Lesson Overview:
This is an interdisciplinary lesson involving dance and studio art. Students observe and learn about dance and then create a series of artworks depicting a type of dance or specific dancer.
Length of Lesson:
Six 45-minute periods
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- learn about dance.
- learn some of the movements and practices of dance.
- do a series of drawings and paintings about one dance or dancer.
Instructional Plan:
Review the online exhibition Capturing Nureyev: James Wyeth Paints the Dancer.
Introduce students to dance by visiting a dance class in your school or neighborhood, or attending a rehearsal of a professional dance group. (While live dance is always best, there are many dance performances on video or the Web that can be used for this lesson.)
Invite the school's dance or P.E. teacher to the class to talk about dance and demonstrate some dance movements. If possible, have students try some of the movements. This will help them to better understand how muscles and balance are used in dance.
Have students select a dancer or type of dance that they would like to draw. Have students do a series of studies while watching the dance performance. Each student should do at least 10 to 15 studies while observing the dance.
If possible, bring a dance costume or photographs of costumes to the classroom for students to do detail studies. Have students spread out all their sketches and develop a composition they feel defines their image of the dance or dancer. Students should choose an appropriate medium for the composition. (Anatomy books may be a useful resource for students.)
Exhibit five selected studies from each student.
Assessment:
Exhibit student work in a public place such as the library or auditorium, preferably during a dance concert.
Ask students to critique their own works and the lesson. You can use the following guiding questions:
- Do you feel you better understood dance by actually doing some of the steps? Why/Why not?
- Why did you choose to draw that specific segment of the dance or dancer?
- How did the studies help you understand the subject?
- What did you want to communicate with your final piece? Do you think you succeeded? Why or why not?
Extensions:
- Examine how other artists depicted dance in painting, sculpture, and photography.
- Attend a rehearsal of a professional dance company and request to draw during the rehearsal.
- Do a class photo essay of a dance from the beginning practice to the final performance.
Sources:
Print:
- Balanger, P., ed. Capturing Nureyev: James Wyeth Paints the Dancer. Boston: University Press, 2001.
- Fonteyn, M. The Magic of Dance. New York: Alfred Knoff, 1979.
Web:
Authors:
-
Joyce Payne, Arts Education Consultant
West Barnstable, MA
