Leaving Certificate
Applied
Arts Education:
Dance
Modules 1&2
In-service Handouts
Sharon Phelan 2002
1
Table of Contents
Leaving Certificate Applied Dance Programme
Page
Dance Appreciation
14
How to Organise a Dance Lesson
26
Dance : An Interdisciplinary Approach
27
Literacy through Dance
32
Task Ideas
34
Sample Lesson Plans: Folk Dance
35
Sample Lesson Plans: Contemporary Dance
54
Resources
59
Dance Terms
61
Leaving Certificate Applied
2
Dance
Programme
 Elective Modules: Dance One & Dance Two
 Module Description
 Task Work
 Rationale
 Credits
 General Recommendations
Key Principles
 Integration across the Curriculum
 Basic Skills
 Active Teaching Learning Methodologies
 Reflection
 Links with the Community
Module One: Units
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Anatomical / Physiological Elements & Dance
Body Parts, Body Shapes, the Body Travelling
Space
Improvisation
Choreography
Performance
Dance Appreciation
Module Two
3
 Development of Module One
 Dance Vocabulary Broadens
 Dance Appreciation becomes more intellectual
 Students acquire further chorographic Skills as they explore
Dynamics & Accompaniment
Prerequisites?
 Module One
Module Two: Units
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Anatomical / Physiological Elements & Dance
Dynamics
Accompaniment
Improvisation
Choreography
Performance
Dance Appreciation
Anatomical / Physiological Elements & Dance
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During Warm –Up / Cool - Down
o Centre the body when stretching and remember to
mirror the students
o Raise the pulse rate by incorporating travelling actions
into the warm-up
o Stay in one place generally when stretching
o Allow for equal repetition on both sides
o Use even tempo music
The Body
Body Parts
o Hands, feet, the head, fingers…
Body Shape
o Straight, wide, long, narrow, wide…
Activity
o Travelling, turning, rolling, stillness, jumping…
Symmetry / Asymmetry
Flow of movement
o Simultaneous or successive
Space
5
Personal Space & General Space
o Personal Space
o Reach up/ down
o Forward / backward
o Around
o General Space
o Search for an open space in a crowded area
High, Medium & Low Levels
o Jump high
o Dive low…
Air Patterns
o
o
o
o
o
o
Rise up
Sink down
Open out
Close in
Advance forward
Retreat backward…
Floor Pathways
o Linear
o Zig zag
o Curved…
Dynamics: The Energies of Movement
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o
o
o
o
Controlled
Regular
Sustained
Sudden
o Erratic
Space & Dynamics
o Expansive / Constrained Space using the same dance piece – note the
difference
Time
o Regular
o Irregular
o Fast
o Slow
Accompaniment: Music, Percussion, and Sound Effects
7
Music:
‘The relationship of music to dance is an intimate one. Music, through its
pulse and rhythm, provides a driving force and an overall structure. Its
influence can be positive or negative…the ideal relationship mutually
supportive’.
Blom et al
 Music can provide the background to a piece- it can establish a
mood, highlight particular actions, provide parameters
 Music can dictate the piece-students can choose to go with or against
the music
 Music can reflect the piece- culturally, artistically, socially
Look into the possibility of using live musicians-the school band, or a
talented member of staff, parent or student
Percussion:
Students can use bodhrans, drums, chimes, spoons, breathing rhythm, to
provide a background, dictate or to reflect a particular dance style. Some
suggestions might include:
 Using a variety of sounds, African bongo rhythms, Jazz, Piano music,
mood music, sound effects, film music, orchestral and popular beat.
Students can experiment with using drums, shakers, bells, and guitars,
tambourines, keyboards as accompaniment
 Allowing the students to practice playing out a definite 4/4 rhythm
accenting the first beat. The tutor changes the accent and ads
