Year 2 Dance Activities
Core task 1 - Lead the group in a warm up activity that involves travelling and
stretching activities related to actions that can be developed in main activity.
Suggested activities
Running, skipping activities avoiding other children by changing direction and looking for
space. Bouncing / jumping actions. Stretching, reaching activities
- To link to Task 2 as an example of how a warm up activity can meet a number of
learning outcomes. Try the following:
 Vary size and speed of steps to simulate running through sand e.g. picking up
feet as if it was hot
 Feet being picked up slowly as if in quick sand
 Jumping the wave
 Kicking/splashing actions, stretching out in the sun.
 Running away from the sea
Extension
This can be made into a short dance sequence, which the teacher leads e.g.
Explain, discuss, or use question answer situation to stimulate and reinforce
understanding of how to and why it is necessary to warm up and cool down for dance.
Core task 2 - How does the hot weather make you feel?
Brainstorm - tired, happy, playful, relaxed
Explore movements using both personal and general space:
Travelling: - general space
 How would you move if you feel tired etc. slow, languid movements involving
stretching, yawning, walking dragging feet
 Link travelling actions and stretching
Personal space
 Stretching on different levels - high in the air, lying on the floor
 Rolling actions
 Balances
Extension
Link 3 to 5 actions together to form a short movement phrase
Core task 3 - Imagine the types of activities that you might get up to on the beach
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Stretching in the sun
Playing in the sea
Making sandcastles
Shivering, drying yourself in a towel
Swimming actions
Explore the actions either individually or as a pair, exaggerate them i.e. make them
slower and bigger.
Compose a class dance by giving each small group or pair a task card with one of the
activities on to develop one short sequence consisting of three different movements
(either travelling or gestures).
Extension
They perform either one after the other or two or three groups at a time in an order
organised by the teacher. As each group performs the others hold a shape or position
(stillness).
Finish and start the dance with a running towards and away from the sea.
Core task 4 - Slip, slap, slop sequence
Using this catch phrase from Australia, which is used to remind adults and children to
protect themselves from the sun. Devise a motif/movement phrase using actions to
express the following:
Slip on a shirt
Slop on some sunscreen
Slap on a hat
Working in pairs or individually children can explore the actions related to these
activities.
They can examine the words themselves in detail; what does slip or slippery feel and
look like e.g. smooth continuous movement
Slop - sudden movement into a more continuous motion
Slap - sudden, strong movement
 Devise a motif for each of the phrases and then link them together with some
travelling actions to form a short dance.
Extension
Devise a motif which links all the phrases together and then use work explored in
previous tasks to form a dance in which the motif is then repeated as a chorus.
Core task 5 - A Foggy Day
Warm-up based on running and swirling and twirling actions, swooping down to the
ground and lifting up high to the sky, using arms to lead the movement.
The warm-up reflects the way in which fog moves. Show photographs of fog or any
video clips from films as a stimulus.
Question/Answer - how does the fog make you feel?
 Cold
 Creepy
 Frightened
 Lonely
Individually explore actions that make you feel like those words. How would you travel
to show that you were?
 Cold - shivering and shaking, wrapping arms around body, shaking different body
parts, blowing on hands, running to keep warm.
 creepy - think of spiky shapes, stretching high and crawling along the ground,
slow strong movements.
 frightened - shaky, slow movements followed by a quick run, repeat in different
directions, sudden jumps.
 lonely - wandering with no clear direction, dragging feet, looking towards
something then looking away.
Core task 6 - Children need to close their eyes and imagine
a) They are in an enclosed space they cannot see but they are to feel their way
around a very small room, exploring the boundaries with their hands - think of using
different levels.
b) They are exploring a bigger space moving around freely sweeping branches/fog
out of their way.
c) As they meet each other they touch hands and jump away suddenly moving off in
a different direction.
Extension
Combine all of the above to develop a whole class dance. Use repetition to help
formulate composition e.g. aba, or abcabc, or abac
Core task 7 - Combine elements from task 5 and 6 to produce a whole class or small
group dance. Use a poem about fog as a stimulus for the movement.
Core task 8 - Historical Elements
Compare the travelling fairs of medieval times to the modern fairgrounds of today.
Use video clips and photographs to show the types of acts and activities that were
performed e.g.
 The strong man
 Juggling
 The dancing bear
 Fortune tellers etc
Explore the way in which ‘the strong man’ might move and pose - strong, slow
movements, chest pushed out, strutting. Demonstrate the different shapes he holds to
show off his physique /muscles.
Experiment with pushing/pulling/ holding movements in relation to effort
Explore holding balances/stillness/shape to make it look like you holding or taking a
heavy weight
Extension
Select four different actions and link them together using a ‘strong man strut’ for eight
counts.
Core task 9 - Juggling motifs
Look at pictures or watch a film clip of juggler to see how they move. Study how they
stand and move their feet. Look at how they focus their eyes on the balls Watch the way
in which the arms and hands move, the air patterns that they are making.
The children can explore the actions one by one initially and then start to combine them
until they have composed their own juggling motif.
Develop it by adding turns and jumps and changes of level.