the other (this is a basic stretch done in sports) and then switch legs.

Do 25 jumping jacks.

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After completing column two, have the pairs report two items from each column to the class. Ask students to physically demonstrate any of the items that they know about dance. Write down the answers on the board or butcher paper as students’ report.

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Explore Movement with the Elements of Dance Part 1: Discover the Elements of Dance TASK: Create a short movement phrase that explores the elements of dance.

Pass out Handout 1: The Elements of Dance and review the definition of the elements of dance as a class. The elements of dance are foundational concepts and vocabulary that help develop movement skills and discuss movement. There are five categories within the elements, body, action, space, time and energy (BASTE).

Before reviewing each concept, ask students to brainstorm the meaning of each category in the elements of dance.

How would the concepts encourage movement?

What would an open shape look like? What would traveling in a curved line look like? Etc. Review Handout 1: The Elements of Dance as a class and ask students to create a gesture or movement as you define each concept.

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Body: Let your elbow initiate your movement around the space.

Action: Travel around the room using a locomotor movement (hop, slide, skip, crawl, etc.)

Space: Travel around the room in a straight pathway. Now travel in a curved pathway.

Time: Walk around the room with a steady beat. Now walk with an uneven or syncopated beat.

Energy: Move lightly around the room as if you are walking on the clouds.

Part 2: Independent Study and Phrase Work After experiencing the elements of dance in their bodies, ask students to create a movement phrase.

A phrase is a brief sequence of related movements that has a sense of rhythmic completion. Pass out Handout 2: Create a Phrase and review the directions.

Ask students to find a space in the room to work independently. Encourage students to fully embody the elements. Give students 10 minutes to create their phrase and practice a few times.

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After defining each category, ask students to participate in an exercise that will further explore the elements of dance. Start by having students walk around the room and move to an element concept that you name. You can go through the concepts in each element on Handout 1. Below are some examples.

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Part 3: Perform Break students into small groups of three or four people, and ask them to show their movement phrase to their group members. While watching their peers, encourage students to make mental notes about the way the performer used the elements of dance and which concepts they saw.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Students have a clear start and finish to the phrase.

• The elements of dance are clearly represented throughout the phrase.

• The phrase is 4 counts of eight.

After watching each phrase, ask students to share what elements they saw.

Part 4: Analysis and Reflection

Did you face any challenges while creating? How did you overcome those challenges?

What did you like about your phrase?

Which element of dance felt good to perform? Did you like to move fast or slow better? Sharp or smooth? High or low?

Were the phrases in your group similar? Or did each person move differently?

How did it feel to perform something you created for your classmates?

PURPOSE: To learn the elements of dance and understand the creative process when choreographing, specifically how dancers or choreographers can choose many different ways to move.

Student Reflection Ask students to update their KWL Chart with any new discoveries, and to write a short reflection about creating movement. Have students explore what they learned about dance or themselves through this artistic experience.

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Lead students through a class discussion about their experience of creating movement and performing in front of peers.

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Handout 1: Elements of Dance The Elements of Dance WHO?

DOES WHAT?

WHERE?

WHEN?

HOW?

Answer:

Ask:

A dancer

moves

through space

and time

with energy

B.A.S.T.E.

BODY

ACTION

SPACE

TIME

ENERGY

Concepts

Parts of the Body

Axial

Place

Duration

Attack

(in bold font) with some suggestions for word lists and descriptors under each concept.

Head, eyes, torso, shoulders, fingers, legs, feet, etc.

