Bobby Freeman sang this song, the title of today's blog post, in 1958, but I'm not talking about this rock and roll classic. I'm talking about how reluctant students of a certain age are to dancing.
I teach dance to the kindergarten students and to a Grade 3-4 class. The kindergarten students have no problem moving to music. It's my other class, filled with 8- and 9-year-olds, that are super timid about dancing. I've tried to investigate what causes this aversion, and embarrassment is a part of the equation. They don't want anyone to look at them or judge them.
This can get a bit complicated when I need to see them dancing to help me determine a grade, even if it's just a simple participation mark. These are some of the things I've done this year to try and alleviate this "dance anxiety".
Dancing Between the Shelves
I am blessed to have a large school library. After we watched some videos of different kinds of dances, I encouraged students to find a secluded spot somewhere in the library between the book shelves where they could dance while I played the music. (For the record, the two songs we used during this lesson were Gangnam Style and Michael Jackson's Thriller.) I did forewarn them that I had to peek to see if they were participating. They danced a lot more than they did the previous week when we did the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide more in an open area together.
Consider It a Video Game
My students like video games, and we have a Wii permanently set up in the library. The students expressed interest in using Just Dance as part of their dance curriculum. We established (based on my previous experience doing this with other classes) what the points would mean and I spent time explaining how they had choice in selecting which song they wanted to use and how it worked.
"What if we don't like to dance? Do we have to?", asked one of the students. (Note that none of them have any cultural or religious beliefs that prevent them from participating in dance class.)
I replied with a question of my own: would they ever ask their regular classroom teacher if they had to read a book in Language class, or solve a problem in Math class, or answer questions in Social Studies class? I said that they would need to make an attempt. I promised that the whole class could do something else when it came to the point where I was evaluating, but we also needed a chance to see how the dances went. When it came time for them to practice, none of them wanted to try. I volunteered to show them how to do it. They watched (and sang along to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up") and only a few brave souls copied the actions in the far back of the room.
Other Ways to Demonstrate
I can use other dance expectations to get marks, one where they don't have to dance themselves. They can analyze dances. They can describe dances. They can watch videos and answer questions. Thing is, the easiest way for them to earn points is to just dance. I'm not asking them to perform complex or inappropriate moves. I want them to move and have fun moving.
The Extra Challenge
This relunctance appeared particularly challenging because the Student Council arranged to host a school dance for the Grade 4-8s on the last day before March Break. The administration and student council liaison teachers realized that our students, who have not attended a recreational dance in years, would be at a loss for what to do. That's why they arranged to have a DJ with experience leading junior and intermediate division students in group dances. There would be neither "slow dancing", nor "partner dancing". The company even brought dancers with them to help loosen up the crowd.
(Sorry I don't have a lot of photos to share. It was hard to get good shots unobtrusively!)
The great news is that 99% of the students actually danced! The moves were easy enough to follow along. The focus was on the stage, not on each other. The DJ played songs they seemed to like. There were prizes, and the gym was darkened enough with lights and decorations to make it special. I guess a lot of it depends on setting the right atmosphere to make it conducive to dancing. I did not get the name of the DJ and the company, but the teachers were very happy with the outcome. Big thanks go to Ms. Daley and the student council for making this happen on the last day before March Break.
Why Insist?
Why is it so important for us to encourage dance? So many of our students only see dance as performative, which means they miss out on the joy, expression, and exercise that dancing can bring. If I hear a song that I like, it's hard not to bounce in time or walk to the rhythm, never mind bust a move. Dancing is a great way to show your feelings or demonstrate understanding of concepts and themes. I remember ages and ages ago when I first came to my current school, I had a conversation with a class teacher about what dance could combine with, and he had his students give evidence of their learning in science via dance. One of my present AQ students talked about combining dance with coding and choreographing (and participating) in dance routines with robots. And dancing vigorously can make you sweat in a good way!
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