Express While You Dance : Facial Expression

This post concerns Combination Class, Creative Dance and Pre-Ballet

This month we are going to be focusing on emotion and expression during class. This week we will be focusing on facial expression. One of the games that we will be playing will involve mimicking each others' faces. I'll sit down with the students and give them a key word, like sad, happy, angry, silly, scared, etc... I'll ask them to make their own face to go along with the word that I say. Then everyone will get an individual turn and we have to guess what kind of face that they are making and then copy it.

Happily since Ballet New England is performing Snow White right now, I will be using the music during free dance to help the face-making game translate into dance. I'll ask them - how would you portray the Evil Queen? Snow White? The dwarves?

These activities will hopefully plant the seed in their minds that dance is a communicative art, a tool that they can use for expression no matter what age they are.