Teaching the Dance Concepts: Body Shapes with Scarecrows!

Dance Exploration at the Castle Rock Recreation Center

October Dance Classes are in full swing at Dance to Learn® Programs across the country! Our October Dance Theme is Fall in Love with Scarecrows! The Dance to Learn® program follows a whole-child approach to dance education by following 14 Dance Concepts to ensure that our classes and routines are designed to dance, learn and grow right along with our students.

One of the Dance Concepts we are exploring during the month of October is Body Shapes. We love learning about body shapes with the help of adorable and lovable scarecrows!

4 Body Shapes

In the Dance to Learn® Program, we learn 4 basic body shapes:

- Straight

- Curvy

- Angular/Geometric

- Twisted/Wrapped

How do we explore these Body Shapes in class?

We include an obstacle course in our classes that we call a Story Dance Pathway™. These are obstacle courses that tell a story as dancers complete them. For our Fall in Love with Scarecrows obstacle course, we include 4 Stations of movement.

Station 1: Curvy

Our Dancers stand tall then curve down towards their toes (Cambré Stretch). Then pick up a large pumpkin (Circular) for their head and hold their arms in High Fifth.

Dance Exploration at the Castle Rock Recreation Center

Station 2: Angular/Geometric

The Next station, our Dancers must stuff the scarecrow with Hay by performing 2 pliés on a high stack. The Plié creates a diamond shape with the legs.

Dance Exploration at the Castle Rock Recreation Center

Station 3: Straight

Next the Dancers must complete a Scarecrow Maze! They rise on their toes (Relevé) and tip toe walk (Bourrée) through the Row of Scarecrows in a Zig Zag Pathway!

Dance Exploration at the Castle Rock Recreation Center

Station 4: Twisted/Wrapped

In our Final Station, our dancer holds their arms to chassé in a circle (like black crows). They pretend to land on a scarecrow by performing their piqué piqué piqué turn (twisted shape). The scarecrow shoo's the birds away by performing arabesque and saying "Boo"!

Dance Exploration at the Castle Rock Recreation Center

The Fall in Love with Scarecrows Lesson Plan is the Copyright and Property of Dance to Learn, LLC. To purchase your license of the Lesson Plan, please visit: Dance to Learn® University