Making Dance Works

Overview

In this sixth lesson of Dance Explorations: Creating, Performing and Responding, students combine previously explored dance elements to create and rehearse a 30–60 second group dance. Year 1 students sequence three clear movement moments; Year 2 students focus on transitions, timing, expressive choices and unison or contrast.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• combine pulse, repetition, call-and-response, tempo, dynamics, levels and pathways.
• work cooperatively to make and rehearse a short dance.
• use movement maps and rhythm cards to remember and organise ideas.
• perform with a title and a simple intention, such as “moving like rain” or “a journey through space”.
• respond to dance by identifying one effective choice and one next step.

Success criteria

• I can help my group create three or more connected movement moments.
• I can show a clear pulse, repeated action, change of level, pathway or dynamic.
• I can remember my role and respond to group cues.
• I can perform safely and explain what our dance is about.

Curriculum links

• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts — Dance, exploring and combining movement ideas using the elements of dance.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts — Dance, creating and presenting short dance works for an audience.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts — Dance, describing how movement choices communicate ideas and responding to dance performances.
• Victorian Curriculum: Personal and Social Capability, cooperating, taking turns, contributing ideas and responding respectfully to feedback.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Reconnect and hook. Teacher briefly revisits the unit’s dance elements and opens the hook and learning intention slides, asking, “How can a small group tell an idea without using words?” Students watch a short teacher demonstration of three contrasting movement moments and identify the pulse, level, pathway or dynamic they notice.

2. 5–11 min · Model the task. Teacher uses the dance-work example slides to model a 30–60 second work: beginning, middle and ending; a title; and a simple intention. Demonstrate how a rhythm card can cue a caller or cue leader, and model a safe transition between levels and pathways. Students practise copying a short call-and-response pattern, then suggest a title and intention for the model.

3. 11–16 min · Form groups and plan. Teacher places students in five mixed-ability groups of five and distributes the movement map planning sheet. Explain flexible roles: dancer, caller, cue leader and observer; roles may be shared or changed. Year 1 students plan three boxes labelled beginning, middle and ending. Year 2 students add transition notes, timing, expressive choices and whether the group will use unison or contrast. Students choose a title, intention and roles, then sketch or write their movement moments.

4. 16–29 min · Create in short bursts. Teacher displays the group creation instruction slides and gives three-minute practice bursts, pausing between bursts to prompt: “Can you make the repeated action clearer?” “Where will the level change happen?” and “How will the audience know the dance has ended?” Students create and practise their sequence, including at least three movement moments, one repeated action, a pulse or rhythm, a change in tempo or dynamics, and a clear pathway. The observer gives one helpful comment after each burst.

5. 29–38 min · Rehearse and refine. Teacher asks groups to mark through the dance slowly without full energy, then rehearse twice at performance speed. Use the rehearsal checklist slides to remind students to check spacing, safe pathways, cue responses, transitions and a clear beginning and ending. Year 1 students focus on remembering the order and stopping together. Year 2 students refine timing, transitions, expressive choices and unison or contrast. Students rehearse, changing roles if needed and recording any changes on the worksheet.

6. 38–47 min · Share and respond. Teacher invites each group to perform its work while the audience watches silently and safely. After each performance, use the performance and response slides to prompt the audience to name one visible dance element and one effective group choice. Students perform, bow or acknowledge the audience, then offer feedback using the sentence stem: “I noticed…” or “Your dance showed… because…”

7. 47–50 min · Exit reflection. Teacher returns to the learning intention and asks students to complete the final boxes on the movement map planning sheet: “Our title and intention were…” and “Next time we will…”. Students share one response with a partner and hand in the worksheet as they leave.

Resources

• Slides-1: hook, modelling, instructions, rehearsal checklist, performance prompts and plenary
• Worksheet-1: one-page movement map and reflection sheet
• Rhythm cards with simple pictured or written patterns
• Open indoor space with clearly marked performance boundaries
• Floor markers or cones for safe pathways and group areas
• Timer
• Teacher demonstration music or recorded pulse
• Pencils and clipboards
• Class list or group-role cards

Assessment

• Observe whether students contribute safely and cooperatively, maintain a pulse or repeated action, use space and respond to cues.
• During rehearsals, ask groups to show their sequence slowly and explain where they use levels, pathways, tempo or dynamics.
• Collect the movement maps and use the final reflection to check whether students can identify their intention, describe a movement choice and suggest a next step.

Differentiation

• Support Year 1 students with three large picture boxes, teacher-supplied movement choices and a simple “first–next–last” rehearsal chant. Allow drawing, pointing or demonstrating instead of writing.
• Provide sentence starters, visual rhythm cards and repeated demonstrations for EAL learners and students who need language support. Pair students with a supportive peer and rehearse in a quieter space where possible.
• Offer flexible roles so students can participate as dancer, caller, cue leader or observer; students may perform smaller movements or remain at the edge of the group if needed.
• Extend Year 2 students by asking them to create a deliberate contrast between sections, keep a shared tempo through a transition, or use unison in one section and contrasting pathways in another. Ensure all choices remain safe and achievable within the time.