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Round Valley Arts Curriculum
| SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE DANCE |
* Emphasis for seventh grade
I. ARTISTIC PERCEPTION AND RESPONSE
Students become aware of themselves, space, time, energy,
and the power to communicate ideas and feelings. As they dance, watch, talk,
and write about performances and their own experiences, they increase their
awareness, related to dance, of:
The Body
1. Observing self and others.
2.
*Creating whole body movements.
Time, Space and Energy
1. *Combining spatial relationships with rhythm and tempo based on simple everyday activities such as jumping rope and playing catch.
2.
Experimenting with energy.
Dance Criticism
Write about, or discuss, a dance performance based on description of what can
be seen.
Students are exposed to these terms:
|
theme |
drama critic |
backstage |
collaborative |
|
meaning |
review |
theater |
technician |
|
interpretation |
preference |
proscenium |
director |
|
narrative |
judgment |
concert |
stage manager |
II. CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Students communicate observations, feelings, ideas, and
experiences about things in their own world. Students engage in exercises and
complete dances as part of learning the following:
|
Strength |
Fluidity. Manipulate phrases of movements: repeat phrases, turn movements in space, make movements travel, vary tempi, sizes, and levels. Move singly and in large and small groups. Change group sizes in motion. Move in unison. |
|
Dancers' Practices |
Warm-up: practice; observe other dancers. |
|
*Improvisation |
Experiment with solo shapes that can be combined and recombined into group designs. Experiment with contrast to achieve interesting designs. Play with images and ideas to evoke creativity. Dance to different kinds of music without specific dance direction, but with suggested motivations. |
|
Abstraction |
Invent movements for universal themes such as peace, war, trade, immigration and hunger. |
|
Choreography |
Develop a project: select a theme, choose music, choreograph a dance. |
|
Performance |
Perform a dance project. |
III. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
Students experience dance performances as cultural and
historical events. They attend performances and/or see video and film recordings
of dance from a variety of cultures and times. They watch, listen, talk and
/or write as part of learning that:
1. dance can be interpreted as historical documents, non-written records (this is how history is passed on).
2. *dances have been used for different purposes in different cultures.
3. universal themes in dances can be identified in dances from multiple cultures.
4. dance has been influenced by certain dancers.
5.
dance is a constantly changing art form.
*They see and/or participate in dances which relate to units being taught (e.g., units in English/Language Arts and History-Social Science).
IV. AESTHETIC VALUING
Students reflect on experiences as audience members and
dancers, talking about:
1. *the meaning of dance, beginning with descriptions of what can be seen, and interpretations,
2.
based on information from their classwork, their own lives, and the
world around them.
reasons for personal preferences.
3. *questions about the nature, history, and value of dance which may not be answerable.
4.
a variety of places where dance can be found.
V. CONNECTIONS, RELATIONS, APPLICATIONS
Students will make connections and applications between
dance and their world.
1. use of technology such as video, CD, CD-ROM, etc., to observe and study the use of choreographed movement in various forms of presentation.
2. understand the importance of physical strength, endurance, coordination of the body as it relates to physical education.
3. the importance of health being stressed and its relationship to excellence in dance.
4. realization of musical understanding and knowledge as it relates to the development of performance of dance, such as tempo, rhythm, and style.