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Creative Dance for Elementary School Learning

Creative dance is an art form that provides potential for the expression of personal and universal qualities. Through its use of nonverbal communication, dance gives students the opportunity to participate in a way that is different from any other area of learning. In a broad and balanced elementary school curriculum dance is an important area of human experience that should not be neglected. Dance supports any subject matter area. This paper describes creative movement ideas and activities that would enhance the teaching of American history for grades 3 through 5.

The goal of creative dance is to communicate through movement. The instrument is the human body. In creative dance there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do things, no routines to learn. What is important is that the dancer draw on inner resources to make a direct and clear statement. Granted, an increase in skill increases ability to communicate, but in creative dance the statement comes before the technique.

Great dancers can communicate depths of feeling through movement, by making their craft and feeling one. But even great dancers must begin at the beginning. In teaching creative dance to elementary school children the first step is learning what the body can do, and how it can be done. A thorough knowledge of the basic elements of dance empowers the child to explore, experiment, and use the elements creatively. The second step is to let ideas arise from the movement so that the children become aware of the kinds of ideas that are suitable to dance. The third step is to present ideas and images as problems or assignments related to the curriculum.

A word of caution is warranted. Teachers must refrain from breezing through the basics. Children must become familiar with movement as a distinct and separate area of expression, not just an interpreter for dramatic action. The tendency is for children to express their ideas dramatically, through ...

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Creative Dance for Elementary School Learning. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:18, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690179.html