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Dance units: High school levels

Science of Partnering: Creating dances from science

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.

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