Resource 5: Refining our dance

 Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils

Now that your pupils have presented their dances to the class (see Resources 3 and 4) they have important feedback that can be used to improve and fine-tune their work. They may also have got ideas from watching the other group’s dances. Use the following questions to guide a discussion about each group’s dance. Note that you do not have to follow these questions in any particular order.

Creativity

Are there ways that you can create more variation in your dance?

Could you, for example, swap partners, change directions, use different parts      of the space, use different parts of the body or vary the space between the dancers?

Past and present

Can you think of ways of improving your dance inspired by the past?

Can you think of ways of improving your dance inspired by the present?

Are there ways of making the dances from the past or present more authentic or true to their time?

Working with each other

There are lots of different ways of working together in a group dance. Consider some of the following variations to add to your dance:

• working in groups within the large group, e.g. in twos;

• swapping partners;

• facing each other, dancing alongside, back-to-back or leaning against each other;

• varying the distance between dancers;

• creating a focus on one or more dancers at a particular time;

• allowing one dancer to take the lead and the rest following.

Performance space

Do you need to adjust your dance to suit the performance space?

How will you position yourselves in the space to start?

How will you be positioned in the space when you finish?

How will you move around the space during your performance?

Awareness of the audience

Is it easy for the audience to see all the dancers in your group?

Are there ways in which you should adjust your dance so that the audience can see it better?

Other things to think about…

Does anybody in your group need extra support or help?

Could you enhance your presentation by wearing similar hats, scarves, particular colours etc.?

Adapted from: Extracts from Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) / Gauteng Institute for Education Development (GDE) Illustrative Learning Programme for ABET, Level 4 – Culture and Arts)