Dance - Lesson 4

In Year 6 Dance Lesson 4, students are encouraged to embrace the dynamic movements of parkour, integrating them into a dance routine. The lesson's objective is to perform a dance phrase that includes a variety of coordinated actions, linking multiple movement phrases and patterns, and utilising gymnastic equipment for improvised movements. Key vocabulary such as 'phrase', 'gesture', 'retrograde', 'instrumentation', 'pathway', and 'parkour' are introduced to enrich the students' understanding of dance. The lesson requires equipment like gymnastic mats, benches, and music to create an engaging learning environment. The warm-up consists of setting up a dance zone with perimeter cones, modelling different travelling steps, and incorporating body-part-based group activities to prepare the students for the main session.

During the main part of the lesson, the class revisits the theme of street art, where students learn and create dance phrases inspired by the actions of creating street art, incorporating 'parkour' style movements. The teacher guides the students through improvisation exercises using gymnastic mats and benches, encouraging them to imagine moving through urban spaces. The session progresses with the teacher leading the pupils through the beginnings of a choreographed narrative that includes actions like putting on a backpack, walking down the street, and creating a 'tag' with a spray can. The lesson concludes with a cool-down period where the students repeat the body parts activity from the warm-up, engage in stretching exercises, and practice controlled breathing, all while lying on safety mats. This structured approach ensures students are cooled down properly and ready to transition back to class.