Boni B. Boswell

chapter

24

Rhythmic Movement and Dance

Rhythmic Movement and Dance

In most physical education programs, dance includes three forms of movement:

• Rhythmic movement• Creative educational dance • Structured dances

DefiningRhythmic Movements

• Rhythmic movement is a balance of contracting and expanding movements that are connected and repeated, such as inhaling and exhaling.

• When movements such as inhaling and exhaling are connected and repeatedly performed, a rhythm is created.

Defining Creative Educational Dance (CED)

CED is a movement program that focuses on exploration of space, time, and force and• focuses on creative problem solving• uses the process of solving movement problems

to create simple dances

Defining Structured Dances

• Described as patterned or recreational dance

• Composed of specific steps and common formations and figures

Rhythmic Movements: Where Do I Begin?

• Begin working with students’ internal rhythms, such as the rhythms of their heartbeats or breathing patterns.

• Begin asking students to match movements with external rhythms, such as drumbeats or musical accompaniments.

Rhythmic Movement Content   

Four essential elements• Pulse—underlying beat of the rhythm• Tempo—speed of the rhythm• Accent—emphasis or stress placed on

certain beats • Rhythmic patterns—combinations of

rhythms, including uneven rhythms

Suggested Teaching Style: Guided Discovery

• Guide students by asking questions and presenting tasks that require them to discover possible answers.

• Two components of teaching rhythmic movement: – Problem-solving activities– Speaking rhythmically

Developmental Progression of Activities

Guidelines• Focus on internal rhythmic awareness before

focusing on external rhythms.

• Provide opportunities for listening to the pulse before moving to the pulse.

• Begin with nonlocomotor movements before using locomotor movements.

• Begin with nonlocomotor movements using various hand movements before using other body parts.

(continued)

Developmental Progression of Activities (continued)

• Gradually increase the number of concepts explored simultaneously. Practically speaking, this means presenting tasks such as moving forward (spatial direction) using a rounded shape; then gradually introduce other concepts such as moving on a straight pathway.

• Begin with students moving individually, then with partners, and then with a small group.

General Suggestions for Students With Differences

• Match students with disabilities with peers or cross-age tutors.

• Use a progression of steps to actively engage and foster responses:

1. Provide opportunities for passive movements.

2. Focus attention (if possible, secure eye contact).

3. Provide opportunities for mirroring active movements.

4. Provide opportunities for original movement responses.

Examples of Rhythmic Movement Objectives for Beginning Students

• Increase awareness of internal rhythmic patterns.

• Enhance the ability to follow simple rhythmic patterns with body responses.

• Foster the capacity to initiate rhythmic patterns for others to follow.

Creative Educational Dance (CED): Where Do I Begin?

• The heart of CED is exploration of the elements of movement.

• Students begin by actively learning about the elements of movement:

–Space –Time –Force –Body

Key Definitions for CED

• Exploration—“A systematic investigation, examination, search for making specific discoveries and learning about something” (Smith-Autard, 2000, p. 80).

• Improvisation—Spontaneously responding to a stimuli or “invention without preparation” (Smith-Autard, 2000).

During exploration of the elements, teachers present questions that guide students in using “improv” as a strategy for exploring.

CED Content

• The concepts of space, time, and force as they relate to movement

• The body and its movement potential• Creation of dances through solving

movement problems

Space in CED Content

• Space is the medium in which our bodies move and create designs.

• It includes specific areas such as self-space, general space, level, and focus.

• Spatial designs related to the body include shape, size, direction, and pathway.

Force in CED Content

• Describes the energy level of movements.• Quality refers to how the energy moves the

body: often described as “swinging,” “smooth” (sustained), “sharp” (sudden), or “shaking”

• Flow describes whether the energy is bound (controlled, tensed) or free.

Time in CED Content

Includes these terms: beat, tempo, accent, pattern• Beat refers to the underlying pulse of the

rhythm.• Tempo describes whether the beat is fast or

slow.• Accents are stressed beats (or emphasized

movement).• Patterns refer to the combinations of rhythms.

CED Lesson Format: Four Phases

1. Student exploration: Instructor guides students in exploring content.

2. Teacher presents movement problem: Problem describes the boundaries for creating dances.

3. Students create dances: Students create dances by following boundaries.

4. Students perform and respond: Students present dances and discuss how the dances solved movement problems.

Using Images in CED

Many authors warn against using images for CED. Why?• Stereotypic images often hinder exploration

of the essence of the movements.

• For example, animal images, such as bunnies and dogs, are especially difficult because students “fall into” stereotypic movements and thus miss exploration of the movement concepts.

Extending CED Content

• Explore the qualitative aspects of movement.

• Qualitative aspects provide opportunities for refining the use movement for creative expression.

Qualitative Focus on Movement

• Examining the eight basic effort actions: These actions are the bases from which more subtle movement qualities are drawn (Preston-Dunlop, 1990).

• These actions are clarified by examining three of the movement elements: – Space, time, and force– Each movement element exists on a continuum,

a range between two ends of a spectrum of movement expression.

Continuum of Each Movement Element

• Indirect___________Space______________Direct

• Slow______________Time______________Sudden

• Light_____________Force_____________Strong

• Recognize the potential value of movements previously considered unacceptable.

• Identify a motif (a single movement, spatial design, or brief movement phrase) for creating a dance.

• Guide students to explore movements associated with disabilities as possible sources of motifs.

Process of Re-Envisioning Dance

Structured Dances

Structured dances are specific steps performed in a variety of formations:

• International folk dances• American Heritage dances (e.g., Virginia reel)• Contemporary line dances (e.g., electric slide,

the freeze)• Social dances (e.g., swing, waltz, salsa)

Content of Structured Dances

• Nonlocomotor (e.g., bending, reaching) • Locomotor movements patterns (e.g.,

walking, running, rolling) • Combinations of these (e.g., gallop, slide,

skip)• Variations or combinations of these

patterns (e.g., two-step, schottische, polka, grapevine, and waltz)

Examples of Method of Presentation and Teaching Style

• Weikart—“Say and do” method: verbalize cues with the steps

• Kassing and Jay—describe the inclusive teaching style that allows students to work on different variations of the content. Inclusive teaching style can be extended to include problem solving.

Teaching Process

• Method of presentation varies with type of dance and the needs of the students.

• The following suggested teaching process is primarily the add-on method:

– Students listen and clap or tap to the music.– Provide brief demonstration of the dance with

the musical accompaniment; introduce cues.

(continued)

Teaching Process (continued)

• Introduce basic step. Demonstrate facing the same direction as the students and explore modifications as needed.

• Teach difficult step. Develop modifications to match the students’ developmental level. Practice step with music.

• Add remaining steps; students perform the sequence with music.

• Continue to provide cues and demonstrations as needed.

Modifications: Questions to Help Modify Dances

• Can a section be eliminated or a certain section shortened?

• Can movements that require considerable balance skills be modified?

• Can the tempo be slowed or movements performed using twice as many counts?

• Can the turns be modified if needed?

Summary

Rhythmic movement and dance are powerful and joyful content areas for developing . . .• Problem solving • Creative expression • Motor skills of students with and without

disabilities