Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education
“The only thing new in dance is you.” A friend shared that quote from an Ohio University professor years ago and it has stuck with me. Every year I find myself chuckling to myself as I listen to kids claim movements as “their” choreography when really many are sampling from the limited palette of movement [...]
Sarah Dahnke is a New York dancer and choreographer who frequently incorporates props in her work. She shares a spectacular exercise to generate movement and use objects as part of the process as well as details about her latest project, Object as Performer.
When working with students on choreography it’s possible to get them thinking beyond steps to a more robust concept of creative process that encourages thoughtful choices about all areas of production. Heather demonstrated this with her previous article. This time, she goes a step further, showing you ways to connect these ideas with dance history to enrich students’ understanding.
The ways movement is inspired, how it is developed, edited, and finally presented is a process. Concert dance is all about the intent and the journey, which lead to the product. If this idea is new to you, here is a ten-step list of how to engage in a process from K-12 teacher, Heather Vaughan-Southard.
Even before the first musical theatre production meeting you want to be thoroughly familiar with the show and develop your vision the choreography. After that comes the collaborative process, involving all of the show’s directors, and then… auditions! This article, a companion to our earlier post Approaching Choreography for Musical Theatre helps take you through and successfully navigate this terrain.
A reader, looking for resources to assist in helping the students create their own dances, asks for recommendations. Included is a list of books and manuals on dance composition and improvisation plus my own quick tips for working with younger age groups as they begin their exploration of choreography.
Creative uses of digital music devises in dance experiences and performances which can be used as a starting point for your own ideas.
Creative Dance for Children A creative dance class designed for children will help them prepare for a future in dance and other physical activities. In class, dancers are provided with the opportunity to use their imagination, creativity, and self expression while developing skills that are the building blocks of all movement and dance activities. They [...]
Whether you are a teacher looking for new recital dance ideas, or a budding student choreographer, we could all use a little inspiration from time to time. Photographs are a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Here is how one choreographer tied his existing dance to photographs, making both come alive. This is certainly [...]
