Warm-Up:  Stage One

  • Teacher will ask for volunteers to form a group of 5 to model the activity.
  • In a circle, in neutral position (hands at sides), the group will choose an everyday activity they would like to use to derive their moves.
  • Some examples might be: hockey slapshot, grocery shopping, cooking, basketball lay-up, gymnastics move, getting dressed, etc.
  • Remind students that the moves will involve the entire body and make a shape, so not to choose activities that are limited to small movements like brushing your teeth or reading.

Stage Two

  • Once the model group is ready with their activity, i.e. getting out of bed in the morning, the teacher will demonstrate adding the first move.  The move might be from neutral to lie on the floor and sit up.
  • The group will echo the move so they are all doing the same thing at the same time (unison).  Teacher counts 5, 6, 7, 8….  From neutral to lying down to sitting up.

Stage Three

  • Move on to the person on the right.  From the teacher’s seated position, they will add the next move.  He may draw in his knees and stretch his arms up to the ceiling. The group will again echo the movement to get it right.
  • With the teacher counting them in “5, 6, 7, 8“, the group will now go from neutral position to the first move followed by the second move.

Stage Four

  • The next person on the right will now add a move from where the second student left off.  She might jump up on her feet and shake her head.  The group echoes the movements.  Teacher again brings the students to neutral position, counts them in “5, 6, 7, 8” and then commences putting all three moves together in sequence.
  • This will continue until the group has repeated all 5 students’ movements in the sequence and can perform it in unison.

Small Group Activity

  • Students can now be divided into their own small groups of 5-7.  You may wish to use your volunteers to be the leaders who count the students in and continue counting the beats throughout the routine. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,  and 1, 2, 3, ….
  • Have groups choose their own everyday activity, then create a dance as the model group demonstrated.
  • Remind students that they should be focusing on large, clear movements.

Performance

  • Once the groups have created their movement sequences, they can perform them for the rest of the class.

Revision

  • At this point, you want to show the students how to take the movements they have and make them more “dancerly”.
  • Use the examples from your model group to show them how to take the literal movement out of each action and make it flow into something that is no longer recognizable.
  • For example, neutral position to lying down might take many counts in slow motion with the body wilting toward the floor. Once lying down, there might be a quick sudden jolt to a seated position.
  • The next move might draw the legs in and out again repeating a few times, and then stretching the arms to the ceiling with fingers all stretched out.
  • The students will begin to see that their movements can easily be transformed to dancing.
  • Give the groups time to work on transforming their everyday movements into a dance routine. They should use the same technique that they used to create the everyday movements, starting with the leader, echoing then adding on as they go around the circle. They will be transforming their original move, not creating new moves.
  • When they feel comfortable with their Everyday Dances, have them once again perform for each other.
  • You may now wish to add music to give them a beat that they need to follow. Try something with a medium pace first, then move up to a faster beat.

Extensions

  • Through the use of music, you can have the groups perform the dances faster or slower
  • As an extension, have the groups practise doing their dance in a straight line facing the audience.
  • You can have them create their own formation to perform.
  • Have them perform the routine twice in a row.
  • Have them perform the dance once, then while the rest of the group freezes in a dramatic pose, have two of the dancers perform the routine as a duet on their own, then follow that up with a final dance with the whole group again.
  • Have the group come up with an interesting beginning and ending for their routine.
  • At the end of the class, you may want to send them home to choose their own music to bring next day to perform with their dances.