Unit Three: Traditions and Innovations

Unit Three focuses on the dance of cultures and societies, past and present. It looks at influences and innovations in dance, how dance might transmit or question cultural values, and how dance is an integral part of life in Canada and beyond.

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

Talking About Dance

The students will:

discuss and analyse dance issues

begin to develop the ability to research materials independently to increase their understanding of dance.

Ask students what issues they can think of that are related to dance. Have students choose an issue and research it. If possible, students could interview people as part of the assignment.

Resource materials on issues in dance, such as JOS Call Board, Dance Connection, What is Dance?

For example, students could discuss censorship. Have students imagine that a dance performance has been banned. Set up a simulation where this issue is the topic of a radio phone-in show. A group of students could act as a panel of experts, while the others could be the callers. They could also interview people in the community about their views on censorship.

Dance Reflects Cultures and Societies

Teacher Information
Teachers should be aware that the new Middle Level Physical Education curriculum will include an optional dimension of rhythmics and/or dance. The focus of dance in Physical Education will be on learning social and/or cultural dances. Arts Education and Physical Education teachers are encouraged to communicate so that experiences in the two areas complement one another. For example, the students could learn a particular dance in Physical Education and examine the same dance and its cultural traditions in Arts Education.
The students will:

extend their understanding of the dances of various cultures and societies
continue to explore perspectives relevant to Aboriginal peoples through the study of their dance
begin to examine factors which influence the development of social and cultural dances

continue to learn a selection of dances from various societies and cultures, Canadian and global.

Discuss with students the idea that, over the years, popular dance styles change. New dance fads sometimes quickly fade into the past. Ask students why they think this is. What are the various styles of popular dance students can think of; for example, fox trot, jive, twist, disco, hip hop. Make a list on the blackboard. How are these dance styles different or the same? Where did they originate? What factors influenced these various dance styles?

Ask students about social dance functions they attend; for example, wedding dances. What styles of dance do they see at these functions? Are specific styles more common at certain functions? Do the dances vary among cultural groups? Discuss.

Have students reflect on the kinds of dances they do at their own social functions. How do their dances differ from the popular dances of previous years? Can students identify new trends in their style of dance? Perhaps students would be interested in learning a new dance. Invite a guest, such as an older student, teacher or parent, to teach students the dance.

Resource people such as parents, teachers, other students, etc.

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The students will:

continue to gain understanding about values, beliefs and traditions of various cultures through the study of the cultures' social and traditional dance
become aware of how dance can transmit or question cultural values, ideas and beliefs
begin to examine factors which influence the development of social and cultural dances

continue to learn a selection of dances from various societies and cultures, Canadian and global.

Discuss with students the idea that during some eras it was common to see dance partners touching when they danced; for example, in a dance such as the waltz. In other eras, it was common to see partners dancing apart; for example, in a dance such as the twist. Ask students why. Have students learn various social dances in which the partners dance touching and apart; for example, the waltz, jive or twist.

Ask students to research dance at times when partners either touching or not touching was common. For example, dancing closely was considered outrageous in the 1910s when dances such as the fox trot emerged. Previously, although couples touched when they danced such dances as quadrilles or waltzes, they kept a good arms-length apart. Dancing apart was a phenomena of the 1960s with the advent of the twist. Why did dancing change at that time?

Reference materials on various social dances, such as Dance A While, Let's Dance, Métis Dances. Also, see dance instruction resources from Dance Saskatchewan, Inc. Resources on social dances and their times, found in videos such as Call of the Jitterbug, In a Jazz Way, books such as Dance, Dance: A Very Social History. Also, see resources from Dance Saskatchewan, Inc.

Interview people about social dance in a particular time period. What changes were occurring in society at this time; for example, political or social changes? What were the fashions and popular music of the time? Do students think there was a connection between why couples began to dance closer together or apart and other aspects of society? Invite a guest to teach some of the dances of the time period. Set up a display. Include newspaper articles, editorials and pictures depicting the times.

Have students write an editorial or prepare a documentary report which examines how the social dances they currently do reflect their lives and times. Ask students to include factors such as current events, cultural influences, fashion, popular music, etc. What connections do students make between their own dances and the dances of previous years? Discuss.

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The students will:

examine historical, environmental and social factors that influence various choreographers and their work
understand how the context the work was created in affects the work
become aware of how dance can transmit or question cultural values, ideas and beliefs
continue to perceive, describe, analyse, interpret and make informed judgments about dance presentations, using an increasingly appropriate vocabulary.

Discuss with students that choreographers and dancers are affected by their life experiences and draw on these experiences when creating dances.

Resource people

Have students look at various choreographers' and dancers' work to see how it reflects their experiences. Use a process such as "Responding to Dance Presentations" to guide students. What do students think the dance reveals about the choreographer or dancer and the times she or he lives in? Discuss.

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Dance presentations, such as Dancemakers Series, Ballet Festival 1949, Points in Space, Baryshnikov by Tharp, Pow Wow, Hanya, USA Dance -- Four Pioneers, Isadora Duncan. Also, see videos from Dance Saskatchewan, Inc.

