Dance units: High school levels

In this Dance Unit, the students will follow an abbreviated journey through dance history culminating in attending a professional performance. Prior to the performance, they will study dance history and choreographic forms, and create dance studies.

This Dance unit is written for the 10th to 12th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Judi Mark.

In this Dance Unit, students will physically explore and understand culture through Hip-Hop dance styles, develop rhythmic skills, create movements and expand movement skills through creating and learning a structured Hip-Hop dance, and contribute composition and character to their own section of the dance choreography.

This Dance unit is written for the 9th to 12th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Patricia Dye.

In this Dance Unit, students will research and learn to perform excerpts from Petipa’s ballets. They will explore large choreographic structures and create their own libretto for a narrative dance.

This Dance unit is written for the 11th Grade and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Ani Udovicki.

In this Arts and the Common Core Dance Unit, the unit uses the traditional West African dance of Lamban to introduce the form and structure of movement and cultural concepts found in West African dance. Students will also explore the use of spatial design in choreography.

This Dance unit is written for the 9th to 12th Grades and is aligned with the Common Core standards and the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Francie Johnson and Penelope Kalloo.

In this Dance unit, students learn about Cuba and Latin culture with a particular focus on the issues of immigration. Students physically and verbally explore how to bridge cultural gaps through learning basic Salsa and combining it with other dance styles. Throughout the unit students learn partner work and weight sharing as they choreograph their own salsa combinations. The unit culminates with an in‐class performance.

This Dance unit is written for the 9th to 12th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Francie Johnson.

This Dance unit introduces students to the technical and socio‐cultural elements of different dances from Latin America: Capoeira, merengue, salsa, and a new Brazilian social dance. Students will gain an appreciation of multiple cultures as they embody dances with Brazilian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Colombian, and Dominican influences and/or origins.

This Dance unit is written for 9th and 10th Grade English Language Learners and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Megan Minturn.

This Dance unit uses a character study of a fictional protagonist to explore telling a story through movement as an individual and in a group. The class will review literary terms used in analyzing fiction and stories, as well as the choreographic terms of theme and variation, both abstract and literal. Students will also reflect on how they connect to the character in their own life. Students will create a dance that presents a character, develops a story, and culminates in movement statement of how fictional works might reflect their own reality.

This Dance unit is written for the 9th to 12th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Francie Johnson-Sealy.

This unit, A Fictional Reflection: A Choreographic Character Study of Fictional Heroes/Heroines in Relation to the Self, uses a character study of a fictional protagonist to explore telling a story through movement as an individual and in a group. The class will review literary terms used in analyzing fiction and stories, as well as the choreographic terms of theme and variation, both abstract and literal. Students will also reflect on how they connect to the character in their own life. Students will create a dance that presents a character, develops a story, and culminates in movement statement of how fictional works might reflect their own reality.

This Dance unit is written for the 12th Grade and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Francie Johnson-Sealey.

In this unit, students will explore and experiment with the third law of motion using modern dance and Graham repertory as an entry point. Weight sharing is a scientific practice. Newton’s Third Law of Motion is the science. This law specifically relates to partnering as the science of force affecting the body in both weight sharing and weight bearing. Newton’s law states that for every force, there is an equal and opposite force, and addresses why objects push on each other and exchange momentum when they interact. Students will experiment with a partner in weight sharing and weight bearing, which will lead to the development of their kinesthetic awareness and specific, technical partnering practices in dance. Students will understand how choreographers use these sciences to generate new dances. They will learn and perform a duet from Martha Graham’s historic repertory and investigate the techniques of partnering that she employed. Students will choreograph their own duets using the techniques they have learned throughout the unit, including the Viewpoints method for improvisation. Students will give and receive feedback using the first two of the four steps of the Critical Response Process (CRP). This dance unit was created by Blakeley White-McGuire.

In this unit, students will explore the Humphrey/Limón principles of movement and the humanism inherent to José Limón’s work The Unsung, gaining an understanding of Limón’s use of rhythm, solos, and the acknowledgement of indigenous dances to celebrate and honor the contributions of Native American heroes. Students will also identify additional unsung heroes and choreograph original dance pieces inspired by the lives of these heroes. This dance unit was created by Megan Minturn.