games/ideas to bring fun to class

[Emma]

Hi, apologies if this has been raised before, I've only just joined this new world on orientaldancer! i teach belly dance and am always looking for new ways to have a bit of fun in class whilst drilling/learning new moves. sometimes we do 'add a move' where we are in a circle and each dancer adds a move that they think of, and we form a kind of routine. another i did the other day was to see how many different shimmies they could come up with, so they discussed in groups but had to have a different shimmy to bring back to the circle for each person. i'll also do a 'pass the parcel' game at xmas with a belly dance prize, where maybe each person the music stops on has to come into the centre of the circle and do a little improv dance (if they're comfortable with that).
but any ideas for new things would be welcomed, thanks!

 

[Zurah]

My teacher once came up with the following activity, a sort of spin in your 'add a move' game: she put us all in pairs, wrote several moves' names in a slip of paper, then each of us took one - then we had to devise along with our partner a short sequence using the moves we'd drawn.

 

[Reen.Blom]

This is an intesting thread! *curious*

 

[Emma]

Zurah, thanks for that suggestion- i've done that one too! sometimes i get them to come up with a mini routine/sequence off the top of their head in groups then perform it to the rest of us, and once i gave each group a slip of paper with 4 moves on which they had to put into a routine, and add their own style to. i like to encourage a bit of improvisation, but alot of my ladies find it too daunting to just come out and dance free style in front of the others, so i do it sneekily, or break them in gently!

 

[Jet Phoenix]

Circle Time!

Hello! Brand new, and when I saw this thread, thought I would actually register and post here.

For the last 5 or 10 minutes of class (depending on how big it is) we do Circle Time. I pick out music or let the students choose something, and we get into a big circle. As we go around, each student calls out a movement, body part, or space, and we dance it for a bit. This has several advantages. 1. I can learn my student's names faster! :lol: 2. The students get a chance to pick out what they want to practice for a bit. 3. The learn the names of the moves faster (or at least the names I use!:lol. When all the students have had their turn, I tell them all to "stop for a moment, and listen to the music" after a few seconds, I instruct them to "move WITH the music, dance however you like, but with the music."

I do this right before cool down, and it has worked really well for me.

 

[Emma]

thanks for that! although i understand what you mean by 'they pick a movement or body part' what do you mean by 'space'? i like this idea and some ladies (who have been coming to class longer) have expressed an interest for more 'free style' dance, so i think at the end of the session i might put a good shimmy track on thats familiar to them & tell them to just dance & enjoy!!

 

[Jet Phoenix]

pick a space

Sorry! Pick a space means to direct the attention to an area: such as above, to the left or behind.

This teaches that we don't always have to have our focus directely in front of us, or directly behind us.

I hope that makes sense!

 

[janaki]

Some of the tricks I use are progressive games

1. I let each student to come out demo their favourite move. The following week I will ask them present the same move in four defferent ways (level change, tempo change, layering etc., etc.) The next week they dance same moves to different rhythms.

2, Name game: Each dancer had to pick a move from the letters from her/his name. For example my name is JANAKI this is how it works
J- Jumps
A - arabesque
N- Neck/head slides
A - Accents
K- Kneeling moves
I - Inward figure 8

It is a progressive game. Firstly, they choose the moves and then they domonstrate. Next they present them in many different ways ( layers, level change, tempo change etc.,) Later they make up combinations and dance to a pieces of music. This game really help the students to think and apply and create new stuff with what they have learned. This is like you have homework. I will let them know what they will be doing in the next class in advance so that they can research, study and come prepared for the class. This really works.

I do lot of other stuff too. I will post the others later. I would like to hear what others have up their sleeves!!!

 

[Emma]

Janaki, thanks so much, i especially love the name game- maybe i will try this one out next week, get them doing some of the thinking for a change!
i am always trying to think of new ways for them to learn/practise moves without just drilling them- i like to keep it varied!