The students will:

continue to express themselves through their dance compositions by drawing on their own experiences
analyse their own dance ideas and compositions in relation to their lives, society and cultures

apply and understand the process of developing, sequencing and refining their dance compositions using ongoing reflection, decision- making and movement problem-solving.

Have students work in small groups on a dance project. Ask students to create a dance composition that says something about the times they live in. Each group should begin by deciding on one idea. Students might want to refer to their dance portfolios for ideas. Assist students in planning their projects. Encourage students to do any research needed. Have students develop, refine and sequence their movements into dance compositions. There may be times during the process when students will be working individually rather than in their groups. Throughout the process, encourage students to document the progress of their project in their portfolios. They should include documentation of movements and movement sequences with traditional or invented notation. Have students select or create their own accompaniment for their dance compositions. See "Creating Sound Compositions in the Classroom", included in the Music section of this curriculum guide.

Resources on choreographers and their dances, such as Dance Canada, Dance Classics, People Who Dance, Dance in Its Time, Ballet and Modern Dance, Merce Cunningham

Students' dance portfolios

Accompaniment, such as music or student-created dance compositions

Have students show the dance compositions or record them on video for later viewing. Describe and analyse the compositions. Discuss how the compositions reflect the times students live in.

Dance in the Students' Lives

The students will:

understand the roles and influences of dance in their daily lives, the mass media and popular culture
become aware of how dance can transmit or question cultural values, ideas and beliefs
continue to examine how dances they view as audience connect to their own lives, society and cultures
begin to develop the ability to research materials independently to increase their understanding of dance

use appropriate criteria when interpreting and evaluating various styles of dance.

Video recording equipment

Ask students to examine dance in their daily lives; for example, dance in the mass media, or dance as their own social activity. Throughout the year, have students collect examples of dance, such as advertising images, music videos, magazine and newspaper articles, dance programs from performances, reviews of performances, etc. What understanding of their society can students obtain by observing the dance around them?

Examples of dance in mass media, such as advertising images, music videos, magazine articles, reviews, etc.

Have students research how dance is used in music videos. Why do students think many videos include dance? Do music videos use particular styles of dance? Why? Where do students think the choreographers get their ideas for the dances, including the ideas for the steps? Look at an example of dance in a music video, using a process such as "Responding to Dance Presentations". Have students write a review of the dance seen in the video.

Examples of music videos

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The students will:

apply understanding of the work of various choreographers to their own dance creations
discover, improvise, explore and develop movements with confidence
continue to apply knowledge of the elements of dance and principles of composition in all their dance experiences
apply and understand the process of developing, sequencing and refining their dance compositions using ongoing reflection, decision- making and movement problem-solving

with growing competence, record their dance compositions with invented and/or traditional notation symbols, when appropriate.

Working in small groups, have students choreograph a dance for a music video. Students will need to select a piece of music or create their own music. Ask each group to begin by agreeing on ideas they would like to explore. Assist students in planning their projects. Encourage students to do research, if needed. Have students develop, refine and sequence their movements into dance compositions. There may be times during the process when students will be working individually rather than in their groups.

Music or student-created sound compositions

Throughout the process, encourage students to document the progress of their project in their portfolios. They should include documentation of movements and movement sequences with traditional or invented notation.

Have students consider other aspects of the dance compositions, such as props, sets, costumes, lights, etc. Students could design these aspects on paper, or make dioramas or maquettes. If appropriate, students could construct the costumes, sets and props using found objects, cardboard, recycled materials, etc. They could design lights by using flashlights, stage lights, or overhead projectors with coloured gels.

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The students will:

reflect on and analyse their own and their peers' work while valuing the work as expressions of unique experiences
demonstrate increasing comprehension of dance concepts and other aspects of dance by supporting their opinions of dance presentations (live or recorded)
analyse their own dance ideas and compositions in relation to their lives, society and cultures.

Materials for sets, costumes, props and lights, such as found objects, cardboard, recycled materials, overhead projectors, coloured gels, flashlights, stage lights, etc.

Have students show the dance compositions or record them on video for later viewing. Describe, discuss and analyse the dance compositions. Have students explain how they solved the problems they encountered when creating the compositions. How do various aspects of the compositions contribute to the final dance? What connections do students see between the music videos they originally looked at and their own dance compositions? Discuss.

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The students will:

apply and understand the process of developing, sequencing and refining their dance compositions using ongoing reflection, decision- making and movement problem-solving
become aware of how dance can transmit or question cultural values, ideas and beliefs
understand and analyse how the elements of dance and principles of composition are used in their own dance compositions and in the dances of others

identify and further explore the relationship dance has to the other art forms.

Video recording equipment

Using the same process as in the previous activity, ask students to create a dance composition to accompany music from another time period. Ask students to compare their two compositions. In what ways were the processes for creating the compositions similar or different? In what ways were the movements, costumes, props lights, etc. similar or different? Do students think the dances reveal anything about the times the music was composed in? Discuss.

Music

Materials for sets, costumes, props and lights