Methods of Teaching Dance

                                         Chinese Masks                            The Sacred Art of the Ori Both Jasmyne and Joe used references to Ancient cultures to approach movement. Jasmyne used Beyonce's video"Lemonade" to introduce students to sacred art of the Ori in Nigeria. Joe brought with him pictures of Chinese Ancient masks used in theater and rituals. Jasmyne uses the warm up to transition into more specific movements: marching, develope devant- hands of waist, arm up, bending forward,  shoulder to shoulder and side to side move. Joe's warm up is a mixture of joint movements and stretch. Both chose simple routines to give content to their lessons. Jasmyne demonstrates weight shiftis, plies, side steps, while the students follow her lead. Both used relaxation as a closing device for thei...

Today marks the beginning of the teaching season for Methods of Teaching Dance.  Angel Nieves stepped up to the challenge and decided to be the first to teach a dance lesson.  His class revolved around symbolic references to ancient in-motion meditation practices.  His candles signaled the center of the learning community, his Tibetan bells reminded us of balance in sound and the music created an all encompassing mood that further invited to relax and let go of all the stress accumulated through out the semester. The groups affirmations included Angel's choice of music; his modulated voice, the flow of the warm up, his articulate explanation of the subject matter, the interactive eye to eye connective exercise and the layering of hands that brought us all together. 

Music and Creative Movement Nutrition: Basic breakdowns of major food groups              Health Awareness: The Healthy Body                  Ballet: Basic Ballet Moves                       Traditional Africa: Imagery and Symbolism                              Improvisation: Thinking Outside the Box                                  Musical theater: Quick Moves for Auditions                                         The Human Body: Psychology of Movement                                     ...

123RF The Report       The students read and discussed the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Workshop on “Art, Creativity and Learning.”  The workshop, held at the National Science Foundation Headquarters in Arlington Virginia and The Phillips Collection on June 11-13, 2008, brought together a pool of the world's leading investigators interested in the relations between the enhancement of learning, the transfer of cognitive abilities, and art education. Our attention focused specifically on dance.                                                           The general goals of the workshop were: (i)       to  establish if there is a sufficient basis for initiating a field of study of the Enhancement  of Learning through Art to the Science of Learning. (ii)       ...

Warm Up Games and Activities The students were able to discuss ideas about the first dance/movement class they would teach based on Mary Ann Brehm's and Lynne MaNett's book Creative Dance for Learning: The Kinesthetic Link. As a result of this discussion, they were also able to summarize certain ideas in their journals that reflect their own uniquely experiential take on the authors' argument. The first class "can begin with exploring the space and expand into more specific engaging activities." Kyla Samuels-Stewart "Having Children introduced to different kinds of dance can help them to express emotionally and mentally" Angel Nieves "All students learn in different ways. It is important to change activities and have a curriculum that will engage all of your students no matter what there skill level is." Patricia Victor "Students can grow as people and dancers when teachers bring movement/dance into the curriculum." Jen...

Radio 4 Podcast Do Schools Kill Creativity? This video presents Sir Kenneth Robinson as he discusses three themes: The extraordinary evidence of human creativity The unpredictability of the future The universal interest in education "Creativity is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status." "All Children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artists as we grow up." The purpose of showing this video is to create consensus about the importance of teaching dance. Thus, the students watched the video and then discussed the main ideas shared by Robinson. Then, they wrote on their journals their own ideas and how these ideas influenced the way they think about dance and dance education.  Entries "The benefits of dance should not be overlooked in schools and hopefully it will be a subject like math or biology." Adriana Bevilacqua "As a future parent, I also want my futu...

Ideally, the space for dance instruction should combine "a stimulating design in terms of imagery and process; a performative play on  inner and outer space ; the individual and collective experience and emotional transformation"  (Schorn, Land, Wittmann 56) . However, depending on the setting, private vs. public, the space for dance instruction could present challenges. Because, Methods of Teaching Dance frames dance as a creative art activity, so will be the approach when the space does not comply with conventional standards. The instructor's creative abilities can transform any space into a dance space. This first class of the Spring 2018 semester, the students were introduced to the preparation of their inner space, before he/she enters the outer dance space. Through meditation, warm ups, breathing exercises and or self affirmations, the dance instructor sets the mood that will accompany him/her as he/she enters the outer space. The outer space is the physical ar...