These prompts can be used to guide students through bodystorming with the elements of dance. This is by no means an exhaustive exploration of the elements, but intended as a starting point for bodystorming. See also the Elements of Dance Descriptions (Members-only) or the Elements of Dance Posters on the CODE website.
Begin by asking students to walk around in a neutral walk. Then you can ask them to explore the various elements below.
Body
Can you try moving around using different locomotor (travelling) movements? Can you leap? Gallop? Slide? Crawl? Etc.
Can you plant your feet on the ground and try different non-locomotor (stationary) movements? Can you melt? Hang? Grow? March on the spot? Kneel? Twist?
Can you move your entire body? Can you try moving just one body part at a time? E.g., just one arm? Just your head? Just one hand? Just the leg below the knee? Just your hips?
Can you make a variety of body shapes? Angular? Curved? Twisted? Open? Closed?
Your body base is what is supporting your weight. When you are standing, your feet are your body base. Can you try another body base? Your back? Your stomach? Your hands and knees? One foot and one hand?
Can you move just your upper body? Now can you use just your lower body? Now try just the left side of your body, now just the right side.
Space
Can you walk around on your tippy toes? This is a high level. Can you now make yourself as small as possible? What about a shape at a medium level?
Can you create a movement that is as wide as possible? How about as narrow as possible?
Walk around the room in a neutral walk. Being careful of the people and furniture around you, can you walk backwards? Sideways? Zig zag? Diagonal? In a curved pathway?
Turn to the person closest to you. The space your body occupies is positive space. The space around you in negative space. Can you move around your partner in the negative space without touching each other.
Time
When exploring time, it can be helpful to play a variety of music with different tempi. Even instrumental versions of popular songs can work.
If you are using music, ask students: try moving around to the music. Try and keep your walking in time with the music. When the music changes, adjust your walking tempo.
Now we are going to walk for 4 counts and freeze for 4 counts (e.g. walking, 2, 3, 4. Freeze, 2, 3, 4 and repeat). You can adjust the length of walking and freezing to challenging students (e.g. walk for 5, freeze for 3 etc.)
Without music, ask students: can you start walking very slowly and gradually increase your speed until you are walking quickly? Now can you do the opposite and gradually slow yourself down?
Can you make every 4th step exaggerated? (e.g., walk, walk, walk, stomp)
Energy
It can also be helpful to use music to explore energy as students will naturally adjust their movements to be sharper or sustained depending on the music.
Can you imagine being as light as a feather and moving around the room?
Now pretend you are moving through honey. How does that change your movements?
Now you are weighed down with rocks. Your movements are very heavy!
Imagine you are now gliding through the room. How will you move? What about if you were exploding around the room?
How would you move if you were angry? What about surprised?
Relationship
Pay attention to the other people in the room. Try and move as close to your classmates as possible, without touching. Now see if you can move as far apart as possible.
As you are walking around, try making eye contact with the people you encounter. Now try actively looking away.
The next time you pass someone, stop and find a moment of connection. This could be eye contact, a point of physical contact (e.g. knee to knee, high five etc.) it could be a nod or other gesture of acknowledgement and then move onto the next person.
