Guest Teacher: Dicki Johnson Macy - Part II

 


 

I

Unit: Teaching

Theme:Movement Motifs


Introduction 

Dicki Johnson Macy, BC-DMT, M. Ed., L.M.H.C., third generation lineage holder in the Art/Technique of Isadora Duncan (having studied first as a child with Anita Zahn) and director of the “Boston Children's Foundation” is the creator and founder of Rainbowdance .


II


Learning Objectives

  •  Understand the application of movement motifs
  • Explain the benefits of creative dance and movement for children
  • Gain awareness of the importance of creative dance and movement motifs as part of the methodology of teaching
  • Experience the creation of a lesson using creative dance and movement through the application of movement motifs

 

III

 

Main Lesson



CONTENT NOTES 

 

 1

Introduction



Dicki asks students to sit in a circle around the scarfs.

She explains why the circle is useful as a formation to start the class.

They sit around the scarfs, for them to pick their color for the day.

This allows her to ask: "OK, who chose pink?" For instance

She introduces her two colleagues who will be demonstrating.


2

Warm Up

 


 

Sit up tall, wiggle your toes, now your feet, she sings to the musical background

They begin by touching their feet, shaking their legs, shaking their feet, on their backs shaking their legs.

Now sitting, legs to the side, get up and bow circle around

Tip toe feet, Swim, Sway, Fly, dive, spin, tip tow, 

 

3

Group 

 


 

Hold hands and make a circle

Circle around and repeat the same moves from the warm up in the circle

Every body down.

This is one example, at the end, of how our ayes follow our hands....


4

Story: The Primrose Fairy


 

 

She reads the story to the children

She asks, why do you think she is the queen?

They may respond: Because she is kind and generous

 

5

Kind Gesture 


 

Now it is the time when they move together around the circle all together as each child moves to the center and does its own dance, and as they make eye contact with every member of the circle, and as they make a kind gesture. They use the scarfs to bond with each other.


6

Skipping


 

If the group is too large, we divide them into smaller circles

The scarfs can be the point of gathering or resting spots'

 They will circle around  in a way that each group invites the next group to skip around the bigger circle


7

Next Story: Uranus and Gaia

 


 

She reads the story to the children

Point made: "Mother earth was the mother of every little thing."

She always has visuals that can pass around.

It encourages the child to think that whatever they create is unique.

For younger children we use our fingers to enact the story and then extend it to the arms.....

Everything is illustrated first.

 

6

Dance of Individuality


 

This one is a dance of individuality, while you are in the same space....


7

Scarf Dance

 

Isadora steps for the older ones

Now two children share a scarf and do movements together while a third moves underneath it.

Check the Case Study video bellow.

The group connects and run in a circle to end with an "s' shape

 

8

Story: Daphne and Apollo 

https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/myths/apollo-and-daphne/ 

 

It was Apollo’s job to pull the sun across the sky in his 4-horse chariot every day.

He has also been referred to as the God of music, poetry, art, medicine, knowledge, plague and archery.

Apollo was the son of Zeus (the God of Thunder) and Leto. He had a twin sister, Artemis, who was the Goddess of Hunting.

Apollo was also famous for being an oracular god, and had two cults in Delphi and Delos. People would come from all over the world to learn from Apollo what their future held. It was believed that, as the God of both medicine and plague, Apollo could heal people as well as cause disease by shooting people with his arrows.

Daphne was a Naiad Nymph in Greek Mythology, and was the daughter of a river god. She was famous for being incredibly beautiful and for catching the eye of Apollo. However, Daphne was determined to remain unmarried and untouched by a man by the rest of her life.

Greek Mythology states that Apollo had been mocking the God of Love, Eros (also known as Cupid). In retaliation, Eros fired two arrows: a gold arrow that struck Apollo and made him fall in love with Daphne, and a lead arrow that made Daphne hate Apollo. Under the spell of the arrow, Apollo continued to follow Daphne, but she continued to reject him. Apollo told Daphne that he would love her forever.

Daphne turned to the river god, Peneus, and pleaded for him to free her from Apollo. In response, Peneus use metamorphosis to turn Daphne into a laurel tree. Apollo used his powers of eternal youth and immortality to make Daphne’s laurel leaves evergreen. It’s believed that Daphne has to sacrifice her body and turn into a tree as this was the only way she could avoid Apollo’s sexual advances.

