China 八年级（初二） Arts: Dance

1. Sem.1 U1 Dancing life

Dance as life expression

• Dance as Life Expression – Dance can show life itself. Every movement rides on breath: breathe in to rise and open, breathe out to sink and close. Dancers can show growth stages such as seed, sprout and bloom through body shape and height. A short dance phrase joins a few poses into a beginning, a middle and an end.

2. Sem.1 U2 Expressing feeling through dance

Emotion in dance

• Emotion in Dance – Dancers show feelings with the whole body. Joy is open, high, quick and bouncy. Sadness is closed, low, slow and heavy. Hand gestures and facial expression make the message clear. When the dance is honest, the audience feels the same emotion: this is empathy.

3. Sem.1 U3 Dance and nature

Dancing with landscapes

• Dancing with Landscapes – A landscape can inspire a dance. Mountains give still, strong, tall, heavy moves. Water gives flowing, light, wavy, continuous moves. Floor paths also carry feeling: straight is firm, zigzag is restless, wavy is flowing. Before dancing outdoors, check the ground, shoes, water, sun and slope so you stay safe.

4. Sem.1 U4 Dance through history

Historical figures and stories in dance

• Historical Figures and Stories in Dance – Dance has been part of human life for thousands of years. Each age used dance for a different reason: festivals, courts, village stories and modern stages. Dancers can show a historical person with one clear prop, a special walk and a feeling. A dance story has a beginning, a turn and an end.

5. Sem.2 U1 Space and time

My dance space

• My Dance Space: Personal Space, Levels and Directions – Every dancer has a personal space, an invisible bubble as far as the hands and feet can reach. The floor is shared space for everybody. A dancer can move at low, middle or high levels and in directions such as forward, backward and sideways. Good use of space makes dance clear, safe and interesting.

6. Sem.2 U2 Imitating forms

Form and meaning of things in dance

• Form and Meaning of Things in Dance – Dancers look closely at animals and plants, then copy their shape and movement with the body. They make the form simple and big so the audience can see it. Then they add meaning: a bird can stand for freedom, a tree for growth. Form is what we see; meaning is what we feel and understand.

7. Sem.2 U3 Etiquette in dance

Chinese and foreign etiquette dances

Coming soon

8. Sem.2 U4 Dancing with the world

World Dance Day; dance on stamps

• World Dance Day and Dance on Stamps – World Dance Day is celebrated every year on 29 April to honour dance in all its forms and bring people together through it. Many countries print dances on postage stamps, so a tiny picture can show a dance, its costume and its culture. A class dance day is a simple way to celebrate with dancing, a stamp exhibition and showing your own dance.