Stillness Performance

Indicate to me where the Modelled- I do (Bangady’u) Guided- We do (nii): Independent- You do (Bangadyimi) learning occurs

Lesson 2: I'm Still Standing In this lesson, students will explore the concept of stillness in dance. They will demonstrate their understanding by creating shapes using different body bases, analysing stillness in performances, and working in small groups to create a short piece that combines movement and stillness. Elements: Dynamics, Space, Time

Learning Intentions: To understand how stillness can enhance a performance

Success Criteria:

• Explain how stillness can be used effectively in dance
• Describe why control and balance are important for stillness
• Experiment with stillness to create tension, contrast or emphasise
• Perform a short sequence that combines movement and stillness

Teaching and Learning activity: Do Now:

1. Print and review lesson plan
2. Print of the worksheets (one per group)
3. Ensure you have enough space for the activities
4. Connect to screen and speakers to play video

• Following the video, students will complete knowledge-based activities and analyse two examples
• Students will then work collaboratively to choreograph their own routine that uses stillness

Activity 1. (5 minutes) Whole Class & Interactive Revise the content of the video with this short multiple-choice quiz.

1. Before starting the quiz, start with a whole class discussion. Use the following questions to help guide the discussion:

• Have you seen stillness used in dance before? Where? (various answers)
• What do you think makes stillness effective or powerful in dance? (various answers)
• What factors might influence when to use stillness in dance? (suggested responses: song structure, movements, narrative)

2. After the discussion, go through each of the quiz questions one by one (Note: the last question has multiple correct answers)

• Read the question aloud (or have a student do it)
• Discuss the possible answers
• Decide as a class which is the correct answer
• Review answer Answers

1. What is stillness in dance? (Pausing or holding a shape)
2. What does a dancer need to be good at stillness? (Balance and control)
3. What is a dancer's centre of gravity? (An imaginary point where the body is balanced)
4. Why is the centre of gravity important for stillness? (It helps the dancer stay balanced)
5. What does alignment mean in dance? (Keeping the head, shoulders and hips in the correct position)
6. What is a body base? (The body part that touches the floor and provides support) 7. What effect can stillness create in a dance? (Tension, contrast, draw attention and focus

Activity 2. (5 minutes) Interactive & Whole Class As a class, view the different body bases and drag them to the correct zone.

1. Display the drag and drop activity and display the first image (click expand image to make it full screen)
2. Ask students to identify the body base used for the shape
3. As a class, decide whether the shape would be easy or hard to balance, then drag it to the correct zone
4. Repeat the process for the remaining images

Variations Have students try out each of the body bases to help their decision-making process. Answers

1. Easy
2. Hard
3. Easy
4. Easy
5. Hard
6. Hard

Activity 3. (15 minutes) Whole Class & Multimedia

1. Ensure students can see the board
2. Before playing the performance, prompt students to watch carefully for:

• when the dancers stop moving
• how long the stillness lasts
• what is happening in the music or performance at that moment

3. Play the first dance performance once without interruption so students can watch the piece
4. Play the performance a second time. This time, ask students to silently note specific moments where stillness is used and what effect it has on the performance 5. After viewing, lead a class discussion using guiding questions such as:

• How was stillness used in the performance?
• What happened just before and after moments of stillness?
• How did stillness affect the mood or meaning of the dance?

6. Record key student responses on the board and link their observations to how they can use stillness intentionally in their own movement sequences
7. Repeat for the next videos

Teaching Notes Watching and discussing examples before creating their own work provides students with visual inspiration and a shared reference point. Use student responses during the discussion to reinforce key ideas, such as: stillness requires control and focus, stillness can communicate meaning and stillness should be deliberate and clearly timed.

Activity 4. (25 minutes) Group Work Performance Worksheets Assessment Opportunity

In groups, students will choreograph a short movement sequence (32 counts) that intentionally uses movement and stillness, inspired by the chosen piece of music.

1. Move students into groups of four or five
2. Explain that they are going to create a short performance that combines movement and stillness, where moments of stillness (freezes) are just as important as the movements
3. Play the song, Heads Will Roll and play the suggested section (see teacher notes) through a couple of times. Encourage students to listen carefully to changes in the music, such as pauses, strong beats or changes in the mood that could inspire moments of stillness
4. Hand out the choreography planning sheet to each group and listen to the selected section of the song a few more times and encourage students to clap or count aloud when listening to the song (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
5. Once students are familiar with the music, give them 15 minutes to choreograph, rehearse and refine their sequences. During this time, play the song intermittently so students can practise timing their movements and stillness to the music
6. When students are ready, each group will perform their sequence to the section of the song. Students who are not performing should sit quietly and watch attentively
7. At the end of each performance, ask students what inspired their moments of stillness and how they decided when to move and when to freeze during the sequence Teaching Notes The suggested sections of these songs have been chosen as they have 32 counts and have a brief pause where stillness could be used, however don't feel restricted to just these two songs if you know of other songs on our Amplify playlists that could work well for your class. - Yeah, Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll: 2:18 - 2:32

Differentiation

Lower Ability: Students may create a shorter routine of 16 counts, or the teacher may scaffold the first half of the sequence as a whole class before students work in groups to complete the remainder. HP&G: Students extend their routine by having one or two group members freeze while others continue moving.

Where applicable, delete any gradual release not required in lesson: Modelled- I do (Bangady’u) Guided- We do (nii): Independent- You do (Bangadyimi)