Jazz and Contemporary

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is Lesson 4 in the Year 3 unit "Dancing Through Nature's Rhythms". It focuses on exploring jazz and contemporary dance styles with a specific emphasis on practising and refining jazz dance techniques. Students will use dynamic, contrasting movements to express ideas about the environment. The lesson fits within the NSW Curriculum outcomes for Years 3 and 4 Dance, aiming to develop fundamental movement skills, safe dance practice, and expressive capabilities.

Learning Outcomes

Aligned to the NSW Curriculum for Dance Years 3-4, by the end of this lesson students will:

• Use elements of dance (body, space, time, dynamics, relationships) to structure dance sequences that communicate ideas and meaning about the environment through jazz and contemporary dance styles
• Demonstrate fundamental jazz dance techniques and safe dance practice
• Apply dynamics and contrasting movements to express personal and environmental ideas through dance performance
• Participate cooperatively in class dance activities, supporting peers and demonstrating focus and engagement
• Reflect on their own and peers' dances, describing how movement choices communicate intended ideas

The lesson supports achievement objectives described in the NSW Arts syllabus for Years 3 and 4 Dance:

• "Students use the elements of dance to structure dance sequences that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning. They demonstrate fundamental movement skills and safe dance practice."
• "They perform their dance in informal settings."

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Resources

• Open space suitable for dance (hall or covered outdoor area)
• Portable speaker and music selections (jazz and contemporary dance pieces with clear rhythms and varying dynamics)
• Visual imagery or video clips of natural environments or animals (to inspire movement ideas about nature)
• Whiteboard and markers for key terms and reflections
• Name tags or markers for group work

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Lesson Breakdown (60 minutes)

1. Welcome and Warm-up (10 minutes)

• Gather students in a circle.
• Briefly discuss the environment theme and ask students to share quick ideas about nature sounds, movement, feelings inspired by nature.
• Lead a dynamic warm-up incorporating stretches, body isolations, and basic jazz dance warm-up moves (e.g., pliés, jazz walks, isolations of shoulders and hips). Emphasise safety and control.
• Explain the focus on dynamics — changing the energy, speed, and flow to express feelings about nature.

2. Introduction to Jazz Dance Techniques (10 minutes)

• Demonstrate key jazz dance techniques appropriate for Year 3:
• Jazz walks with different dynamics (light, heavy)
• Basic turns (spot turns)
• Use of sharp versus smooth movements
• Students practise these steps in place and moving around the space, with teacher corrections to ensure safe technique.
• Introduce the idea of contrasting movements — for example, sharp vs smooth, fast vs slow, big vs small.

3. Experimenting with Dynamics and Contrasts (15 minutes)

• Show short video clips or images of natural scenes (e.g., flowing rivers, trees in wind, animals moving).
• In small groups (3-4 students), students create a short movement phrase (4-6 counts) inspired by the clip using jazz and contemporary movements they have practised. Encourage use of contrasting dynamics within their phrase.
• Teacher circulates to scaffold ideas, suggest contrasts, and provide encouragement.
• Groups share their phrases briefly with the whole class.

4. Building a Group Dance Phrase (15 minutes)

• Using the small group phrases, guide a whole-class activity to combine the movement ideas into one dance sequence that expresses an environmental theme (e.g., seasons changing, a day in the forest).
• Highlight the use of dynamics and contrasting movements to communicate ideas.
• Practice the sequence several times, working on clarity, timing with music, and expressive qualities.

5. Cool Down and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Lead a gentle cool-down with stretches linked to breathing and relaxation.
• Sit in a circle and reflect:
• Ask students how using different dynamics helped express their ideas about nature.
• What jazz or contemporary techniques did they enjoy using?
• How did working in groups help their dance?
• Write some student responses on the board for shared reflection.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Ongoing formative assessment during group work and whole-class practice — observe safe use of jazz techniques, ability to incorporate dynamics and contrasts.
• Use questioning during reflection to assess students’ understanding of how movement communicates ideas.
• Provide individual and group verbal feedback emphasising strengths and areas to develop.

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Differentiation

• For students needing extra support: Provide simplified steps, one-on-one verbal cues, or buddy support in groups.
• For advanced students: Encourage more complex movement combinations, exploration of contemporary floor work, or improvisation with dynamics.

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Curriculum References

• NSW Arts K-6 Syllabus: Dance Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) — outcomes describing use of elements of dance, fundamental techniques, safe practice, and expressive performance.
• Achievement Standard excerpt: Students use elements of dance to structure dance sequences that communicate ideas. They demonstrate fundamental movement skills and safe dance practice. They perform their dance in informal settings.

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This lesson plan integrates creative movement with environmental themes, providing a hands-on experience for students to connect nature with expressive jazz and contemporary dance – building both technical skills and communicative confidence in line with NSW curriculum expectations.