Building Dances

This text aims to help teachers introduce, develop and assess the basics of choreography. Accompanied by a card deck that provides 224 movement ideas, this reference takes the reader step-by-step through the choreographic process. The book provides: sample lesson plans; guidelines for the teaching skills involoved; suggestions for organizing the movements; ideas for stylizing and individualizing dances; 112 dance cards; 9 dance construction models for designing dances; age-appropriate adaptions; student assessment forms and sample criteria; summaries; and a glossary that explains important dance terms in everyday language. The text depicts construction models mapping out simple and complex movements that can be made into a dance. Some of these movements use the whole body, others use various body parts in isolation or together. Teachers can adapt the construction models to design a single lesson, a dance unit, a semester unit or even a year-long programme. The book is accompanied by a deck of cards that provide movement examples that students can try out.
The cards offer 224 teacher-tested ideas for choreographing dances in four categories, including dance techiniques, elements that change movements, sport and game movements and creative suggestions. Students can mix and match the movement examples to create unlimited dances.