Solutions for All Creative Arts Grade 9 Learner s Book

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2 Solutions for All Creative Arts Grade 9 Learner s Book P Ho Hin Z Lapinsky K McAnda H Warren R Engela D Hewitson

3 Solutions for all Creative Arts Grade 9 Learner s Book P Ho Hin, Z Lapinsky, K McAnda, H Warren, R Engela, D Hewitson Illustrations and design Macmillan South Africa (Pty) Ltd, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1978 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable for criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published Published by Macmillan South Africa (Pty) Ltd Private Bag X19 Northlands 2116 Gauteng South Africa Cover design by Deevine Design Printed and bound by XXX Cover image from Africa Media Online Typeset by Boss Repro & Design Studio Photographs by AAI Fotostock pp. 1, 44, 49, 72, 99, 155 (bottom), 180, 219, 265, 281, 287, 317, 320, 354, 419, 420, 421, 441, 445, 457. Alamy pp. 438, 439 (top). African Media Online p AfriPics pp. 112, 156 (bottom). Gallo Images pp. 103, 165, 169, 179, 197, 201, 367, 452. Getty Images pp. 438, 439 (top). INPRA pp. 31, 53, 62, 63, 73, 75, 80, 87, 101, 126, 134, 143, 155 (top), 156 (top), 161, 222, 226, 246, 249, 297, 298, 308, 309, 333, 337, 339, 340, 344, 352, 355. PhotoDisc pp. 222, 233. Online Images pp. 369, 370, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 384, 418, 426, 431, 436, 442, 443 (bottom), 444, 448, 452, 458, 463. Suzy Bernstein pp. 7, 16, 23, 24, 38, 46, 58, 59, 70, 71. The Bigger Picture pp. 443, 439 (bottom). Wikimedia Commons pp. 161 (bottom), 171. Acknowledgements The publisher and author wish to thank the following, for their permission to reprint copyright material: Imani Media1 pp ; Anthony Fridjon and Sonovision Productions pp ; Lotus FM and Anjali Kirpalani pp ; Dylan Lewis p. 397; Kim Graham p. 399; Judith Mason pp. 370, 380; Françoise Nielly p. 374; Jan Vermeer (Courtesy Royal Cabinet of Paintings, The Hague) p. 375; Frida Khalo (Courtesy Harry Ransom Centre, The University of Texas at Austin) p. 385; Garth Erasmus p. 389; Andries Botha p. 398; Ezikiel Madiba p. 429; Manfred Zylla (Courtesy Erdman Contemporary Gallery) p. 425; Nhlanhla Xaba (Courtesy Priscilla Nicol) p. 427, Alberto Korda p. 438; Benon Lutaaya p. 469; Yinka Shonibare (Courtesy Stephen Friedman Gallery (London) and James Cohen Gallery (New York) and Stephen White) p ISBN PDF: WIP PDF: 4445M000 It is illegal to photocopy any page of this book without written permission from the publishers. The publishers have made every effort to trace the copyright holders. If they have inadvertently overlooked any, they will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

4 Contents Introduction ix Dance Term 1 1 Chapter 1: Let s dance Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 2: The moving body Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 3: Dance dynamically Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Term 1 Formal assessment Weeks Term 2 38 Chapter 4: Dance safely Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 5: Dancing steps Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 6: Dance together Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Term 2 Formal assessment Weeks Term 3 62 Chapter 7: Dance with awareness Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance

5 Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 8: Dance styles Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Term 3 Formal assessment Weeks Term 4 80 Chapter 9: Dance basics Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Chapter 10: Dance creations Weeks Topic 1: Dance Performance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks Drama Term 1 87 Chapter 1: Vocal and physical development of a performer Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Chapter 2: Creating a play Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 2: Drama elements in playmaking Term 1 Formal assessment Weeks Chapter 3: The media Week Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 5: The Media Term Chapter 4: Poetry Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 3: Interpretation and performance of a choice of dramatic forms, individual performance

6 Chapter 5: Dramatised prose Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 3: Interpretation and performance of a choice of dramatic forms, individual performance Chapter 6: Monologue Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 3: Interpretation and performance of a choice of dramatic forms, individual performance Chapter 7: Media Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 5: The Media Term 2 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 8: Interpreting skills and modulation of the voice Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Chapter 9: Purpose and performance Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 2: Drama elements in playmaking Topic 4: Appreciation and reflection Term 3 Formal assessment Weeks Term Please note you will do Chapter 10 OR Chapter 11 this term Chapter 10: Scene work Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 3: Interpretation and performance of a choice of dramatic forms, individual performance: Topic 4: Appreciation and reflection Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks Chapter 11: Radio drama Weeks Topic 1: Dramatic skills development Topic 3: Interpretation and performance of a choice of dramatic forms, individual performance: Topic 4: Appreciation and reflection Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks

7 Music Term Chapter 1: Classical music (1) Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Chapter 2: Classical music (2) Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Term 1 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 3: African roots (1) Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Chapter 4: African roots (2) Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Term 2 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 5: Musicals Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Chapter 6: Opera Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3 : Performing and creating music Term 3 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 7: Home to Africa Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy

8 Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Chapter 8: Home to South Africa Weeks Topic 1: Musical Literacy Topic 2: Music Listening Topic 3: Performing and creating music Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks Visual Arts Term Chapter 1: Talking about portraits Week Topic 3: Visual literacy Chapter 2: Paint a portrait Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Chapter 3: The arts as heritage Week Topic 3: Visual literacy Chapter 4: Art research Weeks Topic 3: Visual literacy Term 1 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 5: Make a papiér mâché sculpture Weeks Topic 2: Create in 3D Term 2 Formal assessment Weeks Chapter 6: Paint a still life to make a public comment Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Chapter 7: Letters, designs and patterns Weeks Topic 2: Create in 3D Term Chapter 8: Printmaking Week Topic 3: Visual literacy Chapter 9: Etching with social commentary Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Chapter 10: Popular culture Week Topic 3: Visual literacy

9 Chapter 11: Design projects Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Term 3 Formal assessment Weeks Term Chapter 12: Make a ventriloquist puppet Weeks Topic 2: Create in 3D Topic 3: Visual literacy Chapter 13: Drawing a reclining model Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks Chapter 14: Belonging in the global world Weeks Topic 1: Create in 2D Term 4 Formal assessment Weeks

10 Introduction Welcome to Solutions for all Creative Arts for Grade 9. This book is divided into four modules, one for each art form: Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Art. In your Grade 9 year, you can choose two of these four art forms. You will spend one hour per week on each of your two art forms. This book contains a full year s work for all four art forms, but you will only work through the two modules that you have chosen. Check myself Check myself at the beginning of each chapter: This may introduce some information, questions and answers, introductory discussion points, or an activity. This section is to get you started on thinking about what you are going to do in this chapter. Classroom activity This is something you will do in class. It may be individual work, pair work or group work. Most activities in your Creative Arts course are practical, meaning that they are things you do. But there are also some written assignments and oral presentations. Toolkit Throughout this book, you will find the Toolkit feature. This gives you particular skills or resources that you will need over and over again for that art form. At the end of this book, you will find a list of all the Toolkit items in the book, so that you can refer to them easily. ix

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12 Term 1 Dance Weeks 1-10 Week 1-2 What you will learn about in this term Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Let s dance The moving body Dance dynamically Let s talk about this term In this term, you will prepare the dance space. Prepare a safe dance environment Revise etiquette and controls in the Dance classroom Revise the importance of a good warm-up and cool down Learn new basic muscle stretches to add to your cool down routine Focus on placement and kinesthetic awareness, the correct alignment of the body, and an awareness of the body in space Learn how to use the warm-up exercises and techniques to create a whole body dancing experience. Expand on the concepts and movements previously learnt. Each technical exercise will be developed so that the exercise becomes more complex and requires more skill and concentration from the learner. You will learn: How to swing and hold postures in stillness How to change direction whilst jumping How to put warm-up exercises together to create a longer movement sequence How to use guided imagery to relax both body and mind Learn how to warm-up and prepare your body for isolations (moving one body part independently or separately to the others/one body part at a time) Learn how to move the body so that various body parts move to a specific rhythm (each body part moving to a different rhythm to the other) Create a gestural sequence Learn how to take a simple dance sequence and manipulate it to create a complex dance sequence Use the tools: repetition, exaggeration, slow motion and stillness to accomplish creating a complex sequence that forms the basis of a duet Dance: Term 1 1

13 1 Chapter Let s dance Weeks 1-3 What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Dance conventions: greeting/acknowledgement at start and end of class, and use of space (moving across the space in twos, no bumping, respect for others, and class discipline) Warm-up ritual built up gradually including: - spinal warm-up, arm swings/reaches/lunges as per dance form - floor work core stability exercises for back and stomach muscles: rounding and lengthening of the spine and side bends - leg muscles, ankle and knee joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises, in parallel and turned-out positions, emphasising alignment Body part isolations, combining body parts, with rhythmic patterning Feet warm-ups and small jump sequences Combinations of locomotor steps moving across space, changing directions Cooling down with relaxation imagery and slow, and safe stretching Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Introduction to principles of posture and alignment Use of core, use of spine, and safe landings. What you know already You know why it is important to warm-up and cool down. You already have a stock of basic warm-up and cool down exercises. You are familiar with the use of space and how to behave in the dance classroom. You have practised a range of arm movements, hand gestures, knee bends, lunges, kicks and turns. You have also practised turns on the spot and on one leg with spotting. You already know first and second position. Check myself 1. What are the basic rules of the dance space? 2. How many warm-ups do you remember from Grade 8? 3. Try to balance for as long as possible in the retire position. 4. Practise the basic spotting exercise you know. Word bank Spotting: Retire position: A B C a technique which helps your balance and keeps you from getting dizzy when turning when one of your legs is the supporting leg and the other leg is bent with its foot pointed and placed at the knee of the supporting leg 2 Dance: Term 1

14 Weeks 1-3 What you still need to know The dance space The space where you ll be attending dance lessons will be quite different from your other subject s classrooms because dance space has a whole other set of requirements. The dance space is your space to: create and explore your own movements and movement sequences through improvisation dance, introducing your body to different and safe ways of moving, running, kicking, jumping, flying learn different dance terminology, theories, styles, techniques and elements of dance. Remember that while you are using the dance space you are also sharing the dance space with other dancing bodies as well as your teacher. So in order for lessons to run smoothly and safely, it is very important to: be aware of your own moving body in relation to the other moving bodies in the space follow the codes of conduct and controls your teacher has set up prepare a safe, open environment to in which to dance. Most importantly, always remember to respect: your personal space and the personal spaces of the other dancers the role of your teacher all and every creative voice and input. Warm-up In order to keep our bodies safe and healthy we need to take care of them in the dance class. Warmups and cool downs are important tools to help us do this. Warm-ups allow us to prepare our bodies to move safely. Usually we spend most of the day sitting down to learn, so we need to prepare the body adequately for the vigorous physical activity we ll be using in Dance. You need to warm-up all the body parts so that your whole body is ready to dance. These are joints in your body that work like a ball in a socket. They can be moved in many directions, forwards, backwards, and in circles. All these movements are movements we want to include in our warm-up, preparing the body s joints for all possible movements, preventing injury. Before a warm-up our bodies are cold and stiff, and if we move too quickly or in an unexpected manner, we can easily hurt or injure ourselves. Warming-up ensures that the body is adequately prepared and ready for movement, so that we may move our bodies to their full capacity without fear of injury. Our bodies are like metal when they re cold and we move them, they are hard to move; when they are warm, they can bend and move in many different directions. Dance: Term 1 3

