Teaching with videogames: Dance & 'Just Dance'
This is a dance building lesson to develop physical skills and kinaesthetic awareness, explore choreographic processes and create dance performances for peers and audiences to interact and engage with.
Year levels: 7 & 8
Learning areas: Dance
Suggested duration: 1-2 sessions, with optional further learning activities
Equipment you'll need:
- a projector, or devices that students can use to access YouTube
- the game Just Dance, or alternatively, some YouTube clips from the game
- video cameras or devices to with cameras
- a green screen (optional)
Download the full lesson plan
The lesson plan includes links to the Victorian and Australian Curricula, indications of lesson timing, and ideas for differentiation and assessment.
In this lesson, students will
| 1. Analyse Just Dance sequences in terms of group structures and spatial organisation |
| 2. Use Just Dance sequences to inspire their own choreography |
| 3. Film choreography (optionally using a green screen in the style of Just Dance) and share interactively with peers |
| 4. Reflect on their developing choreographic processes |
| 5. Analyse and critique Just Dance sequences in terms of style, cultural reference points and genres |
| 6. Consider, critique and refine their own cultural and aesthetic choices |
By the end of this lesson, students should
| identify dance styles and conventions of contemporary dances and how cultural genres intersect |
| learn and follow devised choreography |
| perform using body movement in an expressive way |
| create a dance sequence to music using the Dance Design elements of 'Group Structure' and 'Spatial Organisation' (pathway to VCE/VET Dance) |
| translate knowledge and understanding of performance skills and composition components (Dance Design) into their own choreographed work |
| recognition of how choreographers use Dance Design and production elements to enhance performance for screen audience |
| ability to pick up and retain a memory of steps and sequence in a dance through game play |
| creation of choreography that is effective and interactive for a peer audience |