1. Chapter 6, MMADD about the Arts
Teaching DANCE
in the
K-6 Classroom
Deirdre Russell-Bowie

2. Dance Action Time Dynamics Space Relationships Structure What we move
When we move
Dynamics
How we move
Space
Where we move
Relationships
With whom we move
Structure
How dance is organised

3. Elements of Dance
What are the six elements of dance? A T D Sp R St

4. Dance Contexts Teacher-directed dances Students’ compositions
Cultural and historical dances

5. Planning for Dance Lessons
Indicators
Are specific to activities in program
Used to evaluate effectiveness of lessons;
link to assessment pointers
Introduction
Relates to KNOWN (experiences, curriculum areas)
Catch children’s imagination and attention
Sets rules, rewards and routines

6. Planning for Dance Lessons
Warm ups
Focus attention on lesson content
Physically warms the body up to prevent injury
Links Intro to exploration and development of lesson
Introduces children to dance elements in lesson

7. Planning for Dance Lessons
Exploration and development of dance ideas
Children improvise, explore, try out different moves
Select movements to form into sections of dance
Children practise, clarify, refine dance

8. Planning for Dance Lessons
Appreciation/Sharing dances
Children should observe, describe, analyse, interpret and evaluate peers’ and their own dances
Use the language of dance
Encourage them to give reasons for their views
Performance for an audience (from !)
Clear start and finish
Clarity of movement and phrasing
Group working together well, focussed, communicates
Closure
Cool down / discussion, if appropriate

9. Content in Dance

10. Content in Dance

11. Content in Dance

12. Content in Dance

13. Content in Dance

14. Content in Dance

15. Learning THROUGH Dance
Children whose preferred intelligences are:
Bodily-kinaesthetic
Musical
Visual-Spatial
Interpersonal
will learn other subjects more effectively when they move and dance

16. Learning THROUGH Dance
Children can learn knowledge, skills and attitudes from other subjects, through dance, e.g.
Physical Fitness
Musical Knowledge
Social Skills
Recreation and Dance
Different Cultures and Contexts
Creativity and Self-Expression

17. Revising Elements Dance A T D S R Action (What we move)
Time (When we move)
Dynamics (How we move)
Space (Where we move)
Relationships (With whom we move)
Structure (How dance is organised)

18. Dance
is a poem
of which each movement
is a word! Mata Hari

19. K-6 DANCE Education
For further information,
see Chapter 6 in MMADD: About the Arts: An introduction to Primary Arts Education
by Deirdre Russell-Bowie, published by Pearson Education Australia