Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 7 - Dance

AE17.D.7.21

Compare and contrast dances performed in various cultures, and formulate through research personal reasons why similarities and differences developed in relation to the perspective of each social group.

Unpacked Content

Essential Questions

EU: Dance literacy includes deep knowledge and perspectives about societal, cultural, historical, and community contexts.
EQ: How does knowing about societal, cultural, historical and community experiences expand dance literacy?

Skills Examples

  • Watch film clips of different professional dancers performing (or watch the teacher demonstrate) different styles or genres of dance; then, compare and discuss the dancers' use of time, weight, and space in each style or genre (i.e., compare ballet and modern dance).
  • Participate in an exercise in which the students compare their normal, everyday locomotor movements to their movements when they walk in a jazzy style. Discuss how emotions are communicated by means of different movements.
  • Research the relationship between oppressive societies and the suppression of dance.
  • Research the roaring twenties to create a movement study depicting the style of dance during that era.
  • Observe two or more dances from different localities/ communities; then, consider their purpose (to entertain, to celebrate, to build community, to worship, etc.), the influence of climate and geography, or the dance's relationship to historical events.
  • Gather examples of dances from three different localities/ communities (for example, Hawaii, the American Midwest, and Mexico); then, compare and contrast the dances and discuss the factors that influenced each dance's development.

Vocabulary

  • Aesthetics
  • Elements of Dance
  • Genres
  • Artistic Expression
  • Movement phrase
  • Dance study
  • Choreography
  • Genre
  • Style
  • Genre-Specific Terminology
  • Similarities and differences
  • Artistic Intent
  • Cultural Movement Practices
  • Dance Literacy

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
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