syncopation, passing this around the group. Students hold the original
rhythm until new one comes along
 Tutor divides groups into threes and fours - giving each group a
variation of the 4/4 rhythms to play. They continue on to play together
with their individual grouping and individual rhythm structure
 Body rhythms are added, when rhythms are familiar to everyone
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Sounds:
Sounds can be vocal-singing, shouting, humming.
 Let the students use sound effects [e.g. waves and wind] as stimuli for
dance.
 Students can appreciate the role played by sound effects in
contemporary dance performances-integral or complimentary
 Allow the students to work in partners…One student, [A], moves
freely. The other, [B] charts the rhythm as h/she listens to the beat.
Then, the pair devises a sequence to fit that particular rhythm. In this
case, movement has dictated the rhythm
Improvisation
9
Different Stimuli
 Kinaesthetic
o A single piece if movement [a shape, phrase, gesture]
becomes the kinaesthetic stimulus from which the
movement piece is derived
o E.g.: ‘Using the word ‘Dodge’ create a variety of
shapes
 Auditory
o Music, percussion, sound, silence, words, songs etc
o Auditory stimuli may accompany & / or inspire dance
pieces
o An Example:
 Listen to an auditory stimulus
 On a sheet of paper map the music [?] piece
 Use movement words which describe your
interpretation; strong, slow, jerky…
 Using both the drawing & the auditory stimulus
to create short movement phrases
 Visual
o Pictures, sculptures, artefacts
o Movement is created from observation
o Visual stimuli can be a response from nature / man
made objects
o The stimulus itself can influence the pathways,
dynamics [etc] of the piece
 Ideational
o A specific idea, an unfolding story, poem…
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o For Example
 Use a poem of preference
 Literally perform the actions, which you read in
this poem
 Now, use abstraction to develop this literal
movement into symbolic movement
 Select / Refine the movements to create a
performance piece
 Tactile
o The movements are inspired by touch
o The tactile stimulus produces a kinaesthetic response,
which can inspire further movement
Different Ways of Movement
 Space
 Dynamics
 The Body;
Different accompaniment
 Sound, silence, percussion. Music
Relationships: Groups, Pairs and Individuals
Forming
Sequencing
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o the order in which the movement appears; the
movement within the phrase…the phrase within the
section…the ordering of the sections
o the order of the movements, phrases, sections support
the stimulus
Transitions
o Hold the piece together; movements, phrases, sections
o Each transition should be logical, short & simple
o Define phrases within sections & the sections
themselves
o Must evolve out of one phrase / section & introduce
the next
Repetition
o Used effectively, clarifies the theme
o Can emphasise certain movements, motifs
o Can be used with variation
 Using different dynamics, body parts, spatial
designs, time…
Variation & Contrast
o Provide interest
o Consider
o Variation & contrast in motif, phrases, sections
o Variation & contrast in space, dynamics,
time…
Choreography
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AB
ABA
Theme & Variation
Rondo [abacada]
Performance
An Aesthetic / artistic situation, where the Dancer enjoys dancing the
specific piece for its own sake
Criteria:
 Ability to communicate the stimulus with the audience
 Commitment to the Dance being delivered; Energy, Effort &
Enthusiasm
 Effective choices of movements, forming [sequencing, repetition,
transition…] & compositional structures [AB, ABA…]
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Dance Appreciation
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Leaving Certificate Applied
Dance Appreciation
Resource Pack
Table of Contents