(in place) Open - - - - - - - - - - - - Close

In Place - - - - - - - Traveling

Brief - - - - - - - - - - - - Long

Sharp - - - - - - - - - - Smooth

Rise - - - - - - - - - Sink or Fall

Size

Speed

Stretch - - - - - - - - - - - Bend

Small - - - - - - - - - - - -Large

Fast - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slow

Whole Body Design and use of the entire body

Twist - - - - - - - - - - - - -Turn

Laban Effort Actions

Initiation Core Distal Mid-limb Body Parts

Press

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Symmetrical/Asymmetrical Rounded Twisted Angular Arabesque

Body Systems Muscles Bones Organs Breath Balance Reflexes

Level

Beat

High- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Low

Steady - - - - - - - - - Uneven

Wring

Dab

Direction

Tempo

Slash

Glide

Forward - - - - - - Backward

Quick - - - - - - - - - - - - Slow

Punch

Float

Upward - - - - - - Downward Sideward - - - - - Diagonally

Accent

Traveling

Liner - - - - - - - - - Rotating

Single - - - - - - - - - Multiple

(locomotor) Crawl, creep, roll. scoot, walk. run, leap, jump, gallop. slide. hop, skip, do-si-do, chainé turns .... and many more!

Pathway

This is just a starting list of movements. Many techniques have specific names for similar actions. “Sauté” is a ballet term for “jump.”

Force Strong - - - - - - - - - - Gentle

On Beat - - - - - Syncopated Traveling, traced in air curved, straight,angular, zig-zag, etc.

Plane Sagittal (Wheel) Vertical (Door) Horizontal (Table)

Focus Inward - - - - - - - - Outward Direct - - - - - - - - - Indirect

Inner Self

Relationships

Senses Perceptions Emotions Thoughts Intention Imagination

In Front - - - Behind/Beside

Predictable- -Unpredictable

Rhythmic Pattern Patterned - - - - - - - - - -Free Metric 2/4, 6/8, etc Polyrhythms Cross-rhythm Tala

Breath, waves, word cues, event cues, felt time

Timing Relationships Before After Unison Sooner Than Faster Than

Over - - - - - - - - - - - Under Alone - - - - - - - - Connected Near - - - - - - - - - - - - - Far Individual & group proximity to object

© 2011 Perpich Center for Arts Education May be reproduced for professional development and classroom use by teachers

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Weight Heavy - - - - - - - - - - - Light Strength: push, horizontal, impacted Lightness: resist the down, initiate up Resiliency: rebound, even up and down

Flow Bound (Controlled) - - -Free

Energy Qualities Vigorous, languid, furious, melting, droopy, wild, lightly, jerkily, sneakily, timidly, proudly, sharp, smooth, sudden, sustained etc.

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Body Shapes

Tension Tight - - - - - - - - - - - Loose

Flick

Patterns Upper/lower body, homologous, contralateral, midline, etc.

Sudden - - - - - - -Sustained

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Handout 2: Create a Phrase Now that you have had a chance to become familiar with the elements of dance, create an original movement phrase that uses the dance elements and is 4 counts of eight. Create a dance by using the following guidelines. (NOTE: You will not use music in this activity)

1. Choose one locomotor or traveling movement (walk, run, leap, jump, hop, slide, etc.). This will be your primary action movement that will be repeated in your phrase.

2. Start your phrase with a frozen pose that uses one of the body shapes (symmetrical/ asymmetrical, rounded, twisted, angular). Hold this pose for 4 counts. (4 counts) 3. Choose a time (slow, medium, or fast) then move, using your primary action movement. (4 counts) 4. Come back to your frozen pose and hold for 4 counts. (4 counts)

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6. Hold the new frozen pose for another 4 counts. (4 counts) 7. Travel to a new space in the room using the same time and primary action movement as before, but include a clear pathway (curved, straight, angular, zig-zag, etc.) (8 counts) 8. Choose a speed (fast or slow) to come back to your starting frozen pose.

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5. From your frozen pose, create 8 gestures that uses different parts of the body and ends in a new pose. The energy of each gesture should be clear. (8 counts)

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Lesson 2: Movement, Choreography and the Systems of the Body Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Students will choreograph a movement phrase that expresses the function and parts of a system of the human body (ie. cardiovascular, muscular, nervous and skeletal system).

Duration: 1 hr. 30 min

Standards: CCSS Grade 6.W.7.: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

CA Science Content Standards, Grade Seven: 6.i. Students know how levers confer mechanical advantage and how the application of this principle applies to the musculoskeletal system.

