Dance Relationships Mirror Games

Overview

In this seventh lesson of Dance Explorations for Foundations, students revisit dynamics, personal space and audience safety before exploring how dancers relate to one another. Through mirroring, unison, canon and meeting-and-parting, students create and perform a short partner or small-group movement phrase.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• respond safely to another dancer’s movements.
• explore mirroring, following, unison, canon, meeting and parting.
• use personal space, different levels, speeds and movement qualities.
• create and perform a short movement phrase with a partner or small group.
• give kind feedback about coordination and safe movement.

Success criteria

• I can keep a safe space around my body and my partner.
• I can copy or follow a dancer using my eyes and body.
• I can perform movements together, one after another, or while meeting and parting.
• I can share a movement phrase and say one positive, specific comment.

Curriculum links

• Dance — developing practices through creating and presenting movement using dance elements and safe dance practices.
• Dance — exploring body, space, time, energy and relationships to create movement.
• Health and Physical Education — responding to simple movement instructions and safety rules in structured physical activities.
• Health and Physical Education — adapting and performing movement sequences using time, effort, space, people and objects.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–6 min · Retrieval and safe start. Teacher opens with the retrieval and safety slides and prompts students to show “small”, “strong”, “slow” and “quick” movements in their own personal space. Students recall that personal space is their invisible bubble, freeze when signalled, and identify how an audience can watch safely with quiet bodies and hands to themselves.

2. 6–12 min · Goals and movement warm-up. Teacher shares the learning intention and movement-word slides: “Today we will dance with and respond to another person safely.” Lead a gentle warm-up travelling without touching, changing levels, direction, speed and effort. Students move through the space, stop on a visual or verbal cue, and check that they can stretch their arms without touching anyone.

3. 12–19 min · I do: model relationships. Teacher models a short phrase with a confident student or puppet, clearly demonstrating asking permission, facing the partner, leaving space, and stopping if either dancer feels unsafe. Show and name four ideas using the teacher modelling slides: mirroring (same movement at the same time), unison (same phrase together), canon (one dancer follows after a short delay), and meeting-and-parting (moving towards a shared point, then away without contact). Students watch, identify each relationship, and practise the safety signal: freeze, step back and look at the teacher.

4. 19–29 min · We do: mirror and follow games. Teacher places students in pairs with enough space and leads “Mirror Me”, beginning with slow hand and arm movements, then adding levels and whole-body shapes. Swap leaders after 30–45 seconds; finish with “Follow the Leader”, where the follower copies a travelling pathway without overtaking or touching. Students mirror carefully, change leaders, maintain safe distance and use freeze when they need to reset. Offer seated or upper-body movements for students who need reduced movement.

5. 29–41 min · You do: create a relationship phrase. Teacher places students in pairs or groups of three and displays the creation task and picture prompts. Each group creates a 20–30 second phrase containing three movements and at least one relationship device: mirror, unison, canon, or meeting-and-parting. Remind students to choose safe, non-contact movements, include a clear beginning and ending shape, and practise slowly before adding changes in level, speed or effort. Students plan, rehearse and refine their phrase, taking turns to lead and make decisions. Groups may use seated or smaller movements; confident groups can change leaders or add a second canon section.

6. 41–50 min · Share, feedback and consolidation. Teacher invites several groups to perform while the audience sits in a designated viewing area and uses the sharing and feedback slides. After each performance, ask: “Which relationship did you notice?” and “What helped the dancers coordinate safely?” Students perform or observe, then give feedback using the sentence stem, “I noticed ___ because ___.” End with a quiet seated redo: students repeat one favourite movement with a partner, making it smaller, slower or more coordinated, then show a thumbs-up, sideways or down to indicate how safely they worked with others.

Resources

• the Dance Relationships and Mirror Games slide deck
• Open floor space with clearly marked performance and audience areas
• Music player and instrumental music with clear changes in tempo
• Visual freeze/stop signal
• Cones or floor markers for personal-space boundaries
• Optional puppets or large movement demonstration cards
• Water and first-aid access

Assessment

• Observe whether students respond to freeze, stop and safety instructions, maintain personal space and seek permission before partner work.
• During pair games, check whether students mirror, follow, change leaders and coordinate timing without touching or crowding.
• During performances, ask students to identify the relationship device used and listen for specific, respectful feedback. Note students who can adapt movement size, speed or level after feedback.

Differentiation

• Support students with a partner model, visual icons for mirror/unison/canon, repeated demonstrations and one-step instructions. Allow seated, stationary or upper-body movements and provide extra space or an adult partner where needed.
• Pair students thoughtfully and use groups of three when a student benefits from observing before participating. Accept pointing, gesture or a single word as feedback.
• For EAL learners, explicitly demonstrate “copy”, “together”, “after”, “towards”, “away”, “stop” and “space”, supported by gestures and pictures.
• Extend confident students by asking them to change leaders, add a canon delay, vary effort or level, and make the transition between meeting and parting especially clear.