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Annex Dance – Creative Movement

annex at ashley river

Program Description: Annex Dance integrates movement into any content area. Using dance to expose students to creative movement and enhance the learning experience whether it is ELA, Science, Social Studies or Math.

Using the standards and grade specific curriculum, students will use creative movement to explore dance composition elements such as shape, levels, dynamic pathways, space, time, and effort. Most Experiences will conclude with a dance created by the students in collaboration with Annex Dance Company.  Experiences are usually taught by 2-3 Annex Dance Company members allowing for small group, partner, and individual work in class.

Sample Experiences:

3rd– 5th Grade Math– Common Denominator: Explore fractions through movement exercises including use of number lines, addition, and subtraction.  Students will be introduced to dance composition concepts such as shape, levels, and dynamics.  There is opportunity for small group work as students create connected shapes and movement phrases to solve math problems.

3rd– 5th Grade Social Studies– The Jazz Age: Learn the social dances of the Jazz Age such as the Charleston, the Shim Sham Shimmy, the Varsity Drag, and the Lindy Hop.  Students will have an opportunity to sample each of the Jazz Age dances, and then specific classes will be taught one dance to perform at the end of the Experience.

3rd– 5th Grade ELA– With These Words: Focusing on literary works that span the curriculum, students will focus on using creative movement to explore composition elements such as shape, levels, dynamic pathways, space, time, and effort. Exploration of literary work will be more abstract, allowing for students to think outside the box as they create movement to represent the words and themes.

3rd-5th Grade Science– Forces and Motion: Students will explore the push and pull of bodies through space comparing speed and direction.   Using position terms such as above and below, students will identify the position of created shapes in relation to one another.  Students will explore balanced and unbalanced forces, and how they affect the rate and direction of motion.