UNIT 3 Sample Lesson: Agricultural Dance from the Gilan Province in Northern Iran

Dance serves many social and cultural purposes, not just for entertainment as it is often seen in Western cultures. Dance is a way to bring communities together and celebrate important moments in the daily lives of people (e.g. the harvesting of crops). 

What story can dance tell about the agricultural practices of a country?
Why would people dance about harvesting food?  Why is that important?

Creating, Presenting, and Performing

Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing

B2.1 identify and describe the characteristics and function of a social dance within a society

Foundations

C2. Contexts and Influences: demonstrate an understanding of the social, cultural, and historical origins and development of dance forms, including their influence on each other and on society;

Learning Goals

(Unpacked Expectations)

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• demonstrate movements from  an agricultural dance from the Gilani province of Northern Iran
• identify the differences and similarities in the farming practices of Canada and Iran and explain how those differences and similarities can be interpreted through dance
• create a dance inspired by agricultural practices from Canada, Iran and, possibly, other parts of the world

Readiness

Students should have some background knowledge of Iran.
Students will have worked with the basic Elements of Dance and Dance Compositional Forms.
Students will have had experience working independently and in groups.

Terminology

Harvest
Gilani Dance
Agriculture
(see Glossary for these terms)

Materials

Photos of farming practices
Photos of food
Chart paper and markers
Computer and internet connection 
Folk music from Iran
Notebooks and writing utensils

Video of dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C4rnzvbhck

BLMs
 

 BLM #1 History of the Gilani Dance

Individual > Gallery Walk

Post ten pictures around the room of different farming tools and of the different kinds of food grown both in Canada and Iran.  Five pictures will be from Canada labeled A, B, C, D, and E and five will be from Iran labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Direct students to do a gallery walk individually and write down three to five things they see in each photo. 

Whole Class > Venn Diagram

Choose two photos (one from Canada and one from Iran, e.g. C and 2) and create a Venn diagram on chart paper or on the blackboard.  As a class, fill in the similarities and differences.

Assessment for Learning

Ask students if there are any other words they could use for farming or agriculture to ensure an understanding of the topic.
Observe if students are working cooperatively.

Quick Tip

Link and Layer

Referring to a skeleton or to a picture of a skeleton, ask the students which muscle group is in dominant use during each of the three movements viewed in the Gilani dance in the video clip.

Hyperlinks

Map of major crops in Iran:

https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/iran_crops_1978.jpg

Small Group > Creating Movement

Assign a small group to each photo and have the students create a moving shape that communicates the most important comparison point, either a similarity or a difference, between the two photos (e.g. the similarities and/or differences between a Canadian crop and an Iranian crop).
Quickly share each group's shape with the rest of the class.

Whole Class > Discussion 

Lead a discussion about how and why the type of crop being planted, grown and harvested may result in different dance movements. 

Whole Class > Viewing Gilani Dance

Handout the information sheet on Gilani Dance (see BLM #1). Show a Gilani dance clip from the internet or from another source (see Hyperlinks). Focus the students on the steps that show agricultural movements such as picking the tea, cleaning the rice, and cutting the wheat.

Pairs > Creating Movement Vocabulary

Instruct students to pick a partner and spread out around the room. Tell each pair to recreate three movements from the video clip to feel the choreography in their bodies.  Side-coach the students to ensure the movements are being done as accurately as possible.

Small Group > Creating Movement Vocabulary

Create groups of 4-5 students and ask them to begin to create their interpretation of Canadian agricultural dances, inspired from the knowledge of Canadian crops gained at the beginning of the class. This is also an opportunity for students from other countries to add in their own farming movements. Explain to students that they will each be responsible for coming up with two movements, using the elements of dance. The group will be responsible for connecting the movements.

Whole Class > Sharing Works in Progress

Have each group share their works in progress with the class. Ask the class to provide feedback after each group has performed.

 Note: Students will need time in a subsequent class to continue revising and refining their dance pieces before they are evaluated. 

 Homework: Students will research agricultural practices of one of our First Nations and develop one movement based on one practice. They will write a short paragraph describing the information upon which they based their movement. Students will share their movement in a whole class circle and hand in their paragraphs the next day during "Minds On" before they continue work on their compositions.