Leaving Certificate Applied Dance Appreciation Units

Key Underlying Principles

A Basic Background to Dance Appreciation

Sample Dance Appreciation Assignments
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Leaving Certificate Applied Dance Appreciation
Units
Dance One
Unit 7: Dance Appreciation
The student will be able to:
 Actively notice and pay attention to dance as an art form
 Describe a performer’s/choreographer’s use of the body, timing and
space
 Appreciate other students’ work, and comment constructively, with
due regard for their creative efforts
Dance Two
Unit 9:Dance Appreciation
The student will be able to:
 Identify appropriate/inappropriate use of body parts and shapes, ways
of travelling, space, energy and time in movement pieces
 Appreciate different dance pieces individually and in group situations
and through written and oral work
 Investigate when, how, why and where people dance, through
questionnaires, surveys, interviews, the internet etc
 Present his/her dance research findings to different audiences
 Observe two video recordings of different dance styles and discuss
orally the similarities, and notable differences between them
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Key Underlying Principles
Guidelines:
The following are only suggestions where the Key Underlying
Principles of Leaving Certificate Applied can be integrated into the
Dance Appreciation Units of the Leaving Certificate Applied Syllabus
 Teamwork:
Allow students appreciate movement individually or in large and
small group situations and through oral/written work
Students can appreciate each other’s work. [E.g. Did Group A use
similar or different floor patterns than your group?]
 Active Learning Methodologies
Students can complement their oral/written description of a piece
through demonstrating parts of the piece themselves
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 Basic Skills [literacy]
Encourage students to use basic dance terminology [e.g. rhythm, set
dance, space, waltz etc] when describing a piece
Let Students describe the travelling actions, [jumping, turning,
skipping], the body parts employed [toes, hands, spine], and the body
shapes [twisted, straight, wide] in a dance piece
 Integration across the Curriculum
The student can identify the stimulus/stimuli behind any dance piece
[e.g. Story, poem, word, and song, custom]
 Links with the Community
Encourage students to attend local dance shows and to provide oral /
written reports of their evaluations
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A Basic Background to Dance Appreciation
‘Aesthetics…is a branch of philosophy which has been developed
to cover the values, concepts and judgements which are intrinsic to
the understanding of art.’
[German: 1979: 23]
 Many critics are not educated in dance, therefore, many dance reviews
and critiques lack the reasoning and analysis found in good dance
appreciation /criticism
‘The critic who resorts to bitchy comment or irrelevant detail
displays the same disregard for the dance as the dancer or
choreographer who refuses to discuss his work on the grounds that
‘it should speak for itself’.’
[German: 1979; 24]
 Scientists often make authoritative remarks about dance; yet, dancers
rarely make more than tentative remarks about science. In addition, art
forms are often seen as relaxing pastimes [Physics are not] and as a
result are not viewed with the same seriousness
 Without an understanding of the conceptual apparatus [form, context,
technique…] a valuable critique is impossible.
So, what are the elements of good dance criticism?
Guidelines:
1. The dance must be described
2. The work must be placed in context
[E.g. ‘the early modern dance of Isadora Duncan and her quest
for freedom’]
3. The dance must be evaluated from two perspectives -performance and
choreography
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Performance
[E.g. Did the performers meet established technical
standards, Did they interpret the work in accordance to its
choreography…]
Choreography [E.g. Has the work been placed in its historical context?
Has it been placed in its stylistic context? [{Is it an example of the
traditional Irish Step Dancing style of the late nineteenth century?}]
 Most new choreography falls into the style of an established master
[E.g. Martha Graham, Jeremiah Molyneaux…]…novel choreography
does not necessarily guarantee merit
‘In general the test for worthwhile innovation is whether it
enhances our sense of the potential of human movement.’
[Van Camp: 1996]
Dance critics also have to allude to set, lighting, props, and
accompaniment. The test is whether they are appropriate to the human
movement and other elements on stage
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Five Steps in Learning To Appreciate Dance
1. Perception
Asks the person to actively notice and pay attention
2. Description
Asks the person to give substance to their perception
3. Analysis
Asks the person to examine relationships,
characteristics,
amounts…
4. Interpretation Encourages speculative [tentative] thinking
5. Evaluation
of
Enters into preferences, opinion, and subjective layers
response
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Before embarking on a dance appreciation exercise, the class should
always explore the background of the performing company:
Siamsa Tire is the national folk theatre of Ireland. Broadly speaking, it is
a theatrical representation of Irish folk culture. Based in Tralee, Co.
Kerry, it also has two training centres – one in Finuge, near Listowel in
North Kerry and one in Carraig near Dingle. Pupils complete a three-year
course in traditional Irish dance, music, singing and mime. During
springtime each year a show opens especially geared towards school
pupils in the theatre in Tralee.
One show, Ding Dong Dedero, examines the life of Jerry Molyneaux a
famed North Kerry dancing master. It explores his life and the legacy of
dance that he left behind. The curtain opens with a prophet, who forecasts
fame for the new–born blacksmith’s son [Jerry Molyneaux]. Later in the
first act, dancing spirits emerge from the fires in the forge to perform a
ritualistic dance around Molyneaux and he awakens into manhood.
In the second act, the ringing of a mass bell interrupts the men’s pagan
ritualistic dance. The cast drift off stage holding rosary beads but the
priest is not seen. As the chant of the rosary grows louder, Jerry
Molyneaux dances to the rhythm of the rosary on the anvil. There is a
suggestion that for this man his dance is his prayer and the anvil his alter.
These scenes are reflective of the pagan influence already mentioned
with reference to the Celts.
In An Damhsoir –the dancer, a piece devoted to the memory of Jack
Lyons, [one of Molyneaux’s finer pupils], the dancers perform in
Molyneaux’s unique style. It is a style often described as earthy, as the
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dancer performs close to the ground. [Molyneaux was said to write on the
floor with his feet.] These steps are currently in Siamsa tire’s archives
because Jack Lyons agreed to have them videotaped in 1983. Then he
could only dance with the aid of a chair. The stage reflects this. Five
dancers either sit or stand with the support of chairs.
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Dance Appreciation Exercise: The Chair
Dance [Siamsa tire]
1. Can you name the dance form, the choreographic structure, the
accompaniment, and the type of stimulus employed by the
performers?
[Description]
2. Examine the use of space and the relationship between the performers.
[Analysis]
3.Investigate the use of lighting, sound and costume?
[Analysis]
4. Were there original movements used that you had never seen before?
[Analysis]
5. Why does the choreographer use periods of silence?
[Interpretation]
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Dance Appreciation Exercise: Fire dance
[Riverdance]
Like the sun, fire is a source of heat and comfort, also something to be
feared. Maria Pages represents fire – while her dance is attractive, it is still
dangerous. Michael Flatley represents the early Celtic Settlers. While he is
cautious at first, he eventually embraces and fully connects with the flame.
 Michael Flatley and Maria Pages use space [personal/general, levels, and
pathways] in different ways. How?
 What does Maria Pages’ dance style tell us about her?
 What does Michael Flatley’s dance style tell us about him?
 Describe the dancers’ relationship to themselves, their environment and to each
other.
 Is this a contemporary or traditional piece? Why?
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How Do We Organise A Dance Lesson?
Pupils Change:
Before the lesson begins:
Appropriate clothing
Jewellery removal
Hair tied back
Students are told:
What they are going to do
Why they are doing it
How this builds on what they have done before
Warm Up
Activities must:
Rise the body temperature / pulse
Mobilise the joints
Gently stretch the muscles
Ideas Imput:
Read & discuss a newspaper article, story, look at &
discuss a photograph, art piece…
Movement Tasks:
Should involve creating / performing / appreciating
What is the nature of the task?
How is it linked to the ideas imput?
How much time do the students have?
Teacher Assignment:
Decide…
What to observe
Who to observe
What to record
Feedback:
Say what was done well & ask how it can be improved
Cool Down
A quiet & gentle activity to calm down
End of Lessson:
Involves teacher / student feedback * an indication of
the next lesson [if possible]
Evaluation:
What did you want toe students to learn / achieve
What is the next step?
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Dance – An Interdisciplinary Approach
Stimuli for dance can be drawn from visual, aural and
verbal starting points…
‘All art forms work from abstraction, form, style and
intent, but the unique essence of each derives from its
medium and cannot be readily captured in another
medium. Nevertheless, many facets of the one art can be
used as stimuli for another.’
Blom and Chaplin
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Contemporary Dance – An Interdisciplinary
Approach
Artefacts, paintings, architecture, drawings, photographs are all potential dance
stimuli. Teachers might like to consider the following suggestions:
Artefacts:
The movement patterns of working tools [knitting needles, butter churns, hammers]
can be analysed and used as movement patterns for dance pieces.
Visual Art: Drawings, Paintings and Photographs…
Drawings, paintings and photographs can suggest a mood or a narrative [story or
historical event]. They will always imply a particular social period. Examples may
include:



