How To Do the Chance Dance
Sharp and Smooth Movements
Step 1: Form groups of 3-5 people.
Step 2: Shuffle the cards you have been given and then lay them out on the floor, one after the other. The order of your cards is the order of your dance.
Step 3: For each card, decide
- Body: Will each of you do the same energy word in different ways, or will you all do the same movement?
- Space: What formation will you use for each section (word), or how will you move through space? Change your pattern for each card.
- Time: The words themselves should give you a contrast in time in your dance.
- Energy: Do your sharp movements look sharp and your smooth movements smooth?
Step 4: Once you have created your dance, practice it until you can perform it without thinking about what comes next.
Step 5: Perform your dance for the rest of the class.
Step 6: Look at one another’s dances and decide whether there is any way to change something about the dance to make it even more interesting. A dance is interesting when there are variations in the choreographer’s use of body, space, time, and force.