15 Classroom activity 1 A walking warm-up 1 Walk around the space. Make eye contact as you pass each other. Respect your fellow dancer in the dance space. 2 Start walking with intention, as though you have an urgent meeting to get to. Notice how you naturally pick up the pace and how your energy changes. 3 Now, walk in as many directions as you can without bumping into each other. 4 Use different ways to walk around the space in any direction you choose: forwards, backwards, sideways, spirals, zigzags, clockwise, anticlockwise, in straight lines, around the edges of the room, closer to the centre of the room, slowly, quickly, walking, running, on your toes, on your heels, on the sides of your feet, with knees bent. 5 Change direction with intention. Know what direction you want to go, before you change. Classroom activity 2 Moving in the space Now that you have prepared the dance space and made it a safe moving environment, let s move and dance in it. 1 Walk around the space, making eye contact as you pass each other. 2 Start walking with intention, as though you have an urgent meeting to get to. Notice how you naturally pick up the pace and how your energy changes. 3 Now, walk in as many directions as you can without bumping into each other. Different ways to walk around the space in any direction you choose: forwards, backwards, sideways, spirals, zigzags, clockwise, anticlockwise, in straight lines, around the edges of the room, closer to the centre of the room, slowly, quickly, walking, running, on your toes, on your heels, on the sides of your feet, with knees bent. 4 When you change direction, change direction with intention, know what direction you want to change to, to before you change. 5 On the word of your teacher: work with different levels: high, medium and low. 4 Dance: Term 1

16 Weeks Your teacher will start using claps as controls: 1 Clap = turn 2 Claps = roll 3 Claps = jump When you hear these controls you can do any turn, roll or jump of your choice. Basic warm-up Work through the warm-up exercises in the Toolkit on pages 5 6. Toolkit Warm-up exercises Warming-up the legs and feet Pointe and flex: standing. Repeat the following four on the left then four on the right: Stand with your feet together. Lift your heel off the floor until just the ball of your foot is touching the floor. Then lift your toes off the floor, and pointe towards the floor. This ensures a good point. To replace your foot on the floor, first put your toes down on the floor, and then your heel. Repeat the following four on the left then four on the right: This time when you lift your toes off the floor in a pointed position, make it a sharp movement, almost like a little kick. Make sure that you have a straight line down to the floor when your foot is in a pointed position. The straight line must extend from your knee to your ankle to your toes. Warming-up the head and neck Circling the head. Make circles with your head. Do a few circles to the right, and a few circles to the left. Drop your chin to your chest. Take your head to the right. Keep your right ear as close to your shoulder as possible. Move your head all the way to the back. Make sure that you do not shorten the back of your neck. Imagine someone has placed a cool drink can at the base of your skull. Take your head to the left. Keep your left ear as close to your left shoulder as possible. Move back to the starting position, with your chin to your chest. Flex Roll forward Roll backwards Pointe Roll right Roll left Dance: Term 1 5

17 Warming-up the shoulders Shoulder drops. Lift your shoulders up as close to your ears as possible, then drop them down. Do this several times. You can also move your shoulders forwards and backwards. Do this several times. Shoulder rolls. Combine shoulder drops with shoulder rolls. Rotate the shoulders in a circular movement, making them go round in one direction and then the opposite direction. At the same time lift or drop your shoulders. Front Back Roll back Roll up Roll forward Roll down Classroom activity 3 Warm-up sequence Let s make a fun warm-up sequence using our head, shoulders, arms and hips. 1 First, circle your head to the right. Then circle your wrists. Then circle your shoulders. Bend your arms so that your hands are close to your shoulders and circle the elbows. Now straighten your arms and make a big circle with your fingertips. 2 Now we add the hips. Circle your right hip to the right, then your left hip to the left. 3 Next, sitting on the floor, point and flex your feet, going through the balls of your feet. Repeat this doing both feet together and then alternatively. 4 Then, lie on your back and lift your feet in the air. Circle both ankles to the right 10 times; then to the left 10 times. Then circle the right foot towards the left while circling the left foot towards the left. Repeat 10 times. Swap directions and repeat 10 times. 5 Lower your feet to the ground so that you are ready to do the stomach curls. Do a set of 10 stomach curls. Look at the Toolkit on pages to see how to do these. Now that you have prepared the dance space and made it safe moving environment, let s move and dance in it. 6 Dance: Term 1

18 Weeks 1-3 Classroom activity 4 Pliés and bounces Bounces. This is a great way to warm up your knees and ankles for jumps, so you can add this to your warm-up routines. Plié, and as you straighten your legs, use the impetus to lift your heels off the floor, keeping your toes on the floor Place your heels back on the floor and land in plié. Start in first position, turn-out. Plié, straighten. Plié, straighten. Plié, bounce, bounce. Jump to second position. Plié, straighten. Plié, straighten. Plié, bounce, bounce. Jump to first position. Repeat twice. Cool down After a dance class it is important to stretch to cool down. After we ve exercised our muscles we need to stretch out so that they don t shorten after we ve worked on strengthening them. Stretching allows muscles to relax and increases your range of motion. Stretches Most stretches work by holding a single position. A few stretches involve two or three actions. You should feel a gentle pull in the muscles that the stretch is targeting. This is a little uncomfortable, but try to relax and breathe into the targeted muscles. Never use force to push/pull yourself into a deeper stretch. Avoid bouncing on your muscles this can easily result in an injury. The section that follows includes the stretches from previous years. This is because basic stretches are important. Even professional dancers find these basic stretches invaluable. Toolkit Cool down exercises Some basic stretches include stretching out our spines and hamstrings. We also need to stretch our back and buttocks. Quadriceps are the large muscles on the front of the thigh. They are very strong muscles and we use them a lot, making them bulky and tired. We also need to stretch our tummy muscles, especially after we have used them in dancing. Hamstring stretch 1 We can easily stretch our spines and hamstrings at the same time. Stand on your feet with your feet in parallel and in line with your hips. Dance: Term 1 7

19 Hang upside down from your hips so that your head reaches towards the floor. Stay there for at least one minute. Be sure to relax your neck in this position. Hamstring stretch 2 You can also stretch your hamstrings sitting down. Sit on the floor and straighten your legs out in front of you. Straighten your back, especially the lower back and reach towards your toes. Try not to scrunch up the back of your neck. Look down and your knees to try keep your back and neck in alignment. When you reach your toes, you can use your arms to pull your body towards your legs, but be gentle! Back twist stretch This exercise will stretch your hip, the outside of your quadriceps as well as your back. This stretch is also good for your hip mobility. Lie on the floor on your back. Take your arms out to the sides of your body in line with your shoulders. Bend both your knees to your chest. Then take both knees over to the right, until your bottom knee touches the floor. Allow your left hip and buttock to lift off the floor. Hold this for at least one minute before swapping sides. Cat stretch Here s another good back stretch. Start on the floor on all fours. Feel the length of the spine from the tail bone through to the top of our head. Make sure that your back is parallel to the floor. Use your abdominals, suck your belly button up into your back, drop your head and round your back as much as possible. Hold for a count of eight, and then relax into your starting position. Repeat 10 times. Shoulder stretch Bring your right arm across your body so that your fingertips face the left and the palm of your hand points behind you. Use your left arm to pull your right arm towards your body. Repeat once on the other side. 8 Dance: Term 1

20 Weeks 1-3 Tricep stretch Either standing or sitting, lift your right arm up in the air and bend at the elbow, palm of your touching or facing towards your back. Grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull gently towards the left. When doing this, keep your neck and head straight as well as engaging your abdominals and pulling your ribs inwards and downwards. Repeat on the other side. Standing quadricep stretch To stretch your quadriceps: Stand on one leg Bend the other leg at the knee so that your foot is by your buttock Use your arm to pull that foot closer to your body Swap sides. Repeat the quadriceps stretch three times on both sides. Butterfly groin stretch Sit on the floor. Bring your feet towards your body, bending your knees. Turn the soles of your feet to face each other and let your knees fall gently to the side. Hold your ankles and gently push your knees down towards the floor with your elbows. Push just enough to feel a little pull in the groin muscles. Hold the position for the count of eight. Relax and repeat 10 times. Cobra s stretch This is an abdominal stretch for your core tummy muscles. Lie on your stomach on the floor. Place the palms of your hands next to your shoulders. Slowly, using your arms, lift your upper body off the floor and fan your chest open, all the while keeping your hips on the ground. Your legs should remain straight and your toes pointed. Keep your shoulders down and elbows bent. This makes opening the chest out easier. Remember to do this stretch every time you work your abdominals. Dance: Term 1 9

21 Classroom activity 5 Cooling down Choose five of the stretches in the Toolkit on pages 7 9. To avoid injury, follow the instructions properly, examine the images and if you are confused by anything, ask your teacher. Make sure you hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. As you go through each stretching exercise, picture in your mind s eye, the targeted muscles relax and stretch. As you breathe into the muscle, see the muscle fill with oxygen and release tension. What you still need to know Posture and alignment Word bank A B C Posture: Alignment: Placement and awareness: Turn-out: the position of a person s body when standing or sitting the relationship of the individual body parts to each other keeping the head, shoulders, and hips in a straight vertical line the way in which we carry our body, the positioning and alignment of our spine, limbs and head the term Turn-Out is a balletic term and move movement in ballet is done in turn-out. Effectively when you are in a proper turn-out position all the leg and buttock muscles are active and engaged. For a natural turn-out start in a standing position with your feet together (toes and heels touching each other), bend your knees slightly, keeping your heels together and fan your feet outwards. Do not force this turn-out, just to a comfortable position. Then stretch your legs pulling up your knees and engaging your buttocks, make sure you are not only turning out your feet, but that you are turning out from your hips, upper thighs and knees. Your knees should face the same direction as your feet, not less or more The position of your body and the way your body parts are lined up is important for a dancer. Correct posture, alignment, placement and awareness (kinaesthetic awareness) means that the body is ready for action and in the correct position to execute a particular movement. Correct placement will help you balance and support your feet once you re up on pointe. However, what is correct sometimes differs from one style to another. 10 Dance: Term 1

22 Weeks 1-3 Ballet In ballet, correct posture is when the bones of the body are stacked one directly above the other. The hips and shoulders usually face the front regardless of the direction chosen and are directly on top of each other. There is a straight line from the hip to the knee. The knees are lined up with the big toe and second toe of each foot, regardless of the specific position of the leg or legs. Ballet requires a long, straight spine that moves in one unit, or as one piece, and not different pieces. In ballet dancers perform in turn-out. The head in ballet usually looks forwards with variations including looking right and left or tilting the head sideways ear towards shoulder or up towards the ceiling. Contemporary dance Posture and alignment in contemporary dance is fairly similar. Here dancers use both turn-out and parallel. Bones and muscles are stacked for safety, such as hips, knees and toes in one line, regardless of the position of the leg. Contemporary dancers need to know how to lengthen the spine and move from there. However in contemporary dance, the dancers break the rules of ballet. The torso is often moved in separate parts, not as a single unit, and in many different directions. For example, the torso will twist and turn, and rotate. The head movements in contemporary dance are the same as those of ballet but include twisting and rotating movements. African dance Ballet dancers In African dance, correct posture is different to ballet and contemporary dance. Correct posture often includes bent knees, giving the body a heavier feeling, with movements that are closer to the floor and encourage a sense of weight, which is often seen in African dance. The torso is often rounded in a slight contraction, so that the body is ready for action. Regardless of the style, correct posture is essential to prepare the body for specific action. Correct posture gives the dancer the ability to perform with commitment and focus and helps to prevent injury. Incorrect Correct Incorrect Examples of correct and incorrect posture Dance: Term 1 11