CA Science Content Standards, Grade Seven: 6.j. Students know that contractions of the heart generate blood pressure and that heart valves prevent backflow of blood in the circulatory system.

VAPA Dance, Grade Six: 1.5 Describe and analyze movements observed and performed, using appropriate dance vocabulary.

VAPA Dance, Grade Seven: 2.1 Create, memorize, and perform improvised movement sequences, dance studies, and choreography with dynamic range and fulfillment.

VAPA Dance, Grade Seven: 2.7 Demonstrate increased originality in using partner or group relationships to define spatial floor patterns, shape designs, and entrances and exits.

Concepts/Vocabulary: Cardiovascular/Circulatory System - an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients to and from the cells in the body.

Choreography - the sequence of steps and movements in dance or figure skating, especially in a ballet or other staged dance.

Choreographer - a person who creates dance compositions and pieces.

Elements of dance - foundational concepts and vocabulary that help develop movement skills and discuss movement: body, action, space, time and energy, etc.

Muscular System - an organ system that consists of muscle cells and tissues that brings about movement of a body part or organ.

Nervous System - system in the body that controls internal functions of the body and receives, interprets and responds to stimuli.

Skeletal System - framework of the body, consisting of bones and other connective tissues, which supports and protects the body tissues and organs.

Guiding Questions: How can systems of the human body be described through movement?

How can the elements of dance help communicate the message of a dance piece?

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Materials: Handout 1: Elements of Dance, Science textbook or internet, paper, pencil

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Lesson Plan

Mini Lesson: Review and Research the Systems of the Human Body Split the class into four groups and assign each group a system of the human body to research. This lesson will focus on the cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal and nervous systems. Have students use their textbooks and the internet to research different qualities about the system. Ask students to take notes as they research and write down different parts, functions and qualities of the system.

After researching, have students discuss the different parts of the system with their group (lungs, stomach, muscle fibers, nerve cells, etc.) and create a list of descriptive words for the system. Some examples of descriptive words are inhale, circulation, responsive, quick, connection, etc.

Come back together as a class and ask each group to report their findings about the system. Ask students to describe the function of the system, major parts and to share the descriptive words that they came up with. Ask the other groups for feedback on the words and to add on to the list.

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Dance Warm-Up with the Elements of Dance Lead students through the 10 minute warm-up from Lesson 1. If a student feels confident, you can ask a student to lead the warm-up.

Continue warming-up by leading a short exercise from Lesson 1 that explore the elements of dance.

Start by asking students to walk around the room naturally and with a purpose. Next, have students move to a specific element of dance that you name. You can go through the concepts in each element on Handout 1 and use the same examples from Lesson 1. While moving, incorporate the descriptive words that the students generated about the systems and encourage them to use the elements of dance to support the movement.

Walk quickly throughout the space without running.

Add a moment of circulation as you walk.

While walking, change directions quickly with a sense of urgency.

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NOTE: You can adapt this lesson to include other systems or organs of the body to fit what is being taught in your classroom.

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Choreography and Systems of the Human Body Part 1: Analyze Choreography TASK: Create a movement phrase with a group that expresses and describes how either the Cardiovascular, Muscular, Skeletal or Nervous systems work.

Ask students to find their assigned group and in their group, discuss what they know about choreographing. Ask for some examples, and then review the vocabulary words choreography and choreographer. Choreography is the sequence of steps and movements in dance, especially in a ballet or other staged dance. A choreographer is a person who creates dance compositions and pieces. Some well-known choreographers include George Balanchine, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and Debbie Allen.

Ask students to view segments of two pieces choreographed by George Balanchine. George Balanchine is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in ballet and founded and choreographed for the New York City Ballet. He choreographed many famous ballets including The Nutcracker. Watch these two segments from the pieces, Serenade and Firebird as a class. After watching each clip, ask students to discuss with their group the elements of dance that they saw and report back to the class.

Balanchine’s Serenade performed by San Francisco Ballet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYjRDh8K58

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Further the discussion by asking students to analyze the two pieces more deeply.

