The first week of dance saw discussion surrounding key body skills implicit in movement – strength, coordination, balance, flexibility and stamina – as well as carrying out exercises demonstrating the body and its potential for self-expression and creativity.
A variety of movements were explored – turning, travelling, jumping, gesture, stillness – in order to further demonstrate the use of the body in a creative context.
The learning experiences carried out throughout the tutorial reinforced the sense of importance implicit in teaching creative dance to students. Through this medium creativity and individuality can truly be explored.
As discussed by Gibson and Ewing (2011), creative dance allows engages on a plethora of levels, among those both intellectual and physical. Engaging in dance requires consideration on an intellectual level, while still allowing for enhancement of physical capabilities such as flexibility and stamina (Gibson and Ewing, 2011). Furthermore its implicit creativity allows for a truly engaging and expressive experience for students.
References
Ewing, R. and Gibson, R. (2011). Transforming the Curriculum through the Arts. Melbourne, Victoria: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kinderhaus of musik. (2014). Children dancing. [Image]. Retrieved from: http://www.kinderhausofmusik.com/images/dancing_kids.jpg
Dance Informa. (2014). Ballet tech dancing. [Image]. Retrieved from: http://assets.danceinforma.com/public/assets/mce/Chelsea_News/Ballet_Tech_Meshugana_Dance.jpg
EDUP3008: A Journey through the Creative Arts 
