Workshop 6 - Integrated Study

WORKSHOP #6

FOLK DANCE
INTEGRATED STUDY

Folk   Social   Meeting/Greeting   Circle Dance

Integrating the Arts in a thematic way ---> The Land

                                                       ---> Aboriginal Culture

Movement Vocabulary into Phrases/Spatial Designs

---> Safety  ---> Moving in and out of the space

---> Strong Ending

Questions --->  Response in Movement (Journey/not Performance)

MACRO-PERSPECTIVE:  Who, Where, When, Why, How

Grades 1/2:  Spirit of the Sky - Lightening Rods --> Across the Sky 

(Recorded soundscape/Live percussion)

Choreographic Device:  Repetition

Spatial Arrangement/Group Structure

Lightening Man - Spirit of Kakadu

Drummers run out to a shape then go off --> Transition (a segue to keep audience quiet)

Grades 1/2:  Spirit of the Sky - Clouds

(Soundscape changes to water)

Group Cloud Formations --> Rearranged by Lightening Man

---> Intention is improvised to new shape

---> Rain falling (splatt, splatt, shaking, jump)

---> Get blown away/Evaporated off the earth (another flowing exit)

Integrated Learning:  Literacy (Poems/Narration)

                                     Science (Weather)

                                     Humanities (Lightening Man/Aboriginal Culture)

                                     Geography (The Land)

Grades 3/4:  Spirit of the Ocean

(Ocean, Distance, Waves, Currents) ---> Arms out so they are already performing as soon as they leave their seats.

Higher cognitive level ---> Need more structure ---> Pathway into space ---> Wave/Tide in/out 'Retrograde'

Unison --> with Wave Group

Canon

Contrast

Vibrating, Swinging, Percussive

Choreographed movement phrases with whole group

Axial Movement  --> In Unison

Question:  How does the ocean move?

---> Keep hands up and moving gesture as they exit stage.

Integrated Learning:  Science/Geography (Currents/Tidal Flows)

                                     Visual Art (Costumes/Puppets)

                                     Literacy (Poems/Narration)

Preps:  At the Waterhole (Circle Design)

---> Story through Visual Text, Sound Text, Movement Text, Poetry (Isolation of Mother Whale)

---> Put masks on top of head/not on faces

Catch, Catch, Ruffle, Perch - 'Repetition' (Kingfisher)

---> Matched music/movement

Jump, Scratch, Look Up --> Jump, Jump, Jump (Kangaroos)

Looking out of burrows                                        (Wombats)

Tail is their foot                                                    (Ringtail Possum)

Combat crawl                                                       (Platypus)

Each group stays in individual circles --> Belonging

Integrated Learning:  Physical & Personal Learning (Spatial Awareness)

                                      Visual Art (Masks)

                                      Literacy (Poems/Narration)

                                      Numeracy (Number/Counting)

Grade 6:  Gumboot Body Percussion/Aboriginal

---> Poly Rhythms

---> Group Structures

---> Ensemble

EARTH - Sphere

               - Spinning

               - Alternate Direction (Circles)

--------> Representing spinning in orbit

Ground - Flat Surface - Staying Still

Stamping the Earth

Waking up Mother Earth

Integrated Learning:

Poem --> Tableau

Study of Aboriginal Clans (Body Paint)

--> Tree

--> The Land (Mother of My Culture)

--> The Sun (Giving my Land Light)

--> The Love (Heart of My Culture)

--> We are the people protecting our land!

Poem:                YOU  ME  US  --->   WE ARE ONE

                                           CIRCLE MOTIF

                         Stamping        --->    Connected to the Earth

Created necklaces from recycled materials

Bandanas - arms/legs (colours of their tribes)

Methods of Choreography for each year level:

- Write about, Poems, Costumes, Dances, Music ... about our connection, unity ---> Universal Themes (Community)

---> Explore concepts (Lightening Man)

---> Birds flight migration