Teachers' Resource Material for Dance

Teachers' Resource Material
for both
Dance For the Fun of It &
The Show Must Go On

Before or after the performance get them dancing, and the Madison (or Nutbush City Limits as it is also called) is a great way to get students started. Go to http://www.bushfirepress.com/freebies/nutbush.html where you can download not just the dance steps, set out in a very easy to follow chart, but also the music. Once at the website look around. There are a number of social dances for kids to do all explained very well.

1. The Box Step

Stand with your feet slightly apart
Step forward onto your right foot
Bring your left foot forward, over your right and place your weight onto your left foot as you place it to the right of your right foot
Place your right foot just behind your left
Place your left foot beside your right (Feet slightly apart)

Hopefully you are now standing the way you were when you started and you are ready to start again.

2. One Two Three Kick (done to a four count)

In Dance For The Fun of IT this is the Audience Participation segment dance in a progressing line - The Conga

Have a number of students form a line. Have them facing out (shoulder to shoulder) about 40cm apart.
Keeping the line straight have them step forward Left Right Left and kick out with the right
Bring the right back commencing the walk back, followed by the left, right and left brings the feet back together. You are ready to start the routine again.

Put basically the count is Forward Two Three Kick - Back Two Three Together. This can then be followed by taking the next One Two Three Kick diagonally to the Left and back to where you started. Follow this by going on the diagonally to the Right.

Divide the class into groups of three, four or five (you know how your class best works). Give each group a storyline to interpret in dance. If a group is reluctant to participate, offer alternate storylines i.e. a cricket match, shopping for new clothes, a bank robbery or motorbike race mimed in slow motion. Send each group to opposite corners of the classroom to talk through and rehearse for only a few minutes, then have each group perform their dance for the rest of the class, who have to guess what the storyline of each dance is.

Make a list of all the dances that students know. (Waltz, Disco, Line Dancing, Barn dance, Ballet, Ballroom dancing, Rap dancing, Can can,) . If the class is slow or reluctant get animated and do the dances yourself add comments like the lights are flashing, I'm on the dance floor or I've got my cowgirl/boy hat on, I'm in a line with 9 other dancers and we are all doing the same movements and get the class to guess the dance.

Ballroom - with Mum - Waltz, Tang
Sailor's Hornpipe
Melbourne Shuffle
Conga
Hip Hop
Statue or Popping
Ballet
Royal Court Dancing

In the Mash ups
The Maddison - danced to Nutbush City Limits
Macarena
the Chicken Dance
Finger Dancing - Too Low For Zero
The Locomotion
Disco Group Dancing - YMCA
Wiggley Party
The Hustle
The Hokey Pokey
Pump up the Jam
Johnny B. Good
Thriller.