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View Full Version : Teaching tips for contemporary dance


lissa22888
Aug 10, 2007, 11:20 AM
I've been teaching dance over the summer and my dance teacher recently asked me to teach the group of 9-11 year old girls I have some contemporary dance. I have taken it before but I can't seem to teach them anything easy or fun enough in class. If anyone has any ideas on what would entertain these girls in class (like pretending to be animals? Or other different fun things) I would really appreciate it!:)

sportzislifesarah92
Aug 13, 2007, 09:54 PM
ummm well maybe you could ask the teacher who asked you to teach. She would probably know some fun things. I dance and I like it when my teacher has fun music to dance to and has some funcky dance moves that are new to teach. Or maybe have then come up w/ there own count of 32 or 18 and show it too the class or teach it too the class.

also there was this game we used to play when I was little [i'm 14. I LOVED this game] its sort of like musical chairs. You cut up little slips of paper and write dance steps on it. Like switch leap, body roll, or something and then put the slips in paper bags or a type of container and write numbers on them. [one-six] play some music and have everyone go around in a circle. Then stop the music. Have everyone run to a spot and sit down. Then roll a dice and call out the number. I doesn't matter what the number is. But lets just say it's 3 then the girls who r sitting around container 3 get to do the dance move. But you have to ask who got there first [if they fight just pick one] then she picks a slip from the container and says it out loud. Then she has to do it. If she gets it right then she gets a piont or a prize or w/e you want it to be. If she gets it wrong then another girl by container 3 gets to go. Then you just start back at the circle again when someone gets it right.

also you can have them all make up a count of 8 and then throw it all together in a dance. [you might have to change some things around if it doesn't fit the music but its fun]

Hope it helps! Good luck! =]

Clough
Aug 18, 2007, 12:18 PM
I have been a part of a liturgical dance team in the past. I think that the style of liturgical dance would be a form of contemporary dance.

One thing that we did, was that while the music was playing, one person on the team would create the moves and the others would mimic them. Even though everything was totally improv then, it turned out to be really beautiful. Any type of moves were allowed, as long as they flowed with the music. There didn't have to be any kind of counting because it was all free-form. Although, counting could be a possibility. Hand movements were very important. I especially like it when we would gather together in a circle and move together with our hands and arms lifted upwards around the center of the circle.

scaredsally1
May 2, 2011, 06:57 AM
I'm 11 and I have been doing dance for 8 years . DO NOT MAKE THEM PRETEND TO BE ANIMALS. If my teacher told us to be animals I would quit . Just be yourself and have fun and don't try too hard to be funny and remembr that they are 9 to 11 so don't work them too hard! Put on cool songs as well!

ellajones
Oct 5, 2011, 01:03 PM
I'm 11 help I'm doing a school talent show I'm dancing to rolling in the deep any tips