Fizzie Dance
Apply your knowledge of sport to create a basic movement phrase and extend it using the elements of dance. Create your own unique Fizzie Dance.
This is the first course in ARTS:LIVE's Sports and Performance series.
Go to course two - From Dance to Sport
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Teacher Pack
The Teacher Pack below contains all the lesson plans associated with this course as a single downloadable document.
Links
Ausdance
Not Yet It's Difficult
The Australian Ballet
Australian Institute of Sport
All other activity sheets and course materials can be downloaded through the Lessons Tab.
The Curriculum Alignment document below maps this course against the Australian Curriculum.
Maximising outcomes
Warm-up
Always make sure that students prepare for dance activities by warming up. Warming up focuses the body and mind and prepares us for dance. Warm ups can begin with physical games that students know and like. Follow this with some steady, controlled mobilising movements of joints, such as ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows and wrists. Never allow students to stretch without warming up, as cold muscles can tear easily.
Dance spaces
Dance spaces should be clear of objects and obstacles. The best spaces have sprung floors, and these are required if students are jumping or turning frequently, as sprung floors absorb impact and return energy at a rate that the body can effectively use. Ideally, dance occurs in a space that has no other classes or distractions. Dance classes can be noisy places as students excitedly discuss their ideas and try them out. Ideal temperatures are from 18 to 21 degrees Celsius.
Time for dance
You can use dance at any time in a classroom to experience and work through an idea. Due to the requirement for students' bodies to be warmed up and focused, and for spaces to be free of hazards, some preparation and forethought is necessary.
Dedicate at least 45-60 minutes of dance time to help students maximise their output. This block of time enables them to concentrate, explore and elaborate on ideas, and enables you as a teacher to guide and keep an eye on safety.
Ensure that students are ready for dance by wearing correct uniform. A sports uniform with tracksuit pants is best. Some shorts and skirts restrict the ability to explore a range of movements.
Some cultures will require separate dance sessions for boys and girls.
Tips
Creativity and dance
Here are some basic principles that support students and encourage them creatively.
There is never just one way to do things.
There is no best way of improvising or creating a dance.
All responses are valid.
Keep instructions simple.
Try movement, then talk about it.
Teaching dances
Teach only one step or section at a time.
Demonstrate the step first or have a student show how you would like it to look.
Describe the important features of the step.
Encourage students to try the step with you.
Allow students time to practise until they are confident.
Add on the next step and continue this process until the dance is complete. Don't rush. This may take several sessions.
Team language
To create the link between dance and sport, refer to groups as "teams".
Canon: dancer or group of dancers perform a movement or phrase which is then repeated by another dancer or group of dancers. The process is repeated more than twice.
Choreographic: the tools choreographers use to manipulate and alter movements and phrases to create dances. These include sequence, canon, contrast, repetition, abstraction, transition and variation.
Choreography: refers to making decisions about what to put in a dance, ie which movements and when, transitions between moves, and how to arrange movement and people in the space.
Contrast: movement that is in some way different from the original. Contrast may be used to highlight some aspect of the original. For example, dancer one performs a stationary movement while dancer two travels in a circle; dancer one performs fast, intricate movements while dancer two performs stillness.
Elements of dance: in dance, the following elements are combined to create meaning, action and movement: body, space, time, dynamics and relationships. In this resource we focus on time, space and dynamics and the relationship between these as we explore movement possibilities with our bodies.
Improvisation: making up movement as you go along, without pre-planning. Improvisation cannot be right or wrong.
Physical skills: in dance these are categorised as alignment, balance, stamina, control, coordination, strength and flexibility.
Repetition: repeating an action or phrase; repetition includes canon.
Safe dance practice: an approach developed in Australia in the 1990s to ensure safe dance conditions in dance training and performance as well as safe methods for teaching dance.
Technical skills: in dance these vary according to dance style. For instance, in ballet, technical skills relate to the performance of turn out, posture and alignment; correct sequencing of micro-actions in order to perform jumps, turns, falls, attitudes and other technical items.
Unison: two or more people performing the same movement with the same speed, dimension and level of energy.
This is a valuable resource for the Drama curriculum for the upper primary years. It is relevant to content descriptions in both the Making and Responding strands. It emphasises exploring and experimenting, practising skills and techniques, communicating ideas through artworks and presenting artworks. It also supports reflecting on artworks. The resource focuses on creating dance routines that include elements and movements of sport and sports games.
This resource can also contribute to students developing the general capabilities Critical and creative thinking and Literacy. It supports the Literacy capability's organising elements, particularly Visual knowledge. It also supports the organising elements of the Critical and creative thinking capability, particularly in relation to Inquiring - identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas, and Generating ideas, possibilities and actions.
Produced by The Song Room with Ausdance, with support from Education Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
With thanks to Katrina Rank
Video created by X:MACHINE Productions
Additional talent: Nicholas Gunn and students from Our Lady of the Way, Kingsbury
Additional music and audio in Making a Fizzie Phrase: Jed Palmer
Additional music and audio in Doing the Fizzie Dance: Robert Douglas Sola
Learning Focus
Students create dance moves inspired by sports imagery and begin to construct a movement phrase.
Learning Focus
Students develop their dance movements, in teams and then combine all the movements to form a routine.
Learning Focus
Students review videos of their performance and discuss the elements of dance, including: canon, contrast and repetition.
Learning Focus
Students work in teams to perform their Fizzie Dance, based on sport movements.