School of Performing Arts at P.S. 315
2009-2010 DANCE Curriculum and Program Overview
Dance Specialist: Ana Nery Fragoso BA, MFA
The dance curriculum at P.S. 315 is based on Laban Movement Analysis principles and is aligned with the NYCDOE curriculum document: Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts. From kindergarten to fifth grade, students learn elements of movements such as levels, directions, pathways, use of energy, spatial relationships, body shapes and body actions.
One of the aims of the curriculum is to help students develop strength, flexibility, and endurance. The warm up is yoga based emphasizing breathing, focus and concentration. Students explore their individual range of movement by practicing a variety of locomotor and non-locomotor actions.
The program has a strong dance-making component. Students almost always culminate each unit of study collaborating with others in creating dances that they share with their peers and/or the rest of the school’s student body. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking by solving movement problems, as well as, the sharing of ideas through discussion. Feedback sessions give the students an opportunity to develop observational skills and allow them to practice expressing their opinions in a sensible and meaningful way. Students learn and apply dance vocabulary and symbols to respond to and make observations about dance.
Ongoing assessment, both self and of others, is an important part of the learning process for all dance students. Video recordings of performances, rubrics, reflective writing assignments and drawings are some of the tools used to evaluate each dance student’s progress.
The students will develop over time a dance portfolio that will include their individual goals, written materials that document their personal growth as dancers, class assignments, tests on dance subjects and other materials that might be relevant to the assessment of the student’s work.
The dance studio is a clean and safe environment in which to explore movement ideas physically and intellectually. A non-slippery floor, mirrors, ballet bars, dance library, which includes books and video materials, invites the student to know and understand what dance is as well as to foster respect and appreciation for the art form.
The after school dance program, called the Hip Hips Dance Company, meets once a week (Thursdays) for two hours. The members are a mixed group of motivated and enthusiastic fourth and fifth graders (twenty two students, half boys and half girls). The company collaborates with Mrs. Fragoso in the creation and development of original work. These students work with each other sharing their ideas to create dances. The group performs regularly at school events as well as regional and citywide student dance festivals. The participation in the Dance Company is by audition or special invitation only.
Students attend performances at dance venues citywide, work with dance teaching artists, see professional dance performances at our school, and become familiar with a range of resources for learning about dance. The dance program has developed over the years solid partnerships with different cultural organizations, which complement the curriculum by exposing the students to various dance forms and the visiting artists’ own fields of expertise.
2009-2010 Thematic DANCE Units for each Grade
KINDERGARTEN:
Students learn about basic concepts in dance and articulate body parts, shapes and actions. Through improvisation, they explore dance movement in different levels, directions and qualities. They understand the routine and behaviors expected in a dance class and differentiate between personal and general space.
- Introduction Yoga Asanas
- Movement Sentences / Action Words
- Winter
- Sequence/ Accumulation: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
- Ballet: Shapes
- Movement Stories: The Naughty Shoes & The Painter and the Elves by Helen Landalf and Pamela Gerke
- Dancing to Poetry: Twistable Man by Shel Silverstain
- Introduction to Dance Recipes
- Alphabet by Pilobolus Dance Theater. Creating letter with a partner.
- Folk Dance: Contra Dance
FIRST Grade:
Students explore locomotor and non-locomotor actions to expand their movement range and vocabulary. They practice combining levels, directions, and pathways with body actions through improvisation. Students learn appropriate performer and audience behavior by participating in informal class sharings.
- Yoga / Relaxation
- Shapes / Levels
- Skeleton Duets: Sequence of Shapes
- Musical Phrasing
- Seasonal changes: Fall, Winter and Spring
- Introduction to Pathways
- Movement Stories: Run, Jump, Whiz, Splash
- Ballet: Looking at the Swan Lake
- Folk Dance: Savila Se Bela Loza from Servia
- Visual dances inspired by M.C. Escher prints.
SECOND Grade:
Through movement exploration and observation, students continue building fine and large motor skills. They continue learning about dance concepts and how to apply this knowledge into creating short dances. They are introduced to motif writing.
- Yoga / Breathing
- Movement Sentence: Review
- Skeleton Duets: Symmetry Vs. Asymmetry
- Pathways / Mapping
- Introduction to L.O.D. (Language of Dance)
- Prop Dances: Small group dances using props.
- Native American Dance: The Butterfly Dance by Nmai
- Ballet Technique
Thematic DANCE units 2009-2010 Page 2
THIRD Grade:
Students cooperate with a partner or small groups in creating original dances; begin to develop partnering skills as well as to replicate movements and patterns. They learn and apply dance vocabulary and symbols. Students understand basic forms of relating to other dancers.
- Yoga / Alignment
- Skeleton Duets: Pattern of Shapes and Actions
- Picture Sequence
- Relationships: Mirroring, Leading and Following, Copying and Shadowing, and Canon.
- Folk Dance: Hora from Israel
- Dance is about Trust: Partnering work (push, pull and weight bearing)
- Modern Dance Technique
- Bill T. Jones (Book: Dance by Jones and Kuklin)
- Modern Dance: Introduction
FOURTH Grade:
Students understand and demonstrate choreographic ideas. They learn that choreographers make dances inspired by experiences, feelings and observations of the world around them using various devices and processes. They use basic motif symbols to represent and record movement. They learn to recognize and articulate personal aesthetic preferences.
- Yoga / Sequencing
- Choreographing with L.O.D.
- Underground Railroad (Book: Harriet and the Promised Land by Jacob Lawrence)
- Merce Cunningham: Chance Dances
- Folk Dance: Les Saluts from Canada
- Modern Dance: Comparing and contrasting styles
FIFTH Grade:
Through ongoing participation in dance, students continue to develop strength and flexibility. They learn more complex dances and collaborate with others in choreographic projects. They continue expanding their dance vocabulary using dance language to communicate their ideas.
- Yoga / Developing a Practice
- The Body (Bones & Muscles)
- Folk Dance: Virginia Reel from United States of America
- Alvin Ailey: Revelations
- José Limón
2009-2010 DANCE Residencies with Cultural Organizations
Kindergarten:
- Organization: Dancewave
- Dance Discipline: Tap
- Connection with social studies: Community
First Grade:
- Organization: Dancewave
- Dance Discipline: West African Dance
- Connection with social studies: Seasonal Changes
Second Grade:
- Organization: Dancewave
- Dance Discipline: Jazz
- Connection with social studies: Urban lifestyle (West Side Story)
Third Grade:
- Organization: New York Chinese Cultural Center
- Dance Discipline: Chinese Dance
- Connection with social studies: China
- Organization: Ballet Tech (Yearly auditions and scholarships)
Fourth Grade:
- Organization: New York City Ballet
- Organization: Merce Cunningham Foundation
- Dance Discipline: Modern Dance
Fifth Grade:
- Organization: Dancing Classrooms
- Dance Discipline: Ballroom Dance
- Connection with social studies: Latin America / USA