23 Floor work Word bank Momentum: A B C the force or impetus behind a movement The alignment of the spine is incredibly important when working in the correct posture. Floor work is one of the best ways to warm-up the spine and work the correct muscles around the spine because the floor creates the support on which to walk. Toolkit Spinal exercises 100s This exercise helps us with correct posture, alignment, placement and awareness. It also helps us develop strong core muscles. Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor so your knees face the ceiling. Your arms are stretched out in front of you, palms to the floor. Exhale as you suck your belly in, curl your tail bone to your belly button slightly and lift your head, shoulders and arms off the floor. Breathe in and out quickly while pumping your arms up and down. Keep your upper body and head in the same position. Do as many as you can. Perhaps 100? Leg swings The aim of this exercise is to use the weight of your legs and gravity when you allow the legs to fall to one side and the other rather than engaging the muscles. This allows the hip sockets to be warmed up and you work with the natural alignment of the bones rather than always using muscles. Lie on the floor on your back. Bend your legs so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees face the ceiling. Allow your legs to fall to the right side, keeping your right leg bent. Extend your left leg the top one so that it swings around to the right. To return to the starting position, swing your left leg back around tracing the same path, using its momentum to bring your right knee back up. 12 Dance: Term 1

24 Weeks 1-3 Repeat on the other side, letting the legs fall weightlessly to the left side, extending and swinging the right leg. Be sure to keep your shoulders on the floor to warm-up your back as well. Leg swings and contractions Lie on the floor on your back, with your knees bent up to the ceiling. Swing your right leg to the left and bring it back to the starting position. Swing your left leg to the right and bring it back to the starting position. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 twice. Contract to the right, and come to the starting position. Contract to the left, and come back to the starting position. Repeat the whole exercise once on the other side, starting with your left leg. Child position Lie on your side. Contract into child: Bring your arms and knees together towards the centre of your body. Classroom activity 6 Spinal exercises on the floor Practise the exercises in the Toolkit on pages These exercises develop your kinaesthetic awareness and enable you to avoid injury. Follow the instructions properly, examine the images and if you are confused by anything, ask your teacher. Do the 100s exercise to 20 counts. Relax for five counts. Repeat three times. Standing exercises There are a number of exercises you can do while standing that also work your core and help improve your posture and alignment. Here are a few basic ones: Dance: Term 1 13

25 Toolkit Standing spinal exercises Forward swings This is a great exercise to warm-up your back and shoulder joints. Stand in parallel feet position. Lift both arms up so that they are in line with your ears. Make sure that your stomach is engaged and your shoulders and ribcage are pulled down. Using the weight of your upper body, arms and head, swing down towards your legs. Let your arms move past your legs and back up towards the ceiling as far as they will go, almost in a full circle. Swing your arms back up to the starting position. As they go past your body, use the momentum to bring your body back up to standing. African lunge and contraction Start with your feet in first position parallel, with your knees bent and the palms of your hands placed on your knees. Make a circle with your right arm going forwards, over your head and all the way around the back and back to your knee. As your arm starts to move, take your right leg back so that you are in a lunge position. Moving your head, watch your hand as it goes around and allow your back to arch slightly as your hand goes from above your head to the back. Contract your back as your bring your arm back to the starting position and back to your knee. Repeat the movement using your left arm and your left leg. Forward swings Forward swings and lunges with contractions Start in first position parallel, with your arms up. Forward swing, and back to the starting position. Repeat three times. Drop your arms. Hold for one count. Do a lunge taking your right leg back. Come back to the starting position. Do a lunge, taking your left leg back. Come back to the starting position. Do this exercise (Forward swings and lunges with contractions) again Repeat on the other side once. 14 Dance: Term 1

26 Weeks 1-3 Classroom activity 7 Standing spinal exercises Practise the standing exercises in the Toolkit on page 14. To avoid injury, follow the instructions properly, examine the images and if you are confused by anything, ask your teacher. What you still need to know Balance and control Word bank A B C Parallel: Square: parallel position is when you have your feet together facing forward with your heels and toes touching; it can also be done with your heels directly under your hip bones, toes facing forward, approximately 15 cm apart your hips and shoulders are stacked one above the other and face the same direction, regardless of the direction of your head or feet Pulling Up: this is a technique using a number of muscles to lift yourself up from the core effectively creating the feeling of being pulled up towards the ceiling and pulled down towards the floor at the same time. Pulling up is essential to rises, jumps, turns, pointe work and partnering lifts One of the reasons why it is necessary to work with correct posture and alignment is for balance. Learning to balance is very important for movements such as turns, lifts and controlled movements. Once you learn to balance in Dance, you will be able to create interesting off-balance movements as well. Balance exercises are also a great way to test whether you are in correct alignment. Feet positions The positions of the feet are originally classical ballet terms. When used in a ballet class these positions are always in turn-out. However, these feet positions are used in a wide variety of other dance forms such as contemporary dance and ballroom dancing, where they can be in either turn-out or parallel. The third and fifth position of the feet can only be done in turn-out. Toolkit Positions of the feet First position This is your basic turn-out position with your heels touching and your feet in turn-out. This is also your basic parallel position with the outside of your feet parallel to each other and your feet directly in line with each hip. Dance: Term 1 15

27 Second position Your toes are to the side. Replace your toe with your heel as you lower your heel to the floor. This position can be done in turn-out or parallel. Third position This is a variation of first position in turn-out. Instead of having your heels together, place the heel of your right foot in front of your left foot so that your right heel touches the middle of your left foot. Your toes, hips and knees are still in turn-out. The same position can be done with the left foot in front. Fourth position From first position turn-out, tendu to the front. Place your heel down in line with the toes of the supporting foot, so that your toes of the front foot are in line with the heels of the supporting foot. This position can be done in turn-out or parallel. Fifth position Fifth position is variation on third position and fourth position. This time, the heel of your front foot is touching the toe of your back foot, and the toe of your back foot is touching the heel of your front foot. Third position Fifth position Fourth position Fourth position Classroom activity 8 Practise feet positions Your teacher will demonstrate the commonly used feet positions. Practise all the feet positions in turn-out and parallel. 16 Dance: Term 1

28 Weeks 1-3 Toolkit Turns from fourth position It is important to spot when doing any kind of turning movement. Use all the movements before the turn as a preparation to turn. Make sure that your body is square to the front. Keep your body square during your turn. Keep the same spot throughout the entire exercise. Use your arms, shoulders, hips and back leg to create the impetus to turn. Make sure that all the weight of your body is directly over your supporting leg. Start in first position turn-out with your arms in fifth position. Bring your arms up to fifth position in front. Tendu your right leg to the side, opening your arms to second position. Rond de jambe right leg to the back, bringing your right arm forward to fifth position in front. Plié in fourth position in preparation to turn. Remember to spot with your eyes. Opening your right arm slightly, bring your left arm to join the right arm in fifth position in front; using your left arm, shoulders and hips to create the impetus to turn. Turn towards your right, bending your right leg and pulling up. Place your right foot at the knee of your left leg. Land in plié in first position turn-out, with your arms still in fifth position in front. Straighten your legs, bringing your arms to fifth position. Classroom activity 9 Tendus, pliés and rises in fourth position 1 Start in first position turn-out. 2 Tendu to the front with a pointed foot. 3 Flex and pointe again. 4 Place your foot down in fourth position. 5 Plié in fourth. 6 Rise in fourth. 7 Lower from the rise, plié and stretch. 8 Transfer your weight onto your back leg while pointing the front foot. 9 Close your tendu. 10 Repeat to the side; to the back and to the side again. 11 Repeat the exercise on the other side. Dance: Term 1 17

29 Classroom activity 10 Turns and balances from fourth position 1 Start in first position turn-out with your arms in fifth position. 2 Bring your arms up to fifth position in front for one count. 3 Tendu your right leg to the side, with arms to second position for one count. 4 Rond de jambe right leg to the back with arms for one count. 5 Plié in fourth position in preparation to turn for one count. 6 Balance in retire position for two counts. 7 Plié with correct arms for one count. 8 Straighten your legs, bringing your arms to fifth position for one count. 9 Repeat numbers 1 to 8 on the left. 10 Bring your arms up to fifth position in front for one count. 11 Tendu your right leg to the side, with arms to second position for one count. 12 Rond de jambe your right leg to the back with arms for one count. 13 Plié in fourth position in preparation to turn for one count. 14 Turn to the right in retire position for two counts. 15 Plié with correct arms for one count. 16 Straighten your legs, bringing your arms to fifth position below for one count. 17 Repeat steps 9 to 17 on the left. Classroom activity 11 Strengthen your core To strengthen your core, do the Toolkit exercises on pages at home. Remember to ask your teacher if you have any questions. Toolkit Core-strengthening exercises Curls Be sure to breathe out when curling your upper body off the floor and breathing in when lowering. Lie on the floor with your back to the ground. Bend your knees so that they are pointing up to the ceiling, making sure that your feet are parallel and in line with your hips. Place your arms across your chest. Feel the spine lengthening on the floor. 18 Dance: Term 1

30 Weeks 1-3 Use your stomach muscles, and curl your upper body off the floor as high as you can. Notice the curve of the spine. Lower and repeat. Side curl You may increase your repetitions as you become stronger. Lie on your back with your legs bent, like your basic curl. Place your hands behind head with your elbows out to the side. Cross your right ankle over the left knee. Inhale. On your exhale, use your stomach to twist and pull your left shoulder towards your right knee. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and lower gently. Repeat 10 times on both sides. The bridge Lie on your back with your knees bent. Make sure that your feet are hip-distance apart and your arms are next to your side. Push your heels into the ground and lift your hips upwards into the bridge position, making a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Be sure to engage your core to lift your hips. Hold for 30 seconds and lower gently. Repeat. Superman Start on the floor on all fours, just like the position you begin with the cat stretch. Make sure that your knees are in line with your hips and your arms are in line with your shoulders. Keep your stomach muscles engaged. Straighten your right arm and left leg so that you make a straight line with your body from your fingers, through your shoulders all the way to your toes. Hold for 30 seconds and lower gently. Repeat on the other side. Dance: Term 1 19

31 Formal assessment This is the rubric your teacher will use to assess your warm-up and cool down exercises in classroom activities 1 to 5. Classroom activities 1 to 5 Individual and group assessment Do you... Marks show an understanding of how to move your bodies into the warm-ups and cool-downs? (4) do the warm-ups proficiently? (2) do the cool-down proficiently? (2) focus and concentrate on your own body? (2) Total /10 Total for Term 1 /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent This is the rubric your teacher will use to assess your exercises in classroom activities 6 to 10. Classroom activities 6 to 10 Individual and group assessment Do you... Marks mentally grasp the idea of pulling up? (3) apply it in the exercises? (2) turn and land with control (without falling over)? (2) use momentum in the swing, bounce and contraction exercises, rather than muscle strength with a start and stop motion? (3) Total /10 Total for Term 1 /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent 20 Dance: Term 1

