Dance and Literacy

1. Dance and Literacy A PowerPoint Presentation on the importance of interdisciplinary learning.

2. Why It’s Important • By combining the two, it is developing critical thinkers amongst students. • “We believe that learning to see, think and write about dance brings students face to face (or rather, body to body) with their own cultural assumptions, forging potent intellectual connections between historical contexts, social issues, and the development of a critical point of view.” –Accelerated Motion

3. Children Learn By Doing • John Dewey promoted the concept that comprehension would be proven through actions. • The purpose of learning through multiple art forms is to further the individual’s learning, tactile learning is an effective method that can advance one’s understanding.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligences • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: The core elements of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are control of one's bodily motions and capacity to handle objects skillfully. • “…all youngsters may benefit from the creative processes of dance- making and dance-viewing and learn to “write” and read the non- verbal, which is critical to human survival.” (Hanna)

5. Acquiring Knowledge • Through dance education students develop knowledge about dance, including concepts, history, movement vocabulary, and rules of building dances. (Hanna) • Students who dance take initiatives, practice, recognize problems that are not pointed out and are unafraid to ask questions in their other classes.

6. Mark Morris’ Efforts • Mark Morris Dance Group conducts in-school dance residences where he introduces students to the interaction of words, music, and dance. • He uses excerpts from his full length work, entitled: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, where students are guided through the poems, music, and choreography. (a clip of this work is found on the next slide) • Each residency is specific to the school’s specific needs, highlighting curriculum connections, whether it be English, math, history…etc.

7. L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato

8. If Movement isConsidered a Literacy… • “Would we change our sense of who succeeds in schooling if we valued fluency in nonverbal behavior and in dance?” (Dils) • Dance is an important contributor to creative and critical thinking. • Linking the intelligences of dance (kinesthetic, spatial, and musical) to other classroom disciplines could develop a whole new way of learning.

9. Dance Literacy In Effect! • https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/themes/poetry.aspx • This is the website for ARTSEDGE…it includes examples of lesson plans that incorporate both dance and literacy into the curriculum.

10. NYC Blueprint • Goal: Developing Dance Literacy: Students develop a working knowledge of dance language and aesthetics, and apply it to analyzing, evaluating, documenting, creating and performing dance. They recognize their role as articulate, literate dancers in communicating about dance to their families, schools and communities.

11. NYC Blueprint • Goal: Making Connections: By investigating historical, social and cultural contexts, and by exploring common themes and principles connecting dance with other disciplines, students enrich their creative work and understand the significance of dance in the evolution of human thought and expression.

12. NYC Blueprint • It is already built into the standards of all dance educators to create a curriculum that develops literate and articulate individuals. It is the goal of all dance teachers to be aware of the students’ other core classes and integrate these subjects into the dance classes, creating various opportunities for learning.