Dance - Lesson 5

In Year 4's fifth dance lesson, pupils are set to learn, rehearse, and perfect a choreographed dance sequence that incorporates traditional Indian dance movements. The objective is to use a variety of arm and hand gestures, as well as footwork, to tell a story through dance. To succeed, students must show they can explore and repeat a series of actions with coordination, create a dance phrase using the movements they've learned, and follow the teacher's instructions to put together a choreographed routine. The key vocabulary for this lesson includes terms such as 'phrase', 'gestures', 'footwork', 'Bollywood', 'narrative', 'dynamics', 'cannon', and 'archway'. For this session, the equipment required includes 15 gymnastic mats and Bollywood dance music to set the tone.

The lesson begins with a warm-up where the class teacher sets out the dance zone and models various travelling steps such as skipping, galloping, and running. A leadership opportunity arises as students are asked to demonstrate these movements. The main part of the lesson focuses on the story of Rama and Sita, with students using Bollywood arm, hand, and footwork movements to create a narrative dance sequence. They will work on a choreographed sequence that builds upon what was learned in the previous week, with boys and girls taking on the roles of Rama and Sita respectively. The lesson plan provides detailed instructions for the dance movements, including 'The Forest', 'Ravana', and 'The Stag', among others. To conclude, the class will rehearse the choreography for the final part of the dance and the closing sequence, with the teacher providing feedback and pupils sharing what they enjoyed about the lesson. The session ends with a cool-down activity that includes stretching and breathing exercises to help students relax and reflect on their performance.