How did the choreography in Serenade and Waltz of the Flowers differ?

What elements of dance were used to express the theme or message of the pieces?

Part 2: Choreograph in Groups Discuss with students that they will be choreographing a short dance piece with their group. Their dance will describe and express how their assigned system of the human body works. Review the directions and criteria for the activity together.

1. Create a short dance piece about one of the systems of the human body: Cardiovascular, Muscular, Skeletal or Nervous system. The dance could be about the whole system or just a part.

Encourage students to think about what part or organ within the system could have the most movement possibilities.

2. Everyone in the group must have a job. This means that everyone must take part in all phases of the work, from choreography to rehearsal to performance.

3. Use the list of descriptive words that describe your system to inspire movement qualities.

4. Utilize what you know about the elements of dance and incorporate them into your dance piece.

5. Be creative!

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Balanchine’s Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker performed by New York City Ballet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrXQ8uAnipo

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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • All group members participate in the dance.

• All 5 elements of dance are used to describe the system.

• Students use the descriptive words to influence movement.

Let students work in their groups for 25-30 minutes. Circulate around the room and offer feedback or suggestions when needed. Resist the temptation to choreograph for the group, but rather offer helpful suggestions to move past a road block.

Part 3: Perform and Reflect Have each group share their dance piece with the class and lead a short discussion after each group.

Ask students in the audience to be prepared to answer questions about what they saw and the elements of dance.

Ask group members for their comments about the experience.

What elements of dance did you use, and why?

What concepts or parts about the system did you focus on within the piece?

What descriptive words inspired your movement?

Would you change anything in your choreography?

After reviewing all of the pieces, ask students to write a short reflection about their experience.

What was challenging about choreographing with a group?

How did choreographing inform your learning and understanding about the system?

Did you learn something new about dance, human systems or yourself?

PURPOSE: To learn how to use the elements of dance to express concepts, messages and meaning when choreographing. For this lesson, specifically to express how the cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal and nervous systems work.

Student Reflection How did you use the elements of dance to describe the cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal and nervous systems?

How did movement inform your understanding of the body systems?

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Guide a discussion after each group’s presentation. Ask students in the audience to share about the elements of dance that they saw within the piece.

What elements were used in the piece? Where were they most apparent?

What did you interpret about the body system from the elements of dance that were used?

Was there a theme within the piece or movement?

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Lesson 3: Dance and Social Change Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Students will learn the impact of art on social change by studying Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell, creating their own social/political agenda and communicating their vision of the future through dance.

Duration: 60 min.

Materials: Handout 3: Theory of Change Worksheet, paper, pencil

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Concepts/Vocabulary: Alvin Ailey - an American dancer, choreographer and director/founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His movement style was influenced by ballet, modern and Afro-jazz and his choreography explores themes about black heritage and culture.

Arthur Mitchell - an American dancer, choreographer and director/founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem, a multi-cultural dance institution that provides opportunities of artistic expression for young people and adults especially in Harlem. Mitchell was also a former principal dancer of George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet.

Civic Engagement - encompasses the many ways that people may get involved in their communities to consider and address civic issues.

Civil Rights Movement - mass movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States during 1954-1968.

Social Change - both the process and effect of efforts to alter societal conditions.

Guiding Questions: How did the Civil Rights Movement inform the development of Dance Theatre of Harlem?

How does art impact social or political events or issues? And vice versa?

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Standards: VAPA Dance, Grades Nine through Twelve - Proficient: 3.3 Explain how the works of dance by major choreographers communicate universal themes and sociopolitical issues in their historical/cultural contexts (e.g., seventeenth-century Italy, eighteenth-century France, the women’s suffrage movement, dance in the French courts, Chinese cultural revolution).

VAPA Dance, Grades Nine through Twelve - Proficient: 3.4 Explain how dancers from various cultures and historical periods reflect diversity and values (e.g., ethnicity, gender, body types, and religious intent).

