Dance Patterns Together

Overview

In lesson 5 of 8, students explore how dance can express ideas about place and community. They carefully observe teacher-selected, appropriately contextualised dance resources, respond through drawing and words, and then create and share an original movement phrase based on a simple pattern and a general idea such as gathering, travelling, celebration or connection.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• observe dance respectfully and describe what they notice.
• identify how dance can be connected to place, purpose, people and community.
• use repetition, pattern, space and movement qualities to create an original phrase.
• share movement ideas safely and respond to others using kind, specific language.

Success criteria

• I can describe dance using words about body, space, time and energy.
• I can show a repeated movement pattern without copying a cultural dance.
• I can make a short phrase inspired by an idea such as gathering or travelling.
• I can watch and respond respectfully to another group’s dance.

Curriculum links

• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: explore and respond to dance from different contexts, including community contexts.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: use the elements of dance to improvise, compose and perform movement sequences.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: communicate ideas through movement and describe responses to dance.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: practise respectful behaviour when viewing and discussing dances from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other communities.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and respectful viewing. Teacher displays the opening question and class agreements and explains that today students will observe dance without copying it; students respond to the question, “What can dance tell us about a place or community?” and help agree on respectful behaviours: watch carefully, do not imitate cultural movements, and speak about what is seen and felt.

2. 5–14 min · View and notice. Teacher shows two or three short, teacher-selected dance resources through the contextualised viewing slides, briefly explaining where, when and why each dance is shared without presenting cultural movements as material to reproduce. Students watch in silence, then turn to a partner and describe visible features such as repeated actions, shapes, directions, levels, speed, stillness, energy and relationships.

3. 14–22 min · Draw and describe. Teacher distributes the dance observation and response sheet and revisits the prompts on the observation prompts. Students draw one movement pattern or spatial pathway they noticed, then complete simple sentence starters such as “I noticed…”, “The dancers moved…”, “The dance seemed connected to…”, and “The energy was…”. Emphasise that students are recording observations, not reproducing the dance.

4. 22–27 min · Explore pattern ideas. Teacher models an original, neutral movement pattern: step, reach, pause; step, reach, pause. Demonstrate changing one element—direction, level, speed or energy—while keeping the pattern recognisable, using the pattern-building instructions. Students safely explore three movements in their own space, repeating them and trying one change.

5. 27–40 min · Create in groups. Teacher places students in five groups of five and assigns each group a general idea: gathering, celebration, travelling, connection or caring for place. Groups create a 6–10 second phrase with a clear beginning, a repeated pattern and an ending shape. They may use walking, gesturing, turning, bending, reaching, stillness and changes of level, but must not copy any dance observed. Teacher circulates, prompting: “What repeats?”, “How does your movement show the idea?”, and “Can everyone contribute safely?”

6. 40–47 min · Share and respond. Teacher invites groups to perform their phrases while the audience watches respectfully, using the sharing and audience prompts. After each performance, two students respond with “I noticed…” and “I wondered…” comments focused on movement choices, patterns, space or energy rather than judging the people performing.

7. 47–50 min · Exit reflection. Teacher asks students to complete the final section of the dance observation and response sheet: “Our pattern showed…”, “One movement quality we used was…”, and “Respectful viewing means…”. Collect sheets as students make a quiet finishing shape in their personal space.

Resources

• Teacher-selected, appropriately contextualised dance video clips or still images
• the Dance Patterns in Place and Community slide deck
• the dance observation and response sheet
• Clear floor space with safe personal-space boundaries
• Device, display and speakers
• Five group idea cards or labels: gathering, celebration, travelling, connection, caring for place
• Pencils, coloured pencils or crayons
• Optional instrumental music with no lyrics for the creation phase

Assessment

• During viewing, listen for students using descriptive language about body, space, time, energy and relationships rather than copying or evaluating cultural dances.
• During group creation, check whether each phrase includes an intentional repeated pattern, a clear beginning and ending, and a connection to the assigned general idea.
• Use the completed worksheet and final response to assess students’ observation, respectful viewing and ability to explain their movement choices.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-based choices for body actions, levels, directions and energy; model each option before groups begin.
• Offer sentence starters, partner talk before writing, scribing, drawing instead of extended writing, and repeated viewing for students needing language or processing support.
• Allow students who are uncomfortable performing to contribute as a movement designer, demonstrator within a small group, timekeeper or audience responder.
• Extend confident students by asking them to repeat the pattern with a purposeful change in level, direction, speed or energy while keeping the original idea clear.
• Use mixed-ability groups, explicit safety boundaries and no-contact options. For EAL learners, gesture and visually demonstrate words such as repeat, pause, pathway, high, low, fast and slow.