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The Power of Creative Movement for Athletes and Dancers

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Objectives of the class:

➢ To increase students’ potential movement repertoire / movement “map”

➢ To increase students’ strength, power, and dynamic flexibility

➢ To explore new movement patterns

➢ To apply the use of everyday and sport-related movements into a dance context

➢ To increase students’ awareness of dance as an integrated art /science

Class Format (75 minute class)

Warm-up (15-20 minutes)

➢ General body with floor walking pattern

o This can be as simple as 4 walks forward, 4 walks back in different directions

➢ Dynamic flexibility

o Can use Pilates, yoga, sport-related flexibility that keeps moving as opposed to static stretching

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➢ Small jumps

o Two feet to one foot; close and apart

Across (or all over) the floor (15-20 minutes)

Application: Can be done moving side to side, front to back, scattered, in circles, or on diagonals in the room – be creative!

➢ General locomotor movements

o Walking, running, skipping, galloping, side slides, leaps, jumps

➢ Locomotor combinations

o Combine 2 or more of the general locomotor movements

o Add arms and body

o Use a variety of music to drive the speed (power) and complexity (coordination)

Creative movement phrase (15 minutes)

Application: This is where you “set-up” the creative movement problem. You introduce the concept for the class; this lesson is focusing on everyday and sport-related movement. Students can work in small groups, trios, or in pairs for any movement problem exercise. Try to make sure every student has “input” into the phrase, this may affect your choice of group size. Smaller groups tend to require more input from each student.

Tip: I do not mix my levels of experience during this part of the class as the more advanced movers will solve the movement problem without input from the group. Group or pair similar levels of experience…it works if you have provided sufficient time for exploration in the following two points.

➢ Have the students “act out” or “move as” a number of everyday movements such as waving hi and goodbye, brushing their hair, putting on a pair of pants, brushing their teeth, etc…possibilities are endless (just a minute or two of exploration).

➢ Have the students “act out” or “move as” a number of sport-related movements such as bowling, fly fishing, dribbling a soccer ball, throwing a baseball, fencing, etc…again, the possibilities are endless (just a minute or two of exploration).

➢ Group students accordingly and provide the movement problem:

o To abstract 2 – 3 movements they select from the wide variety of everyday and/or sport-related movements into a movement phrase or “dance”.

o Typically this phrase is less than one minute in length, but can be expanded upon within this lesson or the next!

Class performance (15 minutes)

[pic] The groups then show their work! Sometimes I have students just sit down on the floor where they are; this creates less pressure as each group stands and performs their creative movement phrase. As time goes on however, we sit at the front of the room as a class and view the movement phrases. This type of “mini-performance” helps create confidence in performing new movements! It can also aid in a course-culminating solo performance.

Cool down (10 minutes)

A great way to finish the class is to re-work the warm-up using more emphasis on stretching, as flexibility may be gained here, and as the students may have been inactive throughout parts of the class performance while watching their peers, it is important to rewind and unwind the class.

I hope you enjoy the “power of your creative self” in developing movement and great performers! Rebecca~

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Lesson suggestions by Rebecca A. Hess, Ph .D.

Associate Professor in Health Science and Sport Studies /Theatre and Dance

California University of Pennsylvania

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