Dance education lessons for the novice as well as the experienced dance teacher

Torun Mattsson
Department of Sport Sciences, Malmö university

Elementary Dance Education: Nature-Themed Creative Movement and Collaborative Learning is a textbook that helps teachers incorporate dance into their teaching. The purpose of the book is to provide teachers with the necessary knowledge to create opportunities for students to engage in multidimensional learning experiences. Students should be offered dance education that stimulates both their cognitive abilities and movement skills. An important starting point in the book is that mind and body, embodied learning, occur simultaneously. Another significant point is that the learning in which students participate is based on their ideas and on experimental learning. The author emphasizes that creative dance is an excellent tool for observing, exploring, being creative, sharing, and reflecting. The process of learning through creative dance is in the book compared to the scientific process. In dance, the creative process is divided into five steps:

1. 1. 1. Observing involves both the inner and outer world;
      2. exploring is how the body can interpret using basic elements of dance such as rhythm, tempo, space, shape and energy;
      3. creating consists of phrases or choreography;
      4. presenting by showcasing it to others;
      5. reflecting on what others experienced or aspects of one’s own dance improvements.

The book is divided into eight chapters. The introductory chapter contains basic elements of dance. The author emphasizes that teachers should teach basic dance first before other parts of the book can be used. The first chapter provides teachers or teacher students with an understanding of the foundation of dance. The concepts presented are Shape, Motion, Spatial Relationships, Timing and Rhythm, and Energy. Each concept is defined and described how it can be explored. The author argues that there are no right or wrong answers, but the teacher’s task is to encourage students to reflect and ask questions.

The different chapters of the book cover nature themes such as plants, animals, water, earth, sky, humans, and finally, Other Wonders.

Each chapter is structured in progression, starting with the simple and then advancing to more complex exercises. Each section begins with brainstorming, where the teacher builds on the students’ ideas. The chapter provides lesson planning suggestions and a rich variety of exercises. The author suggests which exercises are suitable for different grade levels, from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Each exercise is accompanied by recommended instrumental music by Barry Prophet. There are also illustrative photographs that clarify how the exercises should be done. Under each heading, such as “Exploring shape,” there are concluding advice for the teacher. They can be about the importance of listening to all students’ ideas, the significance of positive reinforcement for students’ learning, or safety aspects of instruction, such as avoiding dangerous movements (cartwheels, headstands or handstands). The lesson plans incorporate elements of watching videos of others dancing, and all parts include creating their own choreographies.

Once students have gained knowledge through movement in basic dance, the other chapters of the book can be used in teaching. The instructions in these chapters are based on nature-inspired exercises. The author suggests that teachers should develop a personal understanding of the area the education focuses on. It helps them expanding their vocabulary and knowledge level in dance education. The education should stimulate discussions and explore concepts through movement. The different chapters of the book cover nature themes such as plants, animals, water, earth, sky, humans, and finally, Other Wonders. To illustrate an example of the book’s richness, the plants chapter includes several different exercises: trees, flowers, vines, tall grass and three sisters (corn, beans, and squash). The lessons begin with listening to what the students know about trees. The teacher forms the exercises through the students’ ideas. They then engage in physical variations of tree positions. Each exercise includes music suggestions and discussion questions. The different plants become more advanced. For example, the vines include movement patterns with vine-inspired pathways or twisting and twining figures.

Elementary Dance Education: Nature-Themed Creative Movement and Collaborative Learning is a comprehensive textbook suitable for both novice and experienced dance teachers. The book is well suited for use by teacher students in different teacher programmes at university, including dance education. It is easy to follow the different steps in the book, and each chapter offers great variation. Novice dance teachers can follow the lesson plans according to the author’s advice. Experienced dance dance teachers can find inspiration and discover new approaches to their teaching.

The author Janice Pomer has previously published two books on dance education with Human Kinetics, and she has extensive experience in that fiels. However, this textbook does not include references to other authors or to dance education research. Still, it is a good textbook with numerous exercises, photographs, diagrams, images, music suggestions, and video links tailored for teaching students in preschool and the early years of elementary school. For university studies that involve dance education, this textbook should be supplemented with other research-based textbooks and scientific articles on dance education in preschool and school settings.

Copyright © Torun Mattsson 2023