32 2 Chapter The moving body Weeks 4-7 What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Dance conventions: greeting/acknowledgement at start and end of class, and use of space (moving across the space in twos, no bumping, respect for others, and class discipline) Warm-up ritual built up gradually including: - spinal warm-up, arm swings/reaches/lunges as per dance form - floor work core stability exercises for back and stomach muscles: rounding and lengthening of the spine and side bends - leg muscles, ankle and knee joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises, in parallel and turned-out positions, and emphasising alignment Body part isolations, combining body parts, with rhythmic patterning Feet warm-ups and small jump sequences Combinations of locomotor steps moving across space, changing directions Cooling down with relaxation imagery and slow, and safe stretching Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Exploration of natural gestures and varying them through exaggeration, slow motion and repetition Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Introduction to principles of posture and alignment Use of core, use of spine, and safe landings. What you know already You know how to warm-up and cool down your body. You can move different body parts independently from each other. You are also able to travel across the space and change directions. You are able to do rises. You have practised jumping and landing safely. You worked with gestures in Grade 8. Check myself 1. Do you remember how to roll up and down the spine safely? 2. Do you remember how to turn-out from the hip and not just the knee? 3. Do you remember how to jump and land safely? 4. Think of all the different body parts you can move independently. How many different ways can you think of to move them? Word bank Contraction: Isolations: A B C rounding of the spine and a hollowing out of the belly. It can be done sitting, standing, as well as lying on the floor and lying on your side. Contractions involve engaging the abdominal muscles to pull or move the pelvis and ribs towards the centre of the body moving one body part at a time, independently from other body parts Dance: Term 1 21

33 What you still need to know Balances and rises In this unit, you will learn how hold to a balance and rise in absolute stillness. This is a very important skill that is most commonly used in ballet and contemporary dance. We also focus on learning to get to the floor gracefully. Classroom activity 12 Forward swings with rises and jumps 1 Do the forward swing described in Chapter 1 on page When you are at the deepest point of the swing, with your head towards the floor, your knees bent, and your arms up behind you, rise onto your toes. Hold the balance for a count of two. 3 As you release the balance and return to the starting position, rise onto your toes. Hold for a count of two. 4 Variation: Instead of rising at the deepest and highest points of the movement, add a jump from two feet to two feet. Classroom activity 13 Swinging to and on the floor 1 Start with your feet hip-width distance apart, toes facing forwards. 2 Roll your spine down towards the floor, one vertebra at a time starting with your head. 3 When you are hanging upside down from your hips, bend your knees and come into a crouch position with your hands on the floor. 4 Walk your hands forward until you are in a push-up position. 5 Lower yourself so that you are lying down on your stomach and then roll over onto your back. 6 Contract into your side contraction on the right, so that your arms and legs draw towards the centre of your body in the child position. 7 Lengthen your body out on the floor so that you are lying on your back. Do your side contraction on the floor to the left. 8 Come back to the centre, lying on the floor on your back. 9 Repeat the side contractions to the right, except this time continue travelling to the right by coming onto your knees and rolling to the right. 10 Repeat the exercise to the left. 11 Repeat on the other side. Use your left arm to circle your way onto your back. 22 Dance: Term 1

34 Weeks 4-7 Classroom activity 14 Focus on the legs This exercise can be done: in parallel with toes facing forwards in turn-out where the heels begin together and the leg is extended keeping that diagonal starting position of the foot 1 Stand with your feet together, toes facing forward. Or stand in turn-out with the toes facing the diagonal, or the side of the room. 2 Extend your leg on the floor, so that your foot touches the floor for as long as possible before the heel lifts and ends in a point. 3 Do this to the front, the side, the back and the other side. Classroom activity 15 Pliés 1 Start in first position (parallel or turn-out). 2 Bend your knees, keeping your knees over the big and second toes as far as you can while still keeping your heels on the floor. 3 Straighten your legs. 4 Repeat this in second position. To extend this exercise, we will now do pliés in fourth position. Plié in first position 5 From first bring your right foot forward and place it down in front of your left, so that the heel of your right foot is in line with the toe of your left foot. 6 Be sure to give your extra attention to turn-out as you do your plié in this fourth position. 7 Return your right foot back to centre and repeat on the other side. Plié in forth position Dance: Term 1 23

35 Classroom activity 16 Pliés and balances Let s practise balancing while we do our pliés. 1 After each in first, second, and fourth as you straighten your legs, lift your heels off the floor and balance on your toes. 2 Remember to squeeze your leg muscles towards each other and pull up as you balance in all three positions. 3 Repeat the exercise. This time, balance with your foot in retire. Your toes are by your supporting knee and your lifted knee is turned-out. 4 Repeat the exercise on the other side. In order to warm-up the legs and toes, as well as get your heart rate up, we will do a small jump exercise that also engages the core. What you still need to know Jumps In all jumps be sure to land safely. That means you land through the foot from toe to ball to heel and bend your knees as your feet touch the floor. This way your body lessens the impact of landing. Classroom activity 17 Small jumps from side to side 1 Begin in first position parallel: feet together, toes facing forward. 2 Keep your feet in this position and jump from right to left to right again. 3 As you do this, keep your feet together and your body facing forward. We are using small jumps to travel from side to side. 4 Be sure to land safely softly through your feet (toe-ball-heel) and engage your core (pull your stomach in). 5 When you land on your third jump (to the right), stay in your plié. Keep your knees bent and together and circle your arms backwards. 24 Dance: Term 1

36 Weeks Make sure that the rest of your body is completely still so that only the arms move. 7 Repeat to the left. Classroom activity 18 Jumps with Quarter Turns 1 In first position, jump three times facing the front. 2 On the fourth jump, do a quarter turn so that you are facing the right. 3 Repeat facing the right: three jumps in this direction and on the fourth jump do a quarter turn to your right again, so that you are now facing the back of the room. 4 Repeat again: three jumps facing the back of the room and on the fourth do a quarter turn to face the left. 5 Repeat for the last time facing the left: three jumps in this direction and a quarter turn on the fourth jump to face the front. 6 Repeat the entire exercise to the left. Classroom activity 19 Zigzag around the room 1 Start at the back corner and zigzag round the room. 2 Start with your right foot. Take two runs followed by two leaps. 3 At the end of the second leap, jump in first position and do a quarter turn, while jumping to face the opposite corner. 4 Repeat in the other direction: Start with your left foot. Take two runs followed by two leaps. 5 At the end of the second leap, jump in first position to face the opposite direction. Classroom activity 20 Cool down Follow your teacher s lead as he or she guides you through your cool down. You will use some of the stretches you have already learnt in Grade 8 as well as work with imagery to cool down. Dance: Term 1 25

37 What you still need to know Gestures A gesture is a way of communicating a message that people can see and understand. We make gestures by moving a part of the body or even the whole body or the position of the body. Natural gestures are small movements that we use in everyday life. For example: brushing something off your skirt, rubbing your nose, rubbing your lips together or biting your nails. Gestures are a non-verbal way of communicating using an expressive action or movement. Gestures can communicate feelings, thoughts, intentions and attitudes. In Dance, natural gestures can be used as movement vocabulary. As part of your warm-up, let us begin with body isolations. When we talk about isolations in Dance we mean moving one body part at a time, independently from other body parts. Toolkit Body isolations Circling the body Rotate your head without moving your neck. This means that your head will make only very small circles. It might help to imagine that there is a piece of chalk on the crown of your head and that you are drawing a very small circle on the ceiling. Rotate your upper back and ribs in a clockwise direction without moving your hips, stomach or head and neck. First, bring your chest forward, as if it was about to touch the front of the room. Then take your chest rib cage to the right, then the back, and then the left. Now do the same with your hip and pelvis. First move them to the front, then the side, the back and the other side. Be sure to circle the body parts in both directions. Circling the body is only one way to warm-up the body using isolations. The body can also move and fold in different directions. For example: the body can rotate; it can move or fold forwards and backwards; it can move from right to left and in diagonals. Using all of these different movements, you can create interesting and visually exciting movements for your audience to watch. 26 Dance: Term 1

38 Weeks 4-7 Classroom activity 21 Isolating the body along different planes 1 Nod your head down and up. 2 Do the same forward and backward movement with your upper back and torso. 3 Do the same forward and backward movement from your hips and your knees. 4 Variation: Swivel your head to the right, keeping your shoulders, stomach and hips facing the centre. 5 Swivel your shoulders to the right so that your head and shoulders are now in one direction and the rest of your body is in another. 6 Next, allow your hips and pelvis to swivel to the right. 7 Finally, swivel your knees and feet to the right. 8 Reverse the direction of the body parts, so that you end up facing centre and forwards again, one body part at a time in the reverse order. 9 Tilt your ear to your right shoulder. First move your head, and then, as a second movement, your neck. 10 Now, tilt your shoulder to the right. 11 Drop your waist, hips and pelvis to the right one body part at a time. 12 To come back to the centre, bring your body back one piece at a time in the reverse order. 13 Be sure to repeat all the exercises to the left. Word bank Transpose: A B C to alter, to transform; to take a gesture that would ordinarily be done by one body part and use another body part to perform the same gesture Classroom activity 22 Exploring gestures 1 Find five natural gestures that you use in your everyday life. 2 Transpose these natural gestures into five different body parts. For example, if you brush something off your skirt, how would your torso, or your feet, perform that gesture? 3 Practice the original gesture along with the transposed versions until you have made a final choice regarding the transposed versions. Practice these until you can remember them and perform them with confidence and commitment. This is your gestural sequence. Dance: Term 1 27

39 Classroom activity 23 Exploring gestures 1 Perform your gestural sequence for the class. 2 Allow the class, your teacher and other performing learners to provide feedback. Examples of different gestures Classroom activity 24 Cool down Choose five of the stretches in the Toolkit on pages 7 9 of Chapter 1. Do each one carefully. Get a partner to check that you re doing it correctly. 28 Dance: Term 1

40 Weeks 4-7 Assessment This is the rubric your teacher will use to assess your performance in this chapter Individual and group assessment Do you... get on the floor and execute the floor work with fluidity rather than bashing and banging their joints into the floor, in Classroom activity 13? use the technique of pulling-up in the jumps with change of direction so that they could change direction with speed and clarity? Marks (4) (3) have enough stamina to finish each class with physical strength and commitment to each exercise? (3) Total /10 Total for Term 1 /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent Use the following rubric to assess learners body isolations and transposed gestures. Classroom activities 21 & 22 Individual and group assessment Do you... Marks isolate each body part proficiently? (4) combine the different ways of isolating or moving different body parts without struggling? (3) easily find and transpose the gestures you chose to work with? (3) Total /10 Total for Term 1 /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent Dance: Term 1 29

41 3 Chapter Dance dynamically Weeks 8-9 What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Dance conventions: greeting/acknowledgement at start and end of class, and use of space (moving across the space in twos, no bumping, respect for others, and class discipline) Warm-up ritual built up gradually including: - spinal warm-up, arm swings/reaches/lunges as per dance form - floor work core stability exercises for back and stomach muscles: rounding and lengthening of the spine and side bends - leg muscles, ankle and knee joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises, in parallel and turned-out positions, emphasising alignment Body part isolations, combining body parts, with rhythmic patterning Feet warm-ups and small jump sequences Combinations of locomotor steps moving across space, changing directions Cooling down with relaxation imagery and slow, safe stretching Topic 2: Improvisation and composition - Exploration of natural gestures and varying them through exaggeration, slow motion and repetition - Composition structures: beginnings and endings, repetition, stillness - Composition of a sequence in partners, based on gestures, with clear beginning and ending, repetition and stillness Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Introduction to principles of posture and alignment Use of core, use of spine, and safe landings. What you know already You are familiar with the dance elements of space, time and force from grades 7 and 8. You have experienced the effect of eye contact and eye focus. You have created dances using abstract gestures in Grade 8. You have also worked in pairs and know that there is both give and take involved. Check myself How many dance elements from Grade 8 can you remember? Do you remember how to use those dance elements to play with and create different beginnings and endings to create different meanings? Do you remember what a gesture is and how to transpose them onto other body parts? Word bank A B C Dynamic: Bound: refers to energy, activity, objects in motion, change or progress; from the Greek for power movements that are highly controlled and that can be stopped at any moment 30 Dance: Term 1

