As a teacher it is greatly important to allow and encourage students to identify, label, express, and assess their feelings. In order to produce more expressive dancers they must be able to identify the feelings or mood behind the music or the movement. Dancers who know all the steps and are technically proficient but have no expression in their face or body are not compelling to watch. I’d personally rather watch a student that is a dynamic mover and that expresses the music in their body much more than a student who is purely technical. Those dancers who make you feel something while sitting in the audience are powerful examples of how dance can connect to the human spirit and stir up an emotional response. In order to make the students aware of their feelings and the mood behind the music or movement teachers must bring in more opportunity to assess or identify how the student feels when they listen or dance to a specific piece of music. Asking questions around the topic of emotions and feelings can help develop a more thoughtful performer. For instance: How does this music make you feel? What was the emotion you experienced when you were leaping? How did your body feel different when you were moving smoothly versus sharply? What classmates are expressing the mood or feelings in the music?
Connecting on an emotional level can encourage your relationships with students as well.
They can then feel more comfortable approaching you and expressing their feelings in other situations that may arise at school. Developing this emotional connectedness makes the teacher seem more “human” or approachable and it connects us all together.
Guiding Questions to ask students while they are listening to a piece of music:
· What do you hear?
· How does it make you feel?
· What does it remind you of?
Thanks for stopping by!
Alison