Dance skills
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# 3 Dance combinations

Movement and dance combinations enable students to make physical sense of the exercises and movement material that they are given in class on a regular basis. In dance, repetition and recapitulation are vital ingredients in the learning process, and so being presented with phrases of movement that progress and develop in complexity will allow the individual to progress and develop too.

Did you know that it takes around 180 repetitions of a movement for the muscle memory to retain that particular pattern?

The purposes of dance combinations are:

- to increase and develop movement vocabulary;

- to develop movement and muscle memory;

- to increase the range of movement;

- to increase and develop understanding of physical capabilities;

- to develop an awareness of anatomical principles;

- to increase mobility in the body;

- to improve co-ordination and performance skills.

## Activity 3

Create a simple dance combination based on movements and exercises that you have taught in class.

Keep it short, around 16 counts, to start with, and then add more movements that expand on what has gone before and that will develop specific aspects of your students’ abilities.

Teach this combination over a period of 4–6 weeks, adding more movements each time. Keep a progress log to evaluate any developments made.

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