42 Weeks 8-9 What you still need to know The dynamics of dance Dance is dynamic. Dancers use energy to make movements that constantly change. When we talk about dynamics in Dance class, we are talking about how you move: slowly or quickly; suddenly or continuously; heavily or lightly; freely or carefully and precisely. We can take a single set of movements and create different dances by exaggerating the movements, performing the movements in slow motion or repeating the movements. These variations add depth to the movement sequence and make it more interesting to perform and to watch. You want to keep your audience on the edge of their seats. They should not be able to guess your next move. Classroom activity 25 Leaps from the corner 1 Leaps happen in many styles of dance. Do leaps from the top back corner of the room to the bottom front diagonal, diagonally across the room. 2 Repeat with the other leg from the other back corner. 3 Repeat leaping from the corner, this time when you jump into the air, bend both of your knees. This is a leap with bent knees and is very common in modern dance. 4 Repeat from the other diagonal, starting with the opposite leg. 5 Find a partner who is a similar height to you. Hold hands so that person A s right hand crosses their body and their left hand extends straight out. Person B will have their left hand crossing their body and their right hand will extend straight out. 6 Holding hands in this manner, first gallop across the diagonals. 7 Repeat the gallops on the other side. 8 Do the leaping exercise while holding hands with your partner. Dance: Term 1 31

43 Classroom activity 26 Move in slow motion 1 Do your gestural sequence from Chapter 2 in slow motion. 2 Repeat several times, until you have a real feeling for how it feels to execute each movement in slow motion. 3 Now do the sequence at its regular speed. 4 Choose the movements you would like to do at a regular speed and which you would like to complete in slow motion. Classroom activity 27 Exaggerate movements 1 Do your sequence with all the movements exaggerated. Make all the movements large. Repeat this several times, until you have a real feeling for how it feels to exaggerate each movement. 2 Now do the sequence at its regular size. 3 Choose the movements you would like to do at a regular size and which you would like to exaggerate and practise the new sequence. Classroom activity 28 Repeat movements 1 Do the version of your new gestural sequence that has both regular paced movements and slow motion movements in one sequence. 2 Choose three movements in the sequence to repeat several times. You can choose parts of a movement, a whole movement, regular-paced or slow motion movements. 3 When you repeat the movements, be sure to vary the pace and size of the movement as well as the level. You can add jumps and leaps or rolls. 4 Be sure to change the way you execute the repetition so that it adds to the story you want to tell, and doesn t become boring or predictable to watch. 5 Now add three moments of stillness to your sequence. 6 Practise your sequence in preparation for performing for the class next lesson. Classroom activity 29 Warm-up To help you get used to working with a partner, warm-up in twos. Practise the Toolkit stretches on the next two pages. 32 Dance: Term 1

44 Weeks 8-9 Toolkit Warm-up exercises Frog in pairs Team up with the same partner you had for the galloping and leaping exercise. Sit on the floor with your back against your partner s back. Ensure that as large an area of your backs should be touching as possible. Bend your legs so that the soles of your feet touch and your knees open out to the side. This is the frog position. The frog position in Partners 1 Person A leans forward, moving their torso towards the floor over their feet. The depth that person A leans forward to will depend on their flexibility and be entirely different for each learner. There is no right or wrong, but each person s flexibility needs to be respected. 2 As person A leans forward, in other words, at the same time, person B leans over them with B s back acting on top of person A s back, easing them ever so gently into the stretch. 3 It is imperative (very, very important) that person B holds their own weight using their arms and legs and keeps their head up. NOTE: under no circumstances may person B flop their weight onto person A. Person B listens to the cues that person A gives them and holds as much of their own weight as necessary. 4 Now swap so that person B leans forward over their feet and Person A leans over them. 5 Do the same thing with your legs extended out in front of you (both partners). 6 Repeat the exercise with your legs in straddle. Now swap so that Person B leans forward over their feet and Person A leans back over Person B. Do the same thing with both partners legs extended. Repeat the exercise with your legs in straddle. Partner stretch in straddle facing each other Still in your pairs, face each other with your legs extended in straddle. Person A s feet should be on the inside of Person B s ankles, or calves, depending on each person s flexibility. Hold arms in a monkey grip, at the wrist rather than the hands. Person A leans backwards pulling person B into a forward fold. Now swap sides, so that Person B leans backwards pulling person A into a forward fold. Dance: Term 1 33

45 Stretch in Twos In your pairs, stand back to back. Person B lifts their arm up into the air over their heads. Person A positions themselves so that Person B s hips are on their lower back. Depending on the height of each person, this may or might not require bending your knees. Person A then takes Person B s arms over their head as they lean forward, carrying person B on their back. Hold for as long as is comfortable. Person A then slowly straightens their torso upright lowering Person B to their feet. Now, swap roles. Classroom activity 30 Perform a dynamic sequence Create a dynamic sequence. Build in repetition, exaggeration, stillness and slow motion. Perform your solo sequence with contrasting dynamics, repetition, exaggeration, stillness and slow motion. Give constructive feedback. What you still need to know Beginnings and endings Composition structures: beginnings and endings Think about how you would like your dance piece, whether a solo, duet or group piece to start and end. Think about all the different directions you can use, the meaning each one gives the beginning and ending, and how this altered (or different meaning depending on the use of different directions, levels and eye focus) can add to, and enhance your dance piece. Try out all the options you or your group can think of, so you really know what each beginning and ending looks like, or how the audience will read it. It is important to make your beginnings and endings clear. For example, if your start with a moment of stillness, make sure that all the dancers are completely still and that everyone is facing the correct angle and that the eye focus is set (decided upon beforehand). Plan and rehearse everything, don t simply hope for the best. Dance performance is about rehearsal. Endings Your endings need to be as clear as your beginnings, not only in terms of the direction your body is facing, the eye focus, level and position, but also how you wind your way down, or up into your ending. An example of two different kinds of ending are a big, energetic, high speed, fast paced, loud, group sequence that ends with a series of sudden large movements in a position. 34 Dance: Term 1

46 Weeks 8-9 Another example of an ending is an ending that winds its way down slowly. Here the piece slows down, dancers move more slowly, and maybe only one or two dancers are left on the stage, or perhaps both dancers leave the stage (or performance area) as part of the piece. In both of these options, make sure everyone is very clear on what they are doing, how they are doing it, and when they are doing it. All elements of the ending need to be decided upon beforehand (set) and rehearsed, leaving nothing to chance. Your ending will be what the audience remembers about the piece, so whether it is an ending that builds up or slows down, make it clear. Classroom activity 31 Create a duet 1 Create a new gestural sequence on your own. 2 In pairs, teach each other your sequences. 3 You should now have one long sequence that you are both able to perform without having to think about what comes next. 4 Together decide which parts, or movements in your duet, you will perform in slow motion, in stillness or repeat. Remember to change an aspect of each repetition to make it more interesting. 5 Take some time to work on your beginnings and endings. Explore several options before making your final choices. Try out all the options you can think of, so you really know what each beginning and ending looks like. Think about how the audience will read your beginning and ending. 6 Make sure you both are very clear on what you are doing, how you are doing it, and when you are doing it. 7 Practise your piece until you can perform it with confidence and commitment. Dance: Term 1 35

47 What you still need to know Perform a duet Classroom activity 32 Perform a duet Perform your gestural sequence in pairs. Formal assessment This is the rubric your teacher will use to assess your duet. This will count as your Formal Assessment task for the term. Classroom activity 32: Perform a duet Individual and group assessment Do you... show proficiency in using exaggeration, slow motion and repetition to manipulate and create complex movement? Marks (2) communicate effectively in the partner work? (2) demonstrate implementation of exaggeratrion, slow motion or repetition? (2) apply understanding of the importance of beginnings and endings practically? (2) Total /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent 36 Dance: Term 1

48 Weeks 8-9 How does this contribute to my term mark? Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Dance Practical: Technique and composition (natural gestures, structure) 10 marks (5%) Practical: Technique, Indigenous dance and composition (structure, relationships) 10 marks (5%) Written test: Principles of posture and alignment, terminology, dance literacy 10 marks (5%) Practical: Technique, short fast dance sequence and composition (contrast, moods, themes) 10 marks (5%) Practical examination: Performance of class work, group dance and composition (stimulus, structure) 40 marks (20%) Written examination: including comparison of different dance forms, dance literacy, dance elements, terminology, self reflection 20 marks (10%) Other artform Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 40 marks (20%) Written: 10 marks (5%) Written: 20 marks (10%) TOTAL 10% 20% 10% 60% Dance: Term 1 37

49 Term 2 Dance Weeks Week 1-2 What you will learn about this in this term term Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Dance safely Dancing steps Dance together Let s talk about this term Revise all the exercises and dance techniques that you learnt in Term 1 Learn how to execute (perform) these exercises with commitment, confidence and skill Discuss and practice the finer details and correct alignment required for each exercise and how to move the body in a way that makes the movement safe to do Learn about the various arm and leg positions commonly used in dance Expand on the technical exercises you already know Increase your dance vocabulary Learn new dance steps What you already know Let s Many talk about of the preliminary this termor basic exercises that will be expanded upon and made more complex Basic pliés, turns and leg brushes or tendus Learn and discuss an African dance We will learn the Snake Dance Learn how to dance in unison and cannon Learn how to work in pairs following and receiving verbal and non-verbal cues Work with given shapes and around these shapes (positive and negative spaces) Transferring your weight and partner jumps Work with transitions complex Work with transitions. 38 Dance: Term 2

50 4 Chapter Dance safely Weeks What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Consolidation of work done in Term 1 Add on to the warm-up ritual focusing on safe dance practice, e.g. stance with knees aligned over middle toes when bending, placement of feet and arms, and strong lifted centre Floor work: core stability and strengthening exercises with focus on breath, flowing and lengthening from a strong centre Ankle, knee and shoulder joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises with coordinating arms Leg exercises for balance and control focusing on outward rotation in the hips (turn out) to increase stability, strength and range of movement in the hip joint: brushes, kicks and balancing on one leg Turning on the spot and travelling with eye focus (spotting) Transfer of weight at a slow pace with control and balance Articulation of the feet in preparation for small jump sequences with changes of direction Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Dance terminology names of steps (as covered in the practical components), and dance elements (time, space, force) Analysis of own and others dances using dance terminology: clarity of idea, composition, structure, and use of design elements. What you know already You have all the technical elements required to perform the movements in this chapter. You know the commonly used arm positions and have used most of the feet positions. You know the correct alignment of the body to keep the exercises safe. You practised pulling up in Grade 8. You have also done many of the stretches that will be covered this chapter. Check myself 1. Go through all the exercises from Term 1. If you have any questions, this is a good time to ask the teacher for help. 2. How many arm positions can you remember? 3. How many feet positions can you remember? 4. With a friend, name all the stretches for all the different body parts that we ve learnt so far. Dance: Term 2 39