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Lesson Plan Mini Lesson: Explore Mitchell and Ailey’s Companies In this lesson, students will learn about two dance companies, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and how they challenged the western dance world. Arthur Mitchell and Alvin Ailey were both inspired to form dance companies because of the biases against people of color in dance and in society. Alvin Ailey formed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 1958 and Arthur Mitchell started Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969.

Divide students into small groups and assign each group a company to research, either Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre or Dance Theatre of Harlem. Ask the groups to focus on one of these research questions.

How did Alvin Ailey and/or Arthur Mitchell respond to the events of the Civil Rights Movement? What did they hope to accomplish by establishing a new dance company?

How did Alvin Ailey and/or Arthur Mitchell challenge societal norms through their art? How did they practice civic engagement?

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After researching, come together as a group and discuss about both Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell and their companies. Answer the research questions for each or use these discussion questions.

Were Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell ahead of the curve in terms of social and political change?

What steps did they take to accomplish their vision of social change?

Do you know other artists that create art for social change or have a message about society in their art?

Dance and Social Change Part 1: Theory of Change Watch Shoes to Match Our Feet on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B18qJd2GljE Pass out Handout 3: Theory of Change Worksheet and discuss the elements of theory of change together. A theory of change outlines a long-term vision and the steps towards a desired change. It begins with a description of the current situation (the first domino), continues with three steps towards a change (dominoes 2-4) and concludes with a vision of the future in which the desired change is complete (last domino).

Ask students to look at the theory of change template and discuss the steps that Arthur Mitchell took for his desired change from the video, Shoes to Match Our Feet. Review the steps together and chart them on the board as you discuss.

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How are the two companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem, continuing the legacy of their founders today?

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Part 2: Group Work Ask students to complete a quick write that challenges them to reflect on their community. Have students respond to this question: Is there something that happens now in your community that you would like to see improve?

After identifying a change, ask students to get back to the same groups and discuss their quick writes.

Have the group choose one of the issues to map out on the Theory of Change Worksheet (Handout 3).

Groups discuss and write the steps together. This will be their guide for choreographing a short phrase.

Part 3: Choreograph and Perform TASK: Students will work in groups to choreograph a movement phrase that expresses the theory of change for their community.

Ask students to choreograph a phrase with their group that traces the process of achieving a longterm vision. Encourage students to use movement inspired by the words on their theory of change worksheet.

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Group choreography should be 5 counts of 8 (one count of eight per domino) and have a clear beginning, middle and end to demonstrate the process of change.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Movement phrase is 5 counts of 8.

• Students use previous knowledge about the elements of dance in movement vocabulary.

• Movement phrase has a beginning, middle and end.

• Choreography reflects the tone of students’ theory of change.

Ask students to share their group choreography with the class and describe their theory of change process. After performing, ask students to provide feedback on the movement choices and choreography.

I witnessed that…

I observed…

PURPOSE: To better understand the impact of art on social change and to explore an area of change in students’ community.

Student Reflection Have students write a reflection about their opinion on art for social change.

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Hint: The second domino (first step) should be something very small and simple, something that a student could complete tomorrow. The third and fourth dominoes should get progressively bigger/ more complex.

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Handout 3: Theory of Change Worksheet

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1ST STEP WHERE YOU ARE NOW

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Lesson 4: Theme and Variation in Choreography Lesson at a Glance Objective: Notice the application of theme and variation in writing, dance, music and most creative practices. Learn to recognize thematic movement or patterns in a dance performance and how variations are built to create choreography.

Duration: 50 min.

Standards: CCSS Reading Standards for Literature Grade 8: 2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

VAPA Dance, Grade Seven: 2.2 Demonstrate the ability to use personal discovery and invention through improvisation and choreography.

VAPA Dance, Grade Eight: 1.4 Analyze gestures and movements viewed in live or recorded professional dance performances and apply that knowledge to dance activities.

VAPA Dance, Grade Eight: 1.5 Identify and analyze the variety of ways in which a dancer can move, using space, time, and force/energy vocabulary.

Concepts/Vocabulary: Choreography - the sequence of steps and movements in dance or figure skating, especially in a ballet or other staged dance.

