Introduction to Dance Movements

Overview

In this first lesson of Dance Explorations for Foundations, students discover that dance can use different body parts, directions and levels. Through retrieval, goal setting, explicit teacher modelling and guided practice, students explore locomotor and non-locomotor movements while learning to move safely and creatively.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explore movements that travel and movements that stay in one place
• use different body parts, directions and levels in dance
• practise moving safely in shared space
• respond to a simple instruction and make movement choices.

Success criteria

• I can show a movement that travels and a movement that stays still.
• I can use my body safely and keep enough space around me.
• I can change my movement by using a different level, direction or body part.
• I can watch, copy and respond to a movement instruction.

Curriculum links

• Students explore ideas for dance through purposeful play.
• Students explore where, when, why and how communities and cultures make dance, including dances by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
• Students describe experiences, observations, ideas and feelings about dances they encounter at school, home and in the community.
• Students explore how movement, shapes and changes can create dance.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and retrieval.
   Welcome students in a clear movement space. Show the welcome and learning intention slide. Ask, “Where have you seen people dance?” Students share with a partner, then show a familiar action such as waving, clapping or jumping.
   Explain that people dance for many reasons, including celebration, storytelling, connection and enjoyment. Tell students they will explore movements, not copy a cultural dance.

2. 5–10 min · Safety and goal setting.
   Introduce the safety signal: when the music stops or the teacher says “freeze”, students become still, look at the teacher and keep their hands to themselves. Model walking safely, looking where they are going and leaving an arm’s length of space. Show the safety and movement rules slide.
   Students practise moving slowly, freezing and checking their personal space. Ask them to show a quiet “ready body”. State the class goal: “We will move safely and creatively.”

3. 10–18 min · Explicit instruction and demonstration.
   Explain and demonstrate two movement groups. Locomotor movements travel through space: walk, march, hop, skip, gallop and slide. Non-locomotor movements stay in one place: bend, stretch, twist, turn, sway, curl and reach. Use the locomotor and non-locomotor picture slides. Demonstrate each movement slowly; students do not need to perform every example.
   Students show thumbs-up if a movement travels and hands on shoulders if it stays in place. Invite safe variations, such as a high reach or low bend.

4. 18–30 min · Guided movement exploration.
   Lead a “Move and Freeze” game. Call one movement, then add a prompt such as “Walk at a low level”, “Reach high”, “March backwards only if you can see clearly”, “Sway with your arms” or “Hop on the spot”. Use the guided practice slides to show movement icons and prompts. Play calm instrumental music and stop it often for freezes.
   Students travel or move on the spot in response to each prompt. Between turns, ask, “Did your body travel?” and “What helped you stay safe?” Praise controlled movement, awareness of others and willingness to try.

5. 30–42 min · Independent exploration.
   Place students in five groups of five, with each group in its own marked area. Set the challenge: “Make a tiny movement, a medium movement and a large movement. Include one movement that travels and one that stays in place.” Model a short pattern: walk, freeze, stretch, turn and curl. Show the independent exploration challenge slide.
   Students create and repeat a short movement pattern. They can use lesson movements or invent safe ones. Circulate and ask, “Can you change the level?”, “Which body part is leading?” and “Can you make the ending still?” Groups may perform for another group. Performers and viewers use respectful watching behaviours.

6. 42–50 min · Consolidation and reflection.
   Gather students in a seated circle. Invite volunteers to show one locomotor and one non-locomotor movement. Use the review and reflection slides to revisit key words. Ask, “How did we move safely?” and “How can one movement change?”
   For a whole-class response, students show a travelling movement when the teacher says “go” and a still movement when the teacher says “freeze”. Each student tells a partner, “I can move by…” and names or demonstrates one movement. Note safe participation, movement classification and creative choice.

Resources

• the complete dance exploration slide deck
• Open floor space with five clearly marked group areas
• Device and speakers with calm instrumental music
• Cones, floor spots or tape for boundaries
• Optional visual movement cards or teacher-drawn movement icons
• Water access and suitable footwear

Assessment

• Observe whether students distinguish locomotor and non-locomotor movements during retrieval, demonstrations and guided practice.
• Use questioning and observation to check safe spacing, controlled stopping, response to instructions and creative movement choices.
• During reflection, listen for each student to identify or demonstrate one travelling and one non-travelling movement.

Differentiation

• Support students with repeated modelling, picture prompts, slower music, a defined personal space and permission to walk rather than hop or skip.
• Offer sentence starters: “My movement travels because…”, “My body is…”, and “I changed it by…”.
• For students needing additional support, provide a peer model, reduce the number of movement choices and allow seated or smaller movements.
• Extend confident students by asking them to link three movements, vary level and direction, or lead a safe movement prompt for their group.
• For EAL learners, pair spoken words with gestures and consistently demonstrate the meaning of “travel”, “still”, “high”, “low”, “fast” and “slow”.