Allowing students to choose a picture and to interpret it in terms of movement line, dynamics, space and relationships
Using dance maps, which have linear, zigzag and curved pathways, printed on
them. The students can explore different floor patterns by travelling along the
same pathways. While appreciating different dance forms; Folk, Ballroom etc
they can print the pathways these dance forms use
Letting students print pathways when they appreciate different dance forms;
Ballroom, Modern etc
Architecture:
Examples can include:



Allowing the architectural design of different locations to influence material: a
stairway, stage, crossroads, park
Moving in expansive spaces [e.g. field] and constrained spaces [e.g. stage] and
noting the relationship between space and dynamics
Letting the function of particular locations stimulate movement ideas: a church,
supermarket, town park, Zoo
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Text
Students can use myths, legends, poetry lyrics, newspaper articles etc to stimulate a
dance piece.

The dance can follow the form of the narrative [dance/drama] and tell the story

Certain movements are suggested by some texts. For example, a modern novel
might suggest the dynamics, space and actions familiar with rave dancing
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Irish Dance – An Interdisciplinary Approach
Artefacts:
The movement patterns of traditional working tools [knitting needles, butter churns,
milk buckets] can be analysed and used as stimuli for new Irish Set & Group Dances
Drawings, Paintings and Photographs:
Drawings, paintings and photographs can suggest a mood or a narrative [story or
historical event]. They always imply a particular social period. Examples may
include:
 Pictures of folk dancers inspiring an interest in different cultures and being
interpreted in terms of movement- line, dynamics, space and relationships
 Exploring floor patterns by travelling along the pathways in Set / Group Dance
maps
 While appreciating different set / group dances students can print their movement
pathways
 Comparing and contrasting Irish Dances in the students’ locality with Irish Dance
pieces from other areas
Settings:
Examples may include:


Placing Irish Dance in different environments– a thatched cottage, stage, ceili,
crossroads
Allowing the function of architectural settings to promote movement ideas: a
church, town park, farms
Text:
Students can use traditional Irish myths, legends, poetry lyrics, etc to stimulate an
original Irish Dance piece.


The dance can follow the form of the narrative [dance/drama] and tell the story.
Certain movements are suggested by some texts. For example, a traditional tale
[e.g. Diarmuid agus Grainne] might suggest the dynamics, space and actions
familiar with traditional Irish Dance, whereas a more modern story, [e.g. Circle of
Friends], might suggest the dynamics, space and actions familiar with
Contemporary Irish Dance
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Aural Stimuli:
Music:

Music can reflect, dictate and provide the background to Irish Dance culturally, artistically, and socially. Traditional musicians in the school or a
talented member of staff, parent or student can be used

Students can use bodhrans, drums, bones and spoons to provide a background,
dictate or to reflect a particular dance type [hornpipes, reels, and jigs]. Body
rhythms are added, when rhythms are familiar to everyone
Verbal Stimuli
Sounds:
Sounds can be vocal - singing, shouting, and humming. Students can also use sound
effects, [e.g. waves and wind], as stimuli for original Irish Dance pieces and they can
appreciate the role played by sound effects in a dance performance-integral or
complementary
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Literacy through Dance - Sample Task
Case Study
Textual Stimuli: Irish, French [etc.] Folk Tales and Legends
Objectives: The students [individually or as part of a
group] will be able to:
1.
Select and read one or more folk tales or myths
2.
Choose one folk tale or legend and retell it to classmates
3. Write a programme on the dance piece he/she [they] are
going to present
4. Choreograph individually or with a partner and present it to
the class
5. Perform the piece for the rest of the class
6.
Review each other’s dance pieces either by oral or written
format
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Lesson Activities
1. The teacher can introduce students to a variety of Irish, French, and British,
[etc.] legends, folk tales, and myths. [Alternatively request students to
research their own stimuli]. Allow students can read one or more legends /
folk tales independently. Then, they can choose one folk tale or legend and
retell it through movement. Student [s] reread their choice several times until
they feel comfortable with their choice of textual stimuli. [Alternatively, they
can write their own story [English and Communication].
2. After the story has been selected, have students retell their story to classmates
without using the printed text. Then they can question their peers on their
choice of stimuli / request ideas [etc.]. [Encourage them to use dance
terminology.]
3. Present examples of theatre programmes to the students. Then, using these
examples the students can devise their own [information Technology]
programme centred on the piece that they are going to present. [If creative
writing was optional, request students to differentiate between actual folk
tales, legends, myths and fictional stories.]
4.
1
Allow students to improvise individually, in pairs or in small groups.
[Allow at least four forty minute periods, excluding warm- ups / cool-downs.].
Circulate among them while they are choreographing and offer advice.
5. On the day of the performance, the students can deliver programmes, allow
time for their audience to read them and perform the dance piece that they
[individually / or as past of a team] have choreographed.The students can
review each other’s pieces verbally or by written format. Examples might
include mock newspaper arts reviews, street interviews, completing dance
appreciation forms, a class
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Task Ideas
 Research the life of a Professional Dancer
 To create and perform a dance piece-individually or as part of a group
 A combination of dance and another area of the curriculum in a presentation
 A questionnaire on the interest of students in dance, the different dance styles
preferred etc
 To organise a ceili

To organise a professional dance group to visit the school
 Current Dance courses available in Ireland – a brochure
 To compare and contrast two different dance performances using structured
methods of appreciation
 A project on the folk dances of different countries
 My favourite dance form-ballet, Jazz etc
 To teach dance to a local Primary School Group
 To create a piece using a special prop
 A survey on local dance classes/facilities
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