Eye of the Beholder

Which way is this dancer spinning?

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Shall Wii Dance??

The release of Wii Fit got me thinking – Will dance be the next evolution in Wii technology? This Miami Herald article describes the uses of Wii Fit and the accompanying balance board…

Players use the board to perform aerobic exercises, strength training and even yoga — all while trying to keep pace with an avatar on the TV screen. They also get verbal encouragement and feedback on technique.

Could this balance board also offer appropriate feedback on technique for a ballet barre or for tap dancers? Could a wider dance floor-type board make the Wii more useful for dance movements that are less stationary? Could the board help correct placement issues like pronation/supination (rolling-in or out when standing) or pelvic alignment, provide assessment of one’s take-off or landing from jumps, or actually teach steps – from a jazz square to a pas de bourre to a time step? Would this lead to more do-it-yourself dance training and decreased enrollment in classes? I have not used Wii Fit but am curious to try it out.

What are some of your thoughts? Would you utilize the technology for dance if it were available? What are some other ways you could see this technology being useful for the study of dance?

Make Your Own Dance Puzzles

Discovery Education’s website has an online puzzle maker. The free version allows you to create different types of puzzles and either print them from the browser or create a text version that you can copy and paste to a new application. If you’re needing a quick handout for your dance classes this week (remember we kick off National Dance Week today), make your own word search or crossword with dance terms, famous names, etc. Here’s a word search, for example… Enjoy!

Locomotor Movements

W F X C S J T G N B R G M R P
H R Z L E U I R F O U P S C A
J F I R U Q M W H E N G X O E
L D G N G E W P K U A P M O L
E G C D N U T S U D A V Q N T
J A H D W I C U L G P T H S G
S L X O Q P X E O V I Q G V H
W L F C P G G S A Q X S P H U
M O F Z J C R B C I P M P Y X
F P O X V P M P I K S K B R F
P G D N U D S O R W L T Y B G
F M R O L L Z Z U A X H G Q P
O R U W M G S W W V S A Y U O
R M O J E K B V N Z V L I B H
C I G H T X H B U V R X U K F

GALLOP
HOP
JUMP
LEAP
ROLL
RUN
SKIP
SLIDE
WALK

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com