 

 

9

This is the chase dance.

They work in partners 

One partner chases the other, until they freeze

She goes back to the story to reference the next part of the dance


10

Chinese Dragon


 

It encourages the feeling of being the dragon in a parade.

 

11 

Dragon Dance



We need a head of the dragon, who will be the leader

We teach them they need to stay together and that the head (leader) is as important as the body (the group)

They will march in place first to the skip


12

Closing

Every body comes sit down

Questions and Comments

Ambi

It is important for kids to be connected with each other and feel safe.. Some may feel judged, but this lesson taught us how to teach without judgement.

Dicki

Something that is really important is that you are giving them the experience without judgement and always with support. We shift the focus from judgment to support..

Ellen

What is your favorite activity to do?

Ashlen: When they use the scarf because empowers transformation

Other: When they play and make their movement their own

Dicki: when the chasing takes place, because children love to chase, so to turn it into a dance provides interaction, engagement. The point is not to catch but to experience the flow....

 



IV

A Note to Remember

For the past 30 years, Dicki Johnson Macy, in her career as a dance therapist, she has created international healing rituals for children isolated by developmental and neurological disorders and exposure to conflict and natural disaster. She continues to guide children, caregivers, and dancers of all ages with her Isadora inspired workshops and trainings.


V

 Case Study


“Guardians of Isadora”

Dicki Johnson Macy's Isadora Duncan performance group “Guardians of Isadora” is a community of children, mothers, dancers, therapists and others inspired by Duncan’s profound pedagogy. In the video  bellow, students of Dicki Johnson Macy concert of reconstructed Isaora Duncan work ,Cambridge, MA 2017

 


Scarf Dance,Schubert; Isadora Duncan Choreography for children



 

VI

Activity

 



VII

Journaling


VIII

Glossary


IX

Sources




X

Students' Work


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Assessment: Elements of Dance / Teachers: Isabella Collado & Katy Hylton

Image
  I Unit: Teaching Theme: Assessment   Introduction  The term assessment refers to the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something. In the field of Education, it refers to the assessment of students' educational needs.   II Learning Objectives   Understand the purpose of assessment Explain the importance of teaching the elements of dance Gain an awareness of the importance of writing a lesson plan  Experience the teaching of the elements of dance III Main Lesson 1 ELEMENTS OF DANCE   Video        Question 1 Why is it important to teach the elements of dance? 2  Lesson Plan MDCPS (Miami Dade County Public School) Curriculum https://www2.dadeschools.net/students/cbc/index.asp Parts of the Lesson Plan Title Date Component Objective Competency Materials Content Activity Assessment   3 Assessment Types of Assessment a) Diagnostic : It takes place at the beginning of the unit. b) F...
Read more

Unit Plan

Image
I  Unit: Teaching Theme: Unit Planning   Introduction   Unit plans comprise what will be taught, how, for what purpose, and for how long. They are purposeful, clear, and well-paced plans including aligned teaching.  A unit plan, related to the curriculum plan, is what a teacher plans for a content area to achieve the learning goals, assessments and instruction in an aligned way over a number of weeks. A lesson plan, related to the unit plan, is what and how a teacher plans to deliver instruction and practice in a lesson.   II  Learning Objectives   Understand the different aspects of planning a unit Explain the benefits of unit planning Gain an awareness of the importance of unit planning Experience the process involving unit planning     III Main Lesson  1      Questions Who am I teaching? What am I teaching? How will I teach it? How will I know if the students understand?      2     Plann...
Read more

Kinesthetic Loop

Image
  I Unit: Teaching Theme: The Kinesthetic Loop Introduction   Paying careful attention to kinesthetic information, movement sensations and feelings reveals subtle details often missed in everyday life. When teaching children, such experience awakens the feedback ( or awareness ) part of the kinesthetic loop, from which, both teachers and students, can  derive dance knowledge. II Learning Objectives   Understand the kinesthetic link Explain the benefits of creative dance and movement Gain awareness of the importance of creative dance and movement as part of the methodology of teaching Experience the creation of a lesson using creative dance and movement through the application of the kinesthetic loop   III   Main Lesson    1 CONTENT READING   Creative Dance for Learning: The Kinesthetic Link  Principles of Dance as a Creative Art Activity  CHAPTER 2 / Page 6 Creative Dance Improvisation Kinesthetic Loop IV A Note to Remember "Thr...
Read more