Teaching a Performance to a School Dance Group
Tips for Teachers Who Have no Dance Training
Feb 26, 2009
The best thing about teaching dance is that most students come to class highly motivated and eager to learn. It is the teacher's job to maintain that motivation by giving the students a performance to work towards and ensuring that dance lessons are always fun.
Choosing the Music
This is the first and maybe the most important decision that any dance teacher can make. The music for a performance piece has to be something that the students will enjoy, but the teacher also needs to be able to listen to that music over and over again without wanting to throw the CD player at the wall.
For younger students it is easiest to choose something with a steady beat and a chorus where they can repeat the same moves. If a teacher isn't confident, he should choose a song with which he is very familiar and that he already loves, but i-tunes can also be a great source of music for the teacher who is looking for something new or in a specific genre.
For young children, the original song may be too long for them to remember a dance to. There are a number of good programs available where songs can be edited on your computer. Adobe Audition is one professional program that works very well, but it retails at $349 US. Expstudio Audio Editor is an audio program that can be downloaded free off the Internet.
Choreography Ideas
There are many places where teachers can get ideas for dance moves to use with their dance group. Music videos, YouTube, television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance? and even the students themselves can all be excellent sources. To keep the dance visually interesting, teachers should also keep in mind the following points:
- Levels – Make sure that the entire dance does not occur on just one level. Have moments where the students are upright and also moments where they are on the floor. Vary the levels of the students so that some are up while others are down.
- Groupings – Don't put the students onto a spot or into a line and leave them there for the entire dance. Have them move around the stage. Clump them together at times and then spread them back apart. Have them dance alone, in pairs and as a whole and give every student a chance to be at the front.
- Movements – Having every child perform the same move at the same time can make a strong impact, but only if it is interchanged with moments of independence. Vary the movements. Have children mirror each other, alternate between moves or perform moves that are similar or complementary rather than simply the same.
Creating Costumes
There are many options for creating costumes. If money is an issue, then finding a mother who is a good seamstress may be essential. Websites such as eBay are an excellent source of costumes regardless of budget as are department stores if you visit during the sales. Professional dance shops are more expensive and recommended only if money is no object.
Costuming is generally easier if there is a story or theme to the dance but the most important thing in costuming is to show the connections between the dancers. This can be established just as effectively by having them all wear the same colour as it can be with any elaborate costume.
The most important thing to remember when teaching dance is to make it enjoyable. If the teacher is having fun then the students will as well. Never forget to tell the students how great they are and when the time arrives for the performance, try not to let the tension show.
