An Inclusive Dance Class_Partnering

Hello and Warm up (10 minutes)

Check in with the group.Warm up in a big circle so that everyone can see each other.
Outcomes: Gauge energy of the group, warm up.

Folding Drills (20 minutes)

Look at honey and describe texture. Write words on paper, stick on wall as reminder. Talk through what is on the wall. Split into pairs and enact the words.
Outcomes: The reason of using honey is for the participants to visualize the texture of how things fold on top of each other. It is important to encourage the participants to respect basic concepts of dance such as knees over toes and working position.

Guess the Leader Game (15 minutes)

Choose 1 leader and 1 guesser. The leader chooses what moves to do and the guesser follows. Encourage everyone to move together.Remind dancers to move slowly. It works best to stay on the spot to begin with.

Goal: The concept of dancing together and focus is to be taught in this exercise.

Fold and Float Exercise (10 minutes)

Use images to explore that help participants visualise stretching and bending. Try using images about floating and folding, which will help the participants visualise stretching and bending. Eg. ‘Find a way to reach up above your head for 4 counts then find an expansion for 2 counts’. Simple playfulness can quite easily turn into a dance exercise this way. Remind dancers of the skills they have just been learning and how they relate to the exercise.
Outcomes: To implement skills as outlined in the folding skills.

BREAK (5 minutes)

Duet Creative Task (20 minutes)

Revisit words about honey. Talk about opposite textures/qualities. Each pair create dance using a pair of opposite words. Could encourage them to add details (e.g. repetition, prop, entrance/exit into the performance space etc). Watch duets.
Outcomes: Creative exploration based on folding.

Cool down (5 minutes)

Taking a similar format to the warm up, return everyone to a circle and go through a calming cool down involving short stretches and a chance to come together for one last time in the class.
Outcomes: Focus, cool down.

Word of the week (5 minutes)

Get the participants to choose word that reflects this lesson and get them to share it with everyone.

Goal: To encourage them to communicate with others and to reflect on what they learned. Over time it will build a sense of togetherness.