Dance history workshop with movement

By a dance manager and PR (i'm not a teacher)

For a class +or- 8 years old already involved in a dance project with le Pacifique in Grenoble
4 Feb 2015 in Pacifique studio

With the pedagogic tool "à chaque danse ses histoires" of CND (Centre national de la danse) and Fédération Arts Vivants et Départements, made up of 10 boards about dance history with text and pictures.

I choose to work on the board "Giselle" to introduce ballet the class don't know.

In attached file : board pic

In advance : The school teacher took time to talk about Giselle story. They had to draw about the story (in attached file).

Warm up :

1/ using all the space, self rubing (back, arms, legs...)

2/ in trio, we try to keep moving and to have 1 seated, 1 layed down, 1 standing up = keep connected, try to adapt to the other

Ballet presentation :

Question and exchange about a ballet (piece or cie in French), this kind of dance technique, the costume (pointes, tutu...), opera house, etc. with pictures of dancers of Edgar Degas

Giselle :

Caracteristics of the 1st act (love, farmer, madness...) and the 2nd (white, "willis") illustrated with videos of an italian and a rusian version on internet

Ballet symbol :

Tutu and pointes with presentation of real pointeds they can touch

"Little rat" with presentation of teddy in tutu = how and where to learn ballet

"Danseur étoile" (principal dancer) and "corps de ballet" = hierarchie, role, dancing exactly together

Movement exercice :

Make a diagonale ! From a video of willis diagonal, find together different methods to make a nice diagonale = giving end, using scotch.

Use memory and try to find the same place in diagonale after a walk.

Still in diagonale, finish with a romantic position like willis (and take pictures !)

Contemporay Giselle :

Use comparaison with their way to copy, interpret singer and dancer on video clip, or star soccer after a goal, and introduce the contemporary version of a ballet. Show video extracts of Mats Ek.

In attached file : "à chaque danse..." board ; Giselle board ; 3 drawings