Creative Process of our Dance 

Over the course of our dance sessions we have been exploring the art of creative dance and gaining ideas that will allow us to teach this art form  in a primary school setting. The initial process of our performance began by learning the ten basic skills of dance. After doing this we then used them to create our own dance within our groups. As we reflected on previous sessions we found that music and dance can be integrated perfectly with each other as music provides us with a rhythm in which we can create movement from. We also agreed that music can influence certain types of movements and actions; for example hip hop and R&B can be used in street dance, whereas classical music can be used in ballet routines. We also found that another way to create dance moves was by using a visual stimulus. For example, in our groups we were asked to think of two objects that remind us of christmas and use them to create a dance move. Once every group had created their moves we put them altogether to create the beginning of our dance sequence.

From a teaching perspective I felt this activity achieved the following experiences and outcomes:

After creating our dance moves within our groups we then had incorporate it all together and perform it as one full dance. Although we had a teacher, the dance was designed solely by us as students. Therefore we were able to express our own ideas rather than having to copy other peoples’. As a result of this, it was interesting to see that we were still able to present a flowing performance without any professional assistance. Our first attempt was videoed to allow us to see our efforts and finalised performance.

Analysis of our Dance 

Once we videoed our dance we were able to watch it back. I felt being able to receive this visual feedback really helped my performance as it enabled me to physically see my strengths and weaknesses. One particular issue was timing, as it became evident that not everyone was performing moves in a synchronised manner. As well as this we were able to point out minor issues such as posture and facial expressions. Therefore by becoming aware of these issues we could improve them to make our dance more aesthetically pleasing.

Dance and music can be very easily linked when creating lesson plans. Creative dance does not need to be seasonally inspired; a dance can be created using any type of music such as music the children have created themselves or a style of music they have been focussing their interests on. It is also a good idea to explore which types of dance flow with different pieces of music, as well as being able to discover music and dances of different cultures. However it is important to understand that teachers are not alone and if they do not feel totally confident in teaching dance to pupils, they can utilise help from outside sources through the use of creative partnerships.

Creative partnerships occur when a wide variety of professionals work together to try and make educational approaches more interesting by stimulating thinking. Staff, non classroom based staff, visiting specialists and parents are all people who can be involved in creative partnerships. Creative partnerships have been used within education to target issues such as attendance and attainment. For example, a parkour project within a secondary school in Kilmarnock solely targeted pupils with poor attendance or social difficulties. It was agreed by the pupils and teaching staff that participation in this project was only allowed to those who fully attended school. As a result of this the pupils’ attendance dramatically improved whilst other pupils benefited from the social, emotional and mental aspects from working in a group (Project Parkour – The Journey, 2015). Thus exemplifying the success and need for creative partnerships within education.

Creative Partnerships in Local Authorities

• STEM
• Arts Development Officers
• GIRFEC Manager
• Numeracy and Literacy Officers
• Creative Learning Networks

References

https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf

Project Parkour – The Journey 2015. (2015).Available at: https://vimeo.com/125287507 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2017].