Exploring World Development through Dance

This post is based on a presentation that I completed with a group of other teacher candidates. We were tasked with teaching a concept from another subject area through dance. We chose to explore the dance Tinikling which is the national dance of the Philippines as a means to explore the development of the country as part of the grade 8 geography curriculum (as detailed below). This dance originated during the Spanish colonial times in the Philippines. The local population of people were enslaved and subjected to punishment consisting of getting hit with thorny bamboo sticks on their feet. The Filipino people became very good a dodging the bamboo and the Tiniking dance was born.

Choreographic Form of Dance & Dance Elements

We chose to model the choreographic form of Call and Response. In this type of dance one soloist or group performs, followed by a second soloist or group whose performance responds to the first. This can also be referred to as a lead-and-follow activity, or a question and answer and can often be found in African dances and musical form.

The two elements of dance we used are Body Awareness and Relationship. Body Awareness is a dance element that comprises focus on body shape, body base, body part, locomotor and non-locomotor movements. Relationship is a dance element that focuses on how the body relates to itself, to others, and to the dance movement. If you watch the YouTube video of the dance you can clearly see these elements presented.

Guiding Theories

Howard Gardener, an educational researcher, developed the idea that intelligence comes in various forms and types of skills. He categorized intelligence into verbal, mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential skills. When thinking about education, the multiple intelligences theory illustrates the necessity to differentiate learning in each subject in order to reach a variety of learning types and skills.

Dance is one area where multiple intelligences can be addressed in tandem. Our lesson, for example, uses spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, and musical skills very clearly. Intrapersonal, mathematical, naturalistic, and existential skills can also be addressed. A dance lesson allows students to actually get up and move. It teaches students how to move and control their bodies, how to work with a partner, and also how to have a better understanding of self. Dance is often done to music and includes movements on the beat or with rhythmic timing, tapping into mathematical skills while exploring spatial and bodily skills. Ultimately, dance is one area which opens itself easily to cross-curricular or integrated lessons, which can better reach our students by incorporating many, if not all, of the different types of learning styles and intelligences.

Curriculum Connections: Dance and Social Studies

This activity is connected to the grade 8 dance strand of the arts curriculum. It could connect to several overall expectations depending on what aspect you specifically want to explore. For example, if you want to focus mostly on the cultural significance of the dance then this activity would connect mostly to A3 of exploring forms and cultural contexts. However, if you’re looking more at the creation and performance of the dance then this activity would connect to strand A1 of creating and presenting.

This activity connects to the global inequalities strand of the grade 8 geography curriculum. This strand of the curriculum explores the economic development and qualities of life in societies around the world. As described below, this dance has significance in the development of the Philippines. Overall expectation B1 explores the application of global inequalities in quality of life and mostly B1.1 which calls on students to examine the interrelationships of factors that contribute to quality of life. For example: how does this dance reflect what the quality of life was for the people who originally created the dance?

Modifications

Modifications for students with Physical Exceptionalities include:

• partner or teacher can hold the hand or arm of the student while they complete the steps over the bamboo sticks;
• speed and timing of the steps can be slowed down to a pace where the student feels most comfortable; or
• students who cannot physically jump or move quickly on their feet (wheelchair, crutches, etc.) can use props like hockey sticks or lacrosse sticks to repeat the steps over the bamboo sticks.