CREATIVE DANCE

Dance is acknowledged as a vital ingredient of a child’s education in the National Curriculum in the UK. The Expressive Arts documents for Scotland and Northern Ireland encourage teachers to develop dance as part of the Arts and PE curriculum.

Interpretive dance needs plenty of space. The hall or a cleared and swept classroom or similar large space is ideal. Use the best equipment that the school has to offer for playback. Check that the loudspeaker is facing the children to ensure the best possible listening environment. Make sure the children dance in gym shoes or bare feet. Bare feet give a good sense of contact with the floor, if your floor is safe. The children should be in PE kit to allow easy movement and to ensure that they do not become too hot.

Always encourage careful listening. • Reinforce the importance of safety – e.g. awareness of others to avoid collisions, spacing, sensible landings (with the whole foot, flexing as it comes down and knees bending). • Help the children to observe each other’s movement in a positive light and to learn from their observations. • Give the children a sense of your own enthusiasm.

Below is a link to a brilliant British website that uses music and movement in a variety of different topics particularly suitable for children up to the age of 7.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03g64pk/episodes/downloads

Here is a link for some interpretive dance programmes for older children up to the age of 11.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03g64pm

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