Movement Conversations

Overview

In this third lesson of Dance Explorations: Creating, Performing and Responding, students explore call-and-response as a dance conversation. They build on prior work with body actions, space and musical contrasts by watching carefully, waiting, responding and creating safe movement phrases with a partner.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• respond to a movement, sound or gesture from a teacher or partner.
• use claps, steps, gestures, stillness and short movement phrases to communicate.
• explore changes in timing, dynamics, level and pathway.
• perform safely while maintaining personal space and showing respect for others’ ideas.

Success criteria

• I can watch and wait until it is my turn.
• I can make one clear movement response.
• I can change a dance element in my response, such as speed, size, level or direction.
• I can keep a safe distance and give my partner time to perform.

Curriculum links

• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: exploring and using the elements of dance through improvisation and structured movement.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: developing, practising and presenting movement ideas for an audience.
• Victorian Curriculum: The Arts – Dance: responding to and discussing how movement communicates ideas and feelings.
• VCE Physical Education school-based assessment principles: classroom tasks should be part of regular teaching and learning, completed mainly in class and designed with appropriate scope and demand.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher gathers students in a circle, opens the movement conversation introduction, demonstrates a simple clap and asks, “How can we answer without using words?” Students watch, offer possible movement answers and practise the class safety rules: eyes on the performer, hands and feet to self, and freeze when the music stops.

2. 5–12 min · Teacher call-and-response. Teacher models a range of calls: two claps, a step to the side, a high reach, a low curl and a moment of stillness. After each call, students respond with a different but related movement rather than copying exactly. Teacher uses the call-and-response examples to show the sequence: watch, wait, respond, freeze. Students identify whether the call used a sound, gesture, level, direction or stillness.

3. 12–20 min · Partner practice. Teacher places students in pairs with enough space between pairs and establishes A and B roles. Teacher displays the partner practice instructions and circulates, prompting students to make their responses clear and controlled. Student A performs one short call; Student B waits, responds with one movement idea and freezes; partners then swap. Year 1 students use one clap, step or gesture. Year 2 students respond by intentionally changing one element, such as making the response slower, sharper, lower or travelling in a new direction.

4. 20–28 min · Musical contrasts. Teacher plays two short contrasting musical excerpts, such as calm/slow and lively/fast, and pauses between them. Using the music contrast prompts, students move around their own space, stopping when the music stops. In pairs, one student creates a call suited to the music and the other responds. Students notice how timing, energy, level and pathway can change when the music changes.

5. 28–39 min · Create a movement conversation. Teacher assigns pairs a clear starting role and gives the challenge on the create-and-rehearse instructions. Students create a four-part conversation: call, response, call, response. Year 1 students use two clear movement ideas and may repeat a familiar action. Year 2 students make the second response intentionally different by changing one element. Students rehearse twice, concentrating on waiting, watching, safe spacing and smooth transitions. Teacher conferences with pairs and gives one specific improvement prompt.

6. 39–46 min · Share and respond. Teacher invites several pairs to perform while the audience sits or stands in marked spaces. Before each performance, teacher reminds the audience to watch silently and identify one change in movement. Students perform their conversation, then audience members use the prompts on the dance conversation response sheet to draw or record what they noticed. Year 1 students may draw the call and response; Year 2 students name the changed element.

7. 46–50 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher returns to the reflection and exit prompts and asks, “What made a response easy to understand?” and “How did you keep your partner safe?” Students complete the final prompt on the dance conversation response sheet by drawing one movement they used and circling or naming an element they changed. Invite two students to share before collecting the sheets.

Resources

• the movement conversation slide deck
• the dance conversation response sheet
• Device and projector or interactive whiteboard
• Two short contrasting instrumental music excerpts
• Music player and speakers
• Open classroom, hall or outdoor area
• Floor markers or cones to define personal spaces
• Whiteboard and marker
• Water and quiet waiting space as required

Assessment

• Observe whether students watch, wait, respond and maintain safe spacing during partner practice. Record quick notes using the categories: emerging, developing or consistent.
• During rehearsal, ask Year 1 students to explain or demonstrate one clear movement idea; ask Year 2 students to identify the element they changed and why.
• Collect the response sheets as an exit check for students’ understanding of call, response and one dance element.

Differentiation

• Support students with teacher modelling, repeated actions, visual icons on the slides, floor markers and sentence frames such as “I saw…” and “My response changed by…”.
• Allow students who are hesitant, have mobility needs or require sensory support to perform seated, in a smaller space, with a trusted partner or using hand and upper-body gestures.
• Offer additional processing time and repeat musical excerpts for students who need it; avoid sudden loud sounds and provide a predictable stop signal.
• Extend confident Year 2 students by asking them to change two elements, include stillness between movements or create a response that travels along a curved pathway.