Theme – a topic; the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, dance or an exhibition.

Variation - change or slight difference in a level, amount, or quantity.

Sequence - In dance: a set of movements placed in a particular order.

Repetition - a choreographic device in which movements or motifs are repeated.

Improvisation (in dance) - process of spontaneously creating movement.

Guiding Questions: How is theme and variation part of every creative process?

What is accomplished by referring back to a theme?

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Materials: Internet for video links

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Lesson Plan

Mini Lesson: The Ingredients of Theme and Variation Divide the class in two equal groups and have students face each other, either standing or remaining seated at their desks. Ask students to make eye contact with someone in the opposite group; this person will be their counterpart.

Review the definitions of theme and variation with your class, emphasizing how the two are related, and explain that students will be using their bodies to explore theme and variation the way dancers do.

Look to the right…. then the left, trying to move in the exact same way as your counterpart.

Tilt your head to the right…. then the left.

Look down to the floor…. then up to the ceiling.

Reach your right arm to the right…. then your left arm to the left.

Reach your arms up to the ceiling…. then touch the floor.

Be still.

These six movements, performed in this way, are are our theme.

Next, prompt each group separately so that students can observe their counterparts’ movement. Ask students to notice the ways their counterparts’ movements vary from the theme.

Group A: As if you are crossing the street, look to the right…. then the left.

Group B: True to the theme, look to the right…. then the left.

Group A: True to the theme, tilt your head to the right…. then the left.

Group B: As if you are getting water out of your ears, tilt your head to the right…. then the left.

Group A: As if gravity is 10 times stronger, look down to the floor…. then up to the ceiling.

Group B: True to the theme, look down to the floor…. then up to the ceiling.

Group A: True to the theme, reach your right arm to the right…. then your left arm to the left.

Group B: As if you are trying to catch something out of your reach, reach your right arm to the right…. then your left arm to the left.

Group A: As if your back hurts, reach your arms up to the ceiling…. then touch the floor.

Group B: True to the theme, reach your arms up to the ceiling…. then touch the floor.

This is theme and variation. Ask students to use words describing the differences in effort, shape, speed, etc. of what they performed and saw performed.

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Use the following verbal prompts to guide students through the movement.

Note: Have students do each upper body movement sequence until the movement vocabulary is familiar.

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Part 1: Watch Theme and Variation in Movement Watch these clips of dance illustrating the development of choreography through establishing a theme, then using repetition and variation to build the vocabulary of movement.

Link #1: Mark Morris Dance Group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v89BcXz8pBE Link #2: Contra Tiempo Dance Company: https://vimeo.com/106057824 Discuss the theme and variations that students observed while watching the two clips. Address the following questions with your students: Can you identify one movement that is repeated, altered or transformed in the movement?

How do you see the choreographer change the movement over time?

What is achieved by this augmentation and how does it capture your attention?

What words would you use to describe the “variation” in terms of effort, shape, speed, direction etc.

Part 2: Create Theme and Variation in Movement Ask students to return to their counterparts, and join two other pairs to make a group of six people.

Next, give groups 5 minutes to experiment with theme movements and develop 3-5 VARIATIONS using just the head, upper torso or arms. (examples: crossing arms in front of head, head roll, shoulder shrug, rotate torso to the right etc.) The THEME (warm-up movement) and VARIATION (student created movement) are now the vocabulary of their dance.

Each group will share and improvise using only their group’s THEME and VARIATION. The teacher can call out the transitions below to keep students on track. Adding music is also an option.

16-64 counts - THEME 16-64 counts - VARIATION 16-96 counts - IMPROVISATION (varying timing, speed, level, effort, etc.)

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Identify movements that are repeated or altered in a dance work • Articulate the effort, shape, speed, size and direction of movement • Collaborate with peers to observe and perform theme and variation in movemen.

• Increase comfort with viewing and understanding non-narrative dance PURPOSE: Explore and experience creating movement themes and variations.

Reflection Questions: How did the variation differ with each group?

What were you thinking as you developed your improvised variation?