51 What you still need to know Arms Classroom activity 33 Warm-up Follow your teacher as he/she guides the class through a combination of technical exercises from Term 1. Toolkit Positions of the arms The positions described below originate from the ballet form, but are used in all dance forms. They provide a dancer with a solid frame and structure and help build strength. It is from these conventional positions that alternative arm positions are derived. It is useful to learn the basic form of these positions first, before creating your own, as they form a solid foundation. Bras bar /First position Arms are down, with fingers to the side of the thighs. Arms are slightly rounded at the elbows. Second position Arms are out to the side of the body. Third position One arm is to the side as in second position. The other arm is down as in first position. First position Fourth position in front. One arm is to the side as in second position. The other arm is in front with the hand in line with the belly button. Second position Fourth position above One arm is to the side as in second position. The other arm is up. Your arm is not in line with your ears, but slightly in front. Third position 40 Dance: Term 2

52 Weeks Fifth position above Both arms are up. Your arms are not in line with your ears, but slightly in front. Fifth position in front Both arms are in front of your body. The space between your hands is in line with your belly button. Fifth position below Both arms are down with your hands in front of your thighs, but not touching the thighs. Fourth position in front Fourth position above Fith position above Fith position below Classroom activity 34 Practise arm positions 1 Your teacher will demonstrate all the different arm positions commonly used in dance. Practise these, focusing on ever finer detail and precision. What is the elbow doing? How do the fingers look? Ensure that you use your whole arm. 2 Practise the feet positions you did in Chapter 1. 3 Now practise the feet and arm positions together. What you still need to know Posture and alignment Classroom activity 35 Formal assessment This activity will count as your written assessment for this term. Discuss alignment 1 Work in groups of three. One at a time, each group member does a plié as the other group members observe. Dance: Term 2 41

53 2 In your groups, discuss the importance of having the correct alignment in your pliés and other positions. 3 Practise the pliés again. 4 All the groups join together and have a class discussion on the alignment of knees over toes when the leg is in a bent position. 5 Write a page summarising your discussion on why posture and alignment is so important. You can add illustrations to your work. 6 You will be assessed on: discussion of posture and alignment reasons why these are important illustrations. Toolkit Pulling up This is a technique using a number of muscles to lift yourself up from the core, creating the feeling of being pulled up towards the ceiling and pulled down towards the floor at the same time. Pulling up is essential to rises, jumps, pointe work and partnering lifts. To pull up you must: lift yourself up from your core engage your abdominals, buttocks, inner thigh muscles keep your shoulders dropped and relaxed maintain a straight back so that you are not arched or throwing your weight off balance. Classroom activity 36 Pull up 1 One person from the class volunteers to walk around the room, as if they were slouched or slumped in their chair. 2 That same person then does a tendu, a jump, and a turn in this slumped over position. 3 With the whole class, discuss how this slumped over posture hinders the execution and quality of the movements demonstrated. 4 Each learner now walks around the room in a pulled up manner. 5 Discuss the differences between the two demonstrations and the advantages of pulling-up. Classroom activity 37 Cool-down To dance without injury, stretching exercises are very important. To cool down, go through the stretches from Term 1 as well as the stretches you remember from Grade 7 and Dance: Term 2

54 Chapter5 Weeks Dancing steps Chapter What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Consolidation of work done in Term 1 Add on to the warm-up ritual focusing on safe dance practice, e.g. stance with knees aligned over middle toes when bending, placement of feet and arms, and strong lifted centre Floor work: core stability and strengthening exercises with focus on breath, flowing and lengthening from a strong centre Ankle, knee and shoulder joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises with coordinating arms Leg exercises for balance and control focusing on outward rotation in the hips (turn-out) to increase stability, strength and range of movement in the hip joint: brushes, kicks and balancing on one leg Turning on the spot and travelling with eye focus (spotting) Transfer of weight at a slow pace with control and balance Articulation of the feet in preparation for small jump sequences with changes of direction Learning dance steps and style from an indigenous South African dance Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Relationships: working in pairs meeting and parting, call and response, blind and guide, positive and negative shapes, giving and receiving weight Composition structures: focusing on transitions between movements, and unison and canon Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Dance terminology names of steps (as covered in the practical components), and dance elements (time, space, force) Analysis of own and others dances using dance terminology: clarity of idea, composition, structure, and use of design elements. What you know already You know the position and movement of the arms required for the Domba dance. Check myself 1. Make sure that you have gone through all the basic movements learnt so far, so that you have a good foundation to start this chapter. 2. In pairs ask your friend how many African dances they know, or how many movements from African dances they know. 3. Demonstrate these movements or dances to each other. Word bank A B C Choreographer: a person who creates the movements in a dance Recover: return to the starting position Dance: Term 2 43

55 What you still need to know Expanding on technique Case study Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer. She was as influential to modern dance as Picasso was to modern art. She worked for over seventy years and is considered the mother of modern dance. She developed techniques that were different from classical ballet. She used specific body movements such as the contraction, release and spiral. We are going to practise the Graham contraction in this lesson. Toolkit Graham contractions To execute a Graham contraction, you curl your pelvis towards your belly button. The spine automatically rounds and the front of the body is hollowed out. Graham contractions can be done standing in first and second positions as well as on the floor with legs stretched out to the side, or in frog position. High release A high release is when you lift your chest and heart and head up to the ceiling, squeezing your shoulder blades back and down the spine, keeping the rest of your body and spine absolutely straight. Classroom activity 38 Floor work: Graham contractions 1 Sit on the floor in frog position with your knees bent and the soles of your feet facing each other. 2 Do a Graham contraction in this position. 3 Release the contraction into a high release. 4 Repeat twice more in frog, for a total of three times. 5 Now extend your legs out to the side. Repeat the Graham contractions with high release three times in this position. 6 Repeat the entire exercise. 44 Dance: Term 2

56 Weeks Classroom activity 39 Roll to the floor with side contractions 1 Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart in parallel. 2 Circle your right arm back and up behind you. 3 As your arm comes down in front of you, completing the circle, tuck your right toes underneath you so that your toenails are facing the floor and bend your left leg. This will bring you to a kneeling position, sitting on your right heel with your left foot still flat on the floor. 4 Tuck your right arm underneath you and roll onto your back. When you are on your back, extend your legs out long. 5 Go into your side contraction exercise, contracting to the left and the right. 6 As you contract to the left, tuck your arm underneath you and roll up to a kneeling position with your right foot flat on the floor, sitting with your hips on your tucked left leg. 7 From this position push off your front leg as you jump into the air and land standing on your feet. 8 Repeat two or three times on the right, and the same amount of times on the left. Toolkit Grande pliés An extension of the plié is the grande or full plié. Full pliés can be done in first parallel and turn-out, as well as third and fourth positions. Once you have bent your knees as far as they can go with your heels flat on the floor a demi plié allow your heels to lift off the floor and bend your knees until your hips are just slightly off your heels. If you are in turn-out, be sure to keep your knees, hips, and toes in alignment. Never let your hips drop down below your knees. There should always be a downwards slope from hip to knee in your grande plié. In second position, allow your knees to bend further or deeper in the full or grande plié but keep your heels flat on the floor. Classroom activity 40 Plié and grand plié with arms 1 Starting in first position turn-out, and demi plié. Bring your arms to first position. 2 As you move from your demi to your full or grande plié, open your arms into second position. 3 As you recover, bring your arms to bras bar. 4 Repeat this movement in: a. first parallel b. second turn-out c. second parallel d. third position e. fourth position (parallel and turn-out) f. fifth position Dance: Term 2 45

57 Brushes, kicks, balances turns and jumps You are already familiar with leg brushes, kicks and balances. We will do these movements in three dance forms: Ballet, Contemporary and African dance. Classroom activity 41 Balletic leg extensions 1 Start in first position turn-out. Tendu your right leg to the front, side and back. 2 Now, lift your leg off the floor so that your foot is at the height of your knee. Again, do this to the front, side and back. 3 As your leg reaches its height, pause, or hold still, balancing on your supporting leg. You can also hold a moment in stillness on a demi pointe. 4 Now do a grande battement to the front, side and back, lifting the leg as high as possible and keeping the rest of your body still. 5 As you bring your feet back together, lift into a rise with both feet on the floor and hold in stillness for a count of three. 6 Be sure to repeat the exercise on both sides. Classroom activity 42 Contemporary leg brushes 1 Start in first position parallel feet together, heels and toes touching, toes facing forward. 2 Standing on your right leg, brush or swing the leg forwards (in front of you) and backwards (behind you). The swing is almost like a tendu, the ballet exercise, but this time, the leg that is moving can be bent. Start off by lifting the leg only a little off the floor, as you get warmer and your joints get looser you can lift the leg higher and higher up. 3 Repeat the swing of the leg but this time, instead of swing the leg to the front and the back of your body, swing it from side to side (from right to left) 4 Repeat the whole exercise again, but this time, when the leg gets to its highest point try and hold it in stillness, suspended in the air for a few seconds. 5 Repeat on the other side, standing on your left leg. NOTE: Apart from point 4, use the bones of the leg to swing the movement and work to keep the muscles relaxed. 46 Dance: Term 2

58 Weeks Classroom activity 43 African style kicks 1 Start with your feet under hips in first position parallel. 2 Kick your leg in a circular motion that starts away from your body and moves towards your body. 3 As you kick, allow your arms to do a similar movement with your arms bent at the elbow, palms of your hands facing each other. Move your arms in a circular direction down and away from your body before they continue the circle and move up and towards your body. Your arms are bent the whole time. 4 These kicks are done only in the forwards direction, but you can change your front turn your body to the sides and do the kicks facing the side. Toolkit Posé turns This is a turning exercise usually done from the corner of the room, and is similar to the turns you have already learnt. Start with your left foot flat on the floor in turn-out and your right foot extended out in front of you in a point. Step onto your right toes on demi pointe with your toes on the floor and heels lifted off the floor. As you do this, bring your left foot with pointed toes into retire so the toes of your left foot are just above the calf muscle and just below the knee, with your leg in turn-out knee facing the side. Do one turn to the right. As you end your turn, slide your left toes down the back of your right calf muscle until your left foot is flat on the floor and extend your right foot out in front of you. You are now back in your starting position. Repeat this until you have covered the length or diagonal of the room. Make sure to repeat it on the other side. Classroom activity 44 Do posé turns 1 In groups of two, starting from the back corner of the room, posé turn to the front diagonal. 2 Repeat starting with the other leg from the opposite back corner. Dance: Term 2 47

59 Toolkit Developé Developés can be done in parallel as well as turn-out. 1. Bend your right knee and slide your foot up the left leg till it gets to the right knee, i.e. retiré position. Developé by: lifting the right knee slightly keeping your right knee at that height, straighten your leg to the front by bringing your right foot forward. This is a developé to the front. You can also do this to the side and to the back. Classroom activity 45 Leg extensions at a slow pace with control and balance 1 Start in fifth position with your right foot in front and with your arms in fifth position below. 2 Retiré your right foot and developé to the front. 3 Lower your right leg to tendu to the front. 4 Return to fifth position with your right foot in front. 5 Retiré your left leg and developé to the back. 6 Lower your left leg to tendu to the back. 7 Return to fifth position with your left foot behind. 8 Retiré your right foot and developé to the side. 9 Lower your right leg to tendu to the side. 10 Lower right heel and plié in second position. 11 Transfer your weight on to the right leg and straighten your knees so that you tendu your left leg to the side with your right leg as the supporting leg. 12 Use your stomach, leg and turn-out muscles to lift your left leg in a slow and controlled manner. 13 Use your stomach, leg and turn-out muscles to lift your left leg in a slow and controlled manner. 14 Lower your left leg and return to fifth position, this time with the left foot in front. 15 Repeat the exercise on the left. This exercise can also be done in parallel with flexed feet, creating a contemporary lift exercise that builds strength and endurance. 48 Dance: Term 2

