Dance In a Day: Halloween 2023

​Dance In Day is a favorite lesson because it quickly creates a dance that celebrates a specific moment in time.

Why not use the sugar coated energy in the room to steer the content forward while having some fun? 

The upside is that Halloween can ignite all sorts of inspiring material. From candy to toys, haunted stories and decorations, there are so many ways you can move your content forward. 

This year's Halloween Dance in a Day introduces a new concept, Laban's Effort with the focus of FLOW: bound or free. Additionally the students get to use warm-up dances but play with a new tempo. 

Music Choice: Disturbia by Rhianna
Composition Ingredients: Use What You Have / Make What You Need

• Dance break from our Footwork and Floorwork warm-up.
• Introduce Laban’s Effort: Bound and Flow using the action verbs SLASH and FLOAT.
• Travel Step: walks and pivot step.

INTRODUCTION: 32 Counts

1. Students walk 6x’s on the beat (counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), pivot turn (7-8). Make the pivot turn sharp. Instruct students to walk in the space, avoiding the other dances. “Imagine your peers have secret powers that can control you, you need t to stay away.”
2. This will be performed four times if you start right when the music starts.

VERSE 1: 32 Counts
Each bullet point represents one eight count.*

• SLASH 3 different ways. 1 Long, 1 Short, 1 with a turn. (In any order they choose.) Use counts 1, 3, & 5.​

• FLOAT from Low to High OR High to Low.

• ​ ​In Partners, Sculpt Your Monster. This can be by touch or “an energy pull”. Use the toys as inspiration.

 Continue sculpting your Monster.

• The partner that Sculpts the Monster uses their “energy pull” to move the monster. Use the toy as the model for the movements. Stretch the limbs, squish them, make them jump, shake, and spin. You can also use gestures to direct levels and stillness.
• Continue moving your Monster.
• Continue moving your Monster.
• Direct your Monster to PULSE to the beat of the song using the accent on the odd numbers.

*This section will be performed as a duet. Partner 1 will perform the SLASH & FLOAT while their partner will walk slowly in a circle around them. The dancer who walks in a circle will be the Sculptor. Verse 2, we will switch roles.

CHORUS PART 1: 32 counts

• Footwork: Warm-up Dance Break​​​. Because they know the right and left sides of the dance break, you can play with mirroring or call and respond.

CHORUS PART 2: 32 counts

• Floorwork: Warm-up Dance Break

​Music Interlude: 32 counts

• Do the same as in the Introduction. (walk and pivot turn).

VERSE 2: 32 Counts 

• Repeat the task from Verse 1 but reverse the roles.

CHORUS: 64 Counts

• Repeat the chorus. Again, you can play with partnering, directions, etc.

Music Interlude: 32 counts

• Walk and pivot - begin to form groups of four.

BRIDGE:32 Counts

• In Groups of Four: Follow the light. 
• I have a projector that shows a group of spiders starting in a small clump and expanding from the clump. If you don’t have a projector, use an image like a scary tree or spider web.​

CHORUS: 32 Counts
Repeat the chorus, and find a fun ending! Have the students help brainstorm the ending. 

ENJOY!
​
Halloween lessons were inspired by the temporary tattoos and light projections I found while shopping for Halloween concepts. Inspiration is EVERYWHERE! 
Do What You Know, Use What You Have, and Make What You Need.
​#Danceeducation

---