Were variations clear once you understood the theme?

Where else do we see theme and variation besides dance?

Take it Further: Theme and Variation in Writing Discuss the theme of a novel or short story the students are currently reading. How do students see that theme reflected in different characters, situations or symbolism throughout the work? How do these variations work together to inform the author’s point of view or theme?

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In groups, students will revisit the six warm-up exercises. Sitting or standing, have students do the THEME in order (1-5). Repeat a few times until everyone is comfortable with the vocabulary.

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Lesson 5: Stereotypes in Ballet Lesson at a Glance Objective: Students will examine stereotypes in ballet, how those stereotypes affect young dancers, and how they personally have been affected by stereotyping.

Duration: 45 min.

Materials: Handout 4: Excerpt from: “Searching for the next Misty Copeland”, access to the internet, YouTube, paper, pen

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Concepts/Vocabulary: Stereotype - any thought widely adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of behaving intended to represent the entire group of those individuals or behaviors as a whole.

Stereotype Threat - refers to the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about an individual’s racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural group.

Person of Color: a person who is not White or of European parentage.

Guiding Questions: How do stereotypes affect ballet dancers?

In what way do stereotypes affect your life?

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Standards: CCSS W.Grade Seven: 3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS W.Grade Seven: 3a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

CCSS W.Grade Seven: 7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Lesson Plan Placing Dance Theatre of Harlem in Context Watch the Dance Theatre of Harlem Clip: Brown Ballerinas: Inside the Dance Theatre of Harlem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BxBVdJg_oM Research Prompt: In the video, Jenelle Figgins, a dancer, shares that seeing Dance Theatre of Harlem as a child meant that she saw “bodies that looked like mine” dancing ballet on stage. In groups of 4, research advertisements, media, photography and/or videos of ballet and ballerinas. What does the media portray as the “typical” ballet body?

Come back together as a class and ask each group to share one example from their research and additional related question that their research generated. Have groups share what they first noticed in their media example and similar characteristics that dancers have in each image.

Discuss famous examples of ballerinas of color that the students may have encountered in their research. Perhaps the most current famous ballerina of color is Misty Copeland, a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre.

Why do you suppose ballerina Misty Copeland has just recently become world-renowned?

Distribute, read and discuss Handout #4: Excerpt from Searching for the next Misty Copeland.

Rachel Moore says that American ballet companies should look like America; what does she mean?

What would a dance company that looks like America look like?

How has the stereotype of a ballerina affected who dances ballet?

Discuss stereotypes in the article with students. Define stereotype threat – the risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s self - and discuss and how this could affect young dancers of color.

Ask students to write a short narrative recounting an instance in which they stereotyped someone else and/or they felt someone stereotyped them. Use the following questions as prompts.

Has someone ever made an assumption about your ability level based on how you look?

Did you feel that they were right in that assumption?

Have you ever assumed something about someone based on the way that they look?

Take It Further: HipLet Young dancers of color in Detroit and Chicago are adapting the classical ballet and hip hop genres to produce a style of dance called HipLet. Watch the link http://www.cmdcschool.org/.

What other ways do you think dancers of color might affect ballet?

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Discuss the findings together and ask your students the following questions.

Who is performing on the world stage for ballet? What do they have in common?

How is Dance Theatre of Harlem changing American ballet?

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

Handout 4: Excerpt from: “Searching for the next Misty Copeland” Historically, major ballet companies have shunned women of color because of rigid standards for beauty and uniformity in ballet, as well as racial stereotypes about black and brown women’s bodies.

“All the girls in my school are very Russian-style — flat chested and thin,” said Abrantes, 16, who is a student at Thomas Armour Youth Ballet in her hometown of Miami. “Some of them told me, ‘Oh you’re never going to make it. You don’t have the body type.’”

That stigma comes from generations of artistic directors in ballet who view the dance as an elitist form of high art, said Dr. Indira Etwaroo, executive director at the Center for Arts and Culture - BedfordStuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

“There was an era in ballet where ballerinas were being asked to be thinner and thinner, but also pale” she said. “Pallet and makeup was being put on even white dancers, creating these ethereal, fairy-like images.”