60 Weeks Jumps Classroom activity 46 Jump and turn 1 With your feet in first position parallel, do four small jumps facing the front of the room. 2 As you land on your fourth jump, do a quarter turn to the right. 3 Repeat until you have done three jumps making a quarter turn to the right three more times and you end up facing the front of the room. 4 Now do one jump to the front, quarter turning in the air so that you land facing the right. 5 Repeat to face the back, the left and the front again. 6 Now do one jump, and do a half turn in the air so that you land facing the back of the room. 7 Repeat this three more times so that you jump to the front, the back and the front again. 8 Now do one big jump doing a whole turn in the air. 9 Repeat the whole exercise in the opposite direction. 10 Allow the jumps to get bigger or higher as the amount you are turning increases. What you still need to know The Domba Word bank A B C Domba: a traditional dance from Venda; also known as the Snake Dance All dance forms utilise dance elements such as levels, direction of the body, isolations, and innovative use of space to create interesting dances. We are going to learn a Venda dance called the Domba. The Domba dance is also known as the Snake Dance as it has many twisting movements. Traditionally, the dance is performed by young Venda girls as part of their initiation from girls to women. Dance: Term 2 49

61 The legs in this dance are very simple. The arms and torso provide the spectacle and make the dance interesting to perform and to watch. It is important that the group moves together as a whole. This means that steps should be very small, so that the dancers stay connected. Classroom activity 47 Do the Domba 1 In your group, stand one behind the other, all facing forward. 2 Bend your arms and hold the elbows of the person in front of you, so that your right hand holds their right elbow and your left hand holds their left elbow. The person behind you is also holding your right and left elbows. It is important to stay holding onto the elbows of the person in front of you. 3 Take tiny steps forward as if walking right and left and right and left again. 4 Circle your right arm up and forward as each step is taken, for example on the right leg first. 5 Circle your left arm up and forward as you take your next step on the left leg. Because your arms are linked this will create a ripple effect. 6 Make three circles round the room, doing this movement. Remember the chain must stay as one piece don t let anyone break off. 7 Now add some of the dance elements of levels and direction. You can bend your knees so that the whole chain of arm movements becomes lower. 8 Create a ripple effect: everyone starts off at their normal height and after a few steps the front person bends their knees followed one by one by the others in the chain. 9 As a variation the front person can alternate between bending their knees and walking at a normal height. Experiment with normal height, bent knees and walking up on your toes. 10 To create an even more visually stimulating dance, combine variations in height with the twisting or swivelling movements we did in the isolation exercises on page 26. You can dip your body sideways or forwards. 11 Perform your variations. Classroom activity 48 Discuss dance elements Draw on your practical experience of performing the Domba dance to discuss the dance elements of levels, direction, space and time. 50 Dance: Term 2

62 Weeks Assessment Your teacher will use this rubric to assess your participation in the Domba and the class discussion. This will count as your Formal Assessment for the term. Individual and group assessment Do you... Marks master the basic Domba dance? (2) play with the directions and twisting movements without getting lost? (2) understand and contribute to the class discussion about the dance after having performed the dance? (2) approach the learning of the dance with enthusiasm? (2) Total /10 Total for Term 1 /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent Dance: Term 2 51

63 6 Chapter Dance together Weeks What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Consolidation of work done in Term 1 Add on to the warm-up ritual focusing on safe dance practice, e.g. stance with knees aligned over middle toes when bending, placement of feet and arms, and strong lifted centre Floor work: core stability and strengthening exercises with focus on breath, flowing and lengthening from a strong centre Ankle, knee and shoulder joint mobility and strengthening: knee bends and rises with coordinating arms Leg exercises for balance and control focusing on outward rotation in the hips (turn-out) to increase stability, strength and range of movement in the hip joint: brushes, kicks and balancing on one leg Turning on the spot and travelling with eye focus (spotting) Transfer of weight at a slow pace with control and balance Articulation of the feet in preparation for small jump sequences with changes of direction Learning dance steps and style from an indigenous South African dance Cooling down and safe, and slow stretching Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Relationships: working in pairs meeting and parting, call and response, blind and guide, positive and negative shapes, giving and receiving weight Composition structures: focusing on transitions between movements, unison and canon Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Dance terminology names of steps (as covered in the practical components), dance elements (time, space, force) Analysis of own and others dances using dance terminology: clarity of idea, composition, structure, and use of design elements. What you know already You are familiar with the dance elements of space, time and force from Grade 8. You also practised leading and following and moving together. We have worked on transferring weight at a slow pace with control and balance. You have had a lot of experience working in pairs. Check myself 1. Do you remember the transfer of weight exercises from Grade 8? If not, go back and read through them. 2. Discuss with a partner what you understand by the dance terms space, time and force. 52 Dance: Term 2

64 Weeks Word bank A B C Unison: Canon: each person performs the same movements at the same time each person performs the same movements but begins at different times What you still need to know Unison and canon When dancing as a group, we can dance in unison, with everybody doing the same movements at the same time, and speed, for example, a line dance on the dance floor. Dancing in unison requires precision and therefore much rehearsal. We can also dance a canon where one person starts a movement, which is repeated by the next dancer, in their turn. The movements are staggered until everyone is dancing, for example, like a mexican wave. Unison Canon Classroom activity 49 Dance in unison 1 Divide yourselves into groups of four or five people per group. 2 Take the roll to the floor exercise with side contractions from Classroom activity Practise the sequence all together. Make sure that everybody is clear on exactly how to do each and every movement in the sequence. 4 Perform the sequence in unison. Dance: Term 2 53

65 Classroom activity 50 Dance in canon Use the same sequence and the same group as Classroom activity Decide who will move first, second, third, fourth and fifth. You will also need to decide when each person will start. Perhaps you think as soon as the previous person rolls onto the floor is a good starting point. Think about your spacing so that you don t crash into each other. 2 Practise the sequence in your groups. 3 Perform your group s canon sequence. Check myself Think about the Domba dance we learnt in Chapter 5. Which movements were performed as a canon and which were in unison? What you still need to know Relationships How a dancer s body relates to itself, to other dancers bodies and to the dance space, is an important element of dance. The relationship between the dancers, both in rehearsals and on stage, is important. Trust is vital. If you are being lifted by your partner, you want to feel confident that they are not going to let you fall. In your everyday life, you will find that you react differently to people depending on your relationship with them. You greet your friend differently from how you greet a teacher, for example. What the other person means to you and who they are to you, can determine how you greet or say good bye to them; how you call them or respond to their call. This is the same in dance. The way two or more dancers meet or part on stage can give us an idea of their relationship. Classroom activity 51 Warm-up 1 One partner is blindfolded while the other partner is not. The sighted person verbally instructs or leads the blindfolded person through the space, making sure that they do not bump into anything or anyone. 2 The sighted person puts obstacles chairs or bags or other learners in the space and instructs the blindfolded person how to avoid these obstacles. 54 Dance: Term 2

66 Weeks Classroom activity 52 Meeting and parting 1 Get into pairs and decide on your relationship. You could be mother and daughter, husband and wife or teacher and learner. 2 Start with Person A in the space. Improvise a movement sequence or use some of the movements of the Domba dance. 3 Person B joins Person A in the space and starts to improvise or do the movements from the Domba dance. 4 Person B exits the space. 5 Now repeat this movement sequence, keeping in mind the relationship between your characters. Use these scenarios: a. You have not seen each other for many years. b. You saw each other this morning. c. You see each other for the first time after an argument. 6 Discuss: in pairs: a. How does Person A react to the entrance of Person B? b. How does Person B react when Person A is already in the space? Did Person B expect to see Person A? c. How does Person A react to Person B leaving? Did Person A cause Person B to leave? 7 Swap roles and repeat the exercise. Classroom activity 53 Call and response 1 Use the same characters and relationship as you did in Classroom Activity Come up with a scenario where Person A calls Person B, and Person B responds. Focus specifically on the way Person A calls or communicates with Person B and Person B s reaction to Person A s calling. 3 Swap roles and repeat the exercise. Dance: Term 2 55

67 What you know already Positive and negative space When dancers move, it is the shape of their bodies and the shape of the space between them, that creates interest. In dance a positive space is the physical shape a person makes with their body. Negative space has nothing in it. For example, if you raise your arms above your head to make a circle, the space between your arms is negative space. To have negative space you need to have positive space. Word bank Positive space: Negative space: A B C where the dancer s body is when dancing the space around where the dancer s body is when dancing Classroom activity 54 Explore the space 1. Work in pairs. Person A chooses a pose, or shape that they will hold. Person B then moves around that shape. By moving in between and around the shape made by Person A, you are accentuating the shape and the spaces they can move through and those that they can t. 2. When Person B has tried different options, Person A chooses another pose. 3. After three or four poses from Person A, swap roles, so that Person B creates the pose and Person A moves through the space around Person B in different ways. 4. Now, take the sequence you created and practise it a few times. You have just used positive and negative spaces to create a sequence that can be used as a solo or duet. 5. Perform your sequence for the class in pairs. What you still need to know Giving and receiving weight Dancing is about giving and receiving weight. If your partner lifts you, he or she is receiving your weight. However, you also have to give your weight in a certain way for the lift to work. 56 Dance: Term 2

68 Weeks Classroom activity 55 Build trust 1 In pairs of similar height, face each other. Hold each other s right wrist as you lean backwards, bending your knees and straightening them. After a few attempts, start switching the hand that you are gripping onto as you stand up. Practise a few times. 2 Face each other. Person A falls into Person B. Person B catches Person A, supporting their weight and bringing them back to a standing position. Do this a few times before swapping roles. Partner jumps We have worked on trusting each other to give and receive each other s body weight. Now we are going to practise partner lifts and jumps. Toolkit Cradle jump Cradle jump This is a jump where one person catches the other. The jumping person has the side of their body touching the catcher in a standing foetal like position. The jumper s arm goes around the catcher s shoulder. The catcher holds the jumper round their back, underneath their shoulders, and around their knees. Reverse Cradle The catcher stands ready with feet apart and knees slightly bent. The jumper, slowly and without jumping, walks through the jump. The jumper puts their right arm around the catcher s neck and lifts themselves up so that their back is touching the catcher s front. The jumper is pressing down with their right arm around the catcher s neck and pulling up with their abdominals. This allows the jumper to hold much of their own weight. The jumper s legs are almost wrapped around the catcher. The jumper lifts their right leg up so that the catcher can cradle the jumper s thigh in their forearm, close to their elbow. Dance: Term 2 57

69 The catcher holds the jumper under their left shoulder and by their right thigh. The catcher s arms look like this: The entire jump looks like this: Remember that as you run forwards your weight is travelling in this direction. When you jump you want to change the forwards direction to upwards. Otherwise your weight and forward momentum will knock you both over. Classroom activity 56 Cradle jump 1 Stand close to a partner of similar height. Person B, the catcher, must stand with their feet slightly apart and their knees bent, so that they are ready to catch Person A, the jumper. Person A does a cradle jump into Person B. 2 As you both get more comfortable and better at this activity, increase the space between you and your partner. Eventually you want to be running to them and jumping into their arms. 3 Swap roles. 58 Dance: Term 2

