Mythology...What If?

With reflections approaching this school year, we decided to tie in reading literature standards with the reflections theme of "Within Reach." Reflections is a PTA Student Arts Awards that allows the students to explore their ideas while learning through the arts. We started this lesson by reviewing past dance qualities we have learned including locomotor movement and energy qualities. Then we experimented to see what we could combine. What if we did sustained skipping? What if we did a percussive gallop? The students were able to explore the different concepts in a new way.

Then we pulled out pieces of paper from two bowls, one containing the locomotor steps, and the other with energy qualities. The students had so much fun pulling out a piece of paper from each bowl and having to create that movement. In fifth grade we experimented how different adjectives might affect our movement. We played a game where two students would be given an adjective to perform their energy quality and locomotor movement in, and the others had to guess what adjective they were assigned. We could have played this game all class period!

Next, we read the Korean myth "The Ungrateful Tiger" and did specific movement for each of the characters found within the myth. After performing this small dance, we decided to change some aspects of the myth. For example, what if the ox in the myth had long, skinny legs instead of short, strong legs? What if the hare could not pick up its feet when it moved? What if the trees could see? We went through the poem like this and changed different aspects to show that if we have a creative imagination, anything can be within reach.

The students then split into groups where they pulled pieces of paper from the bowls and choreographed a dance using the movement they selected from the bowls. It was great to see the creativity of the students and how they combined the dance energy qualities with the locomotor movement. Then we were able to talk about all the different things we are capable of doing, and everything that is within our reach. We were also able to pick out the main theme, or lesson found within the myth.

These students blow me away with their creativity each week. I learn so much watching them create movement and choreograph with their classmates.

Students percussively walking through the room.     One student helps another jump while collapsing.

Students work together to create movement.

Jabberwocky

These students are amazing! For the past couple of weeks Mrs. Segura's students have been studying a specific poem or book. The 5th grade class has been studying Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" poem. We took two weeks to explore all of the different aspects of the poem through movement. I wanted the students to be able to critically think about the different characters found within the poem to see how they might act and move through space.

The first week we explored the 8 basic locomotor steps of walking, running, leaping, jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping and sliding as well as different body shapes including symmetrical/asymmetrical movement and using positive/negative space. We explored moving through the space with locomotor movement and then freezing in a shape that I called out. We then split into groups where I assigned them a character found within the poem. From the movement explored, they then had to create a dance representing how they thought that character might move. These 5th graders were brilliant and creative! Some associated the word they were assigned with a similar sounding animal. For example, one group was assigned "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves." They associated "tove" with "toad" and performed a whole dance in low levels, hoping and jumping around the room and over each other.

Students exploring symmetrical movement

The next week we explored Bartinieff's Developmental Patterns of breath, tactile, core-distal, head-tail, upper-lower, body half, cross-lateral, and vestibular. After experimenting with these movements for a while, I associated each character found within the poem with a developmental pattern and assigned it to 2 or 3 students. They then were able to create their own dance only using the assigned developmental pattern. We also all had group choreography to do when different words were spoken.

Bandersnatch: Upper-Lower                                       As a class: Jabberwock: core-distal

Borogove: Vestibular                                                                     Tumtum Tree: Breath

Jubjub bird: Body Half                                                                   Blade: Cross-Lateral 

Rath: Tactile

Tove: Head-Tail

Then we put the choreography with the poem. As I read the poem, I would pause at each character and that group would perform their dance to the words. After the students became comfortable with the flow of the exercise, we spread out in the room, turned on music and were able to perform the poem as a dance all together without any words being spoken. It was amazing to see these students interpret the different characters while using the different developmental patterns. Each week I am blown away by their creativity and willingness to explore the movement.

These students pick up on movement and ideas very quickly. I have found it has made me want to move my lessons along at a faster pace than I usually would. However, I think it is good for them to experiment even more and allow them to really understand the movement being taught. Exploration is key in creative dance and even though I love watching them create and grasp the concepts, I want to make sure they can completely comprehend the movement and try doing it in different ways on different body parts.