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Some said black women were all flat-footed and lacked the flexibility to perform difficult moves. Others contended that blacks were either too fat, too muscular or too dark-skinned to be ballerinas, she noted.

“A lot of people feel ballerinas should all be the same color,” said Williams, whose students have gone on to study and perform at major ballet companies, including Copeland’s ABT. “You’ll see a line of 20 girls hitting the same poses and they all look alike. The ballerina tights are pink, so some artistic directors feel the skin should be pink. If they put a black girl in that line, she’ll stick out and ruin the ‘color scheme’ so-to-speak.”

This is why Misty Copeland is so important, says Rachel Moore, CEO of the American Ballet Theatre where Copeland now serves as principal dancer.

“If we’re in America, our ballet companies should look like America and they don’t right now,” she said.

“It’s imperative to diversify the company.”

In pursuit of that objective, Moore and the ABT created Project Plie in 2013, a 24-city national audition tour with five summer intensive programs hosted in cities across the country.

The effort appears to be working. In the first year, about 600 students of color tried out. This year it was close to 1,000.

“It’s partly because of Misty’s success,” Moore continued. “Her performances open up the door to new audiences.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/finding-misty-black-ballerinas-rare-article-1.2288544

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Former Ballerina Robin Williams, 57, an African American who now serves as executive artistic director of the East Harlem-based Uptown Dance Academy, recalls some of the hard-spun arguments she’s heard during her career against casting black ballerinas.

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Alvin Ailey - an American dancer, choreographer and director/founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His movement style was influenced by ballet, modern and Afro-jazz and his choreography explores themes about black heritage and culture.

Arthur Mitchell - an American dancer, choreographer and director/founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem, a multi-cultural dance institution that provides opportunities of artistic expression for young people and adults especially in Harlem. Mitchell was also a former principal dancer of George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet.

Elements of dance - foundational concepts and vocabulary that help develop movement skills and discuss movement: body, action, space, time and energy, etc.

Cardiovascular/Circulatory System - an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients to and from the cells in the body.

Choreographer - a person who creates dance compositions and pieces.

Choreography - the sequence of steps and movements in dance or figure skating, especially in a ballet or other staged dance.

Civic Engagement - encompasses the many ways that people may get involved in their communities to consider and address civic issues.

Civil Rights Movement - mass movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States during 1954-1968.

Gesture - a movement that does not involve carrying the weight of the whole body and can express emotion, ideas or attitudes.

Improvisation (in dance) - process of spontaneously creating movement.

Levels - the height of the dancer in relation to the floor.

Locomotor movement - movement that travels from place to place usually by the transfer of weight from foot to foot. Locomotor movement includes walking, running, leaping, hopping and jumping; and the irregular rhythmic combinations of the skip (walk and hop), slide and gallop (walk and leap).

Muscular System - an organ system that consists of muscle cells and tissues that brings about movement of a body part or organ.

Nervous System - system in the body that controls internal functions of the body and receives, interprets and responds to stimuli.

Nonlocomotor movement - movement that occurs in the whole body or a body part that is anchored to one spot only. Nonlocomotor movement includes bending, twisting, stretching, swaying, rocking and swinging.

Person of Color: a person who is not White or of European parentage.

Phrase - a brief sequence of related movements that has a sense of rhythmic completion.

Repetition - a choreographic device in which movements or motifs are repeated.

Sequence - In dance: a set of movements placed in a particular order.

Skeletal System - framework of the body, consisting of bones and other connective tissues, which supports and protects the body tissues and organs.

Social Change - both the process and effect of efforts to alter societal conditions.

Stereotype - any thought widely adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of behaving intended to represent the entire group of those individuals or behaviors as a whole.

Stereotype Threat - refers to the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about an individual’s racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural group.

Theme – a topic; the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, dance or an exhibition.

Variation - change or slight difference in a level, amount, or quantity.

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Glossary