70 Weeks Classroom activity 57 Practise lifts 1 In your pairs, practise this jump in slow motion first, without jumping, although it is much easier to do with a jump. 2 Once you have mapped out the jump without jumping, add the jump. Start by standing close to your partner and spring into the position. It might be helpful to put your arms around their neck first and then jump the rest of your body into position. 3 Once you are confident standing close to your partner, start increasing the distance between you. Eventually you want to be able to run towards your partner and jump into position. What you still need to know Transitions Just as beginnings and endings are important in a movement sequence, so too is how you enter and exit a position or step. This is called a transition. It is easy to neglect transitions, but good dancers pay as much attention to how they get into and out of positions as they do to the positions themselves. The best way to become aware of transitions is to slow down your movements. When everything is the same speed, it is easier to give everything the same importance. Taking the time to work on transitions allows you to be mindful of what each body part is doing at each and every moment. Word bank Transition: A B C moving from one position into another position Dance: Term 2 59

71 Classroom activity 58 Formal assessment Practise transitions 1 Individually, do the exercise from Classroom Activity 39: Roll to the floor with side contractions in slow motion. 2 Go through the entire sequence, asking yourself these questions: What is my right arm doing here? And my left arm? Where is my head looking? Am I aware of where my eyes are focusing? What are my legs and toes doing? What is my torso doing? If my arm is in front of me for this position, how did it get there? 3 Do the exercise in slow motion from start to finish several times with this new awareness. 4 Now perform the sequence at its regular pace, still keeping the awareness of what your whole body is doing. 5 In small groups, perform the sequence for the rest of the class. 6 Analyse your compositions in a class discussion. Individual and group assessment Do you... Marks understand the concept of unison work well enough to apply it (Classroom activity 50)? (1) understand the concept of canon well enough to apply it (Classroom activity 51)? (1) give clear instructions in the blind guide activity (Classroom activity 52)? (1) respond effectively to those verbal instructions (Classroom activities 53 and 54)? (1) was the intention and relationship in the meeting and parting activity clear (Classroom activity 53)? (1) allow themselves the freedom and space to express themselves when working on positive and negative spaces (Classroom activity 55)? trust their partners enough to fearlessly (not careless) run and jump and support each other (Classroom activities 56, 57, 58)? (1) (2) focus and find the detail in the slow motion transition exercise (Classroom activity 59)? (1) carry that detail through when they performed the sequence at its original pace (Classroom activity 59)? (1) Total /10 Marks 0-2 ½ 3-3 ½ 4-4 ½ 5-5 ½ 6-6 ½ 7-7 ½ 8-10 Level Achievement None Elementary Adequate Moderate Substantial Meritorious Excellent 60 Dance: Term 2

72 Weeks How does this contribute to my term mark? Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Dance Practical: Technique and composition (natural gestures, structure) 10 marks (5%) Practical: Technique, Indigenous dance and composition (structure, relationships) 10 marks (5%) Written test: Principles of posture and alignment, terminology, dance literacy 10 marks (5%) Practical: Technique, short fast dance sequence and composition (contrast, moods, themes) 10 marks (5%) Practical examination: Performance of class work, group dance and composition (stimulus, structure) 40 marks (20%) Written examination: including comparison of different dance forms, dance literacy, dance elements, terminology, self reflection 20 marks (10%) Other artform Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 10 marks (5%) Practical: 40 marks (20%) Written: 10 marks (5%) Written: 20 marks (10%) TOTAL 10% 20% 10% 60% Dance: Term 2 61

73 Term 3 Dance Weeks What you will learn about in this term Chapter 7: Dance with awareness Chapter 8: Dance styles Let s talk about this term This term we will consolidate all the techniques learnt over the course of the year, including warmups. You will learn how to change direction, and then you will focus on arm exercises. You will also learn about leg work including rond de jambe en l aire, leg swings, and African kicks. You will discuss South African dances and compare dances styles. You will also look at how mood is expressed through dance. 62 Dance: Term 3

74 7 Chapter Dance with awareness Weeks What you will learn about in this chapter Topic 1: Dance performance Consolidation of work done in terms 1 and 2 Add on to the warm-up ritual with focus on safe dance practice and kinaesthetic awareness (correct placing of body in space), knee bends, rises and balances with coordinating arms Arm exercises to develop fluidity Leg exercises: strengthening and lengthening of the muscles and extending the range of movement in the joints: low and high brushes and kicks and circular movements of the legs from the hips Building stamina through jumping, galloping, leaping and combinations of large motor movements to varied music genres and rhythms, with variations in dynamics (speed, energy) Cooling down flowing lyrical movement in pairs followed by gentle, and slow stretching Topic 2: Improvisation and composition Exploration of dance elements: contrasting dynamics Exploring ideas, moods and/or thoughts through movement using different stimuli, e.g. props, obstacles, sport movement, geometric shapes, and teenage mood swings Composition of a movement sequence based on a stimulus, in pairs or small groups Topic 3: Dance theory and literacy Dance literacy: discussion of a dance seen live on stage, in communities, on television, or on DVD (with reference to genre, context, description of movement, accompaniment and inventiveness) Comparison between three dance forms in South Africa: origin, culture, and type of movements. What you know already You have practised the exercises you will be revising in this chapter. You are familiar with ballet arm positions. Check myself 1. Glance through the exercises terms 1 and 2. Read through the exercises and ask yourself if you can do them all. 2. If you can t, make a list of specific questions to ask your teacher. 3. Can you name all the arm positions used in ballet? 4. What arms positions can you think of in African dance? And contemporary dance? Word bank Eschape relevé: A B C a ballet term for a sharp, clear movement with the legs starting in first, third or fifth position, to plié; straight legs outward into second on demi pointe Dance: Term 3 63

75 What you still need to know Direction As dancers you need to know where your arms and legs, hands and feet, and head are and in what position, without having to look at them. You need to know where your body is in the dance space at all times. Classroom activity 59 Warm-up 1 In groups, devise a five-minute warm-up exercise using any combination of the exercises you practised in terms 1 and 2. 2 Share your warm-up exercise with another group. Choose from this list Spinal Exercises Standing: Forward swings with rises and jumps African lunges with contractions Floorwork: 100 s Leg swings with contractions Swinging to and from the floor Graham contractions Roll to the floor with contractions Floor sequence from Term 2 Legs: Pliés & Bounces Tendus, pliés and rises in 4th position Plié and Grande Plié with arms Balletic leg extentions Contemporary leg brushes African style kicks Turns: Turns and balances from 4th position Posé turns Leg extensions at a slow pace with control and balance Jumps: All the jump exercises from Term 1 Zigzag around the room Jump exercise from Term 2 Toolkit Your square This is a term that will help you move in subtle directions, especially when dancing in unison where everyone must face the same direction. This technique will help you with your kinaesthetic awareness (awareness of the moving body in space). Imagine that around your body is a square with a front, side, back and diagonals. When everyone needs to face the same direction, then the direction you need to face is the diagonal of your personal square, not the direction of the diagonal from your given position. This allows for subtle changes of direction and keeps everyone visible to the audience and everyone facing the same direction. 64 Dance: Term 3

76 Weeks Classroom activity 60 Change direction Use the directions front, right and left diagonal in your square to complete the following exercises. 1 Tendus a. Start facing the front left diagonal. Tendu your leg to the front, side, back and side. b. As you recover and return to your starting position by closing your leg back to first, shift your direction to the centre, and repeat. c. As you recover, shift to face the right diagonal in your square and repeat. d. Repeat the exercise with both legs. 2 Relevé a. Start facing the centre with your feet in first position turn-out b. Relevé your feet together and back into first position. c. This time, from first position shoot your legs out to second on demi pointe and recover in first. d. Do the same to fourth position, first with the right leg and then the left. e. As you recover back into first position, shift your front to face the right diagonal of your square and repeat the exercise. f. As you recover at the end of the exercise, shift your front to face the left diagonal of your square. 3 Relevé variation a. Alternate relevéing to second on demi pointe. Lift the leg up into retire and recover. b. From first position facing centre, eschape to the right diagonal of your square. Close in first position facing the right diagonal of your square. c. Relevé your left leg as if doing a relevé with both feet in first. As your left leg moves into its relevé, retiré your right leg up and recover in first. d. Eschape to second, shifting your direction as you do to the left diagonal. e. As you close in first, relevé your right leg as if both feet were doing a relevé in first position. As you do, bring your left leg up into retiré. 4. Grande pliés with arms a. From first position, grande plié with arms moving from bras bar through first position as you move into your demi plié and opening up into second position as you move into your grande plié. Lower down back into bras bar as you recover and straighten your legs. b. Right leg tendus to the right. As you close back into first position, shift your front so that you are facing the right diagonal of your square. c. Repeat the exercise. This time, at the end, tendu to the left. As you close, shift your front so that you are facing the left diagonal of your square. d. Repeat the exercise facing the left. e. Repeat the exercise in second, third, fourth and fifth, or a combination of these positions. Dance: Term 3 65

77 What you still need to know Arms Port de bras is a ballet term which means carriage of the arms. In other words, port de bras is the way the arms are held, regardless of whether you are doing an arm exercise or not. It is important to keep the arms slightly bent and lifted from the elbow, so that there is an almost straight line in height from shoulder to elbow, and a slight slope from elbow to wrist. The thumb is in the centre of the hand almost touching the third finger. The fingers are soft. Word bank Port de bras: A B C a ballet term which means movement of the arms Classroom activity 61 Port de bras With your feet in first position turn-out, practise using your arms in these balletic positions. You can use any combination of these movements you like. 1 From bras bar with elbows slightly bent, lift your arms up to first position. 2 Open your arms to second, third, fourth and fifth position. 3 Repeat the exercise and allow your torso to bend and fold to the front, side and back. Allow your knees to bend as you do, to facilitate greater movement of the torso. Classroom activity 62 Contemporary arm exercises This arm exercise uses a swinging action of the arms and relies on momentum and weight rather than just muscle strength. It is useful and helpful to bend the knees and transfer the weight from foot to foot as if stepping or walking, but you re not actually going to be travelling as you do the exercise. 1 Stand with your feet in first position parallel. 2 Bend your knees slightly and keep transferring the weight from one foot to another, in a stepping action, as you move the arm. 3 Swing your right arm out to the right on one foot. 4 Swing in across your body and transfer your weight to the other foot. 66 Dance: Term 3

78 Weeks Swing your arm down so that it can swing back and up in a semi-circular motion from the back. Pause at the top and transfer weight to the other foot. 6 Swing your arm down in a semi-circular movement from top to bottom and take another step. 7 Swing your arm back up. 8 Bend the right arm and leading from the elbow, bring the elbow across your body. 9 Bring your right hand to where your elbow was as you take your elbow out to the right side. 10 Take your hand out to the right, adjusting your arms and elbow as needed, to swing it down and up again. 11 Repeat to the left with the left arm. 12 Repeat with both arms. 13 As a variation, allow your torso to drop/swing forward each time your arm or arms swing forward. Classroom activity 63 Floor work focusing on arms a. Do the exercise from Classroom Activity 39: Swinging to and on to the floor with side contractions on page 45. b. Repeat the exercise, paying extra attention to what your arms are doing. c. Play with the arms. Add as many variations as you can think of. d. Practise your options until you have made final choices. e. Present your creative arms exercise to the class Dance: Term 3 67