Dance Genres Teacher Resources

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by teaching your class how to do an Irish jig. This type of dance is very fast. Break it all down and teach each section of the dance thoroughly. There are plenty of hops, kicks, toe touches, and stomps in...

Nearly every people group has some type of dance, and those dances usually reflect history and culture. Little researchers write an essay on the cultural significance of the Hawaiian hula dance. They research the role of the hula dancer...

High schoolers consider the development of dance across cultures. For this dance genre lesson, students study the history of Russia and the Mongol Tatars. High schoolers research how classical ballet made its way to Russia and create...

Skater's Glide, Reindeer Stomps, Skiers, and Snow Shoe Marches are the four types of dance steps in this activity. Find the Crazy Frog version of "Jingle Bells" and teach these dance moves. There is a video included so take a look at it...

Express dance moves mathematically. Scholars dissect dance routines and express them using mathematical notation, such as translations and rotations. They use video clips to investigate seven different dance genres.

One of the best ways to explore other cultures is through experiencing their dances. That's exactly what happens in this sweet instructional activity on cultural dance. In it, learners dance to The Mexican Hat Dance, Skip to My Lou, and...

Students Watch a video to observe Celtic dancers prior to playing a game called, "Irish Jig Tag." When students are tagged with a Shamrock wand, they mimic an Irish jig. The game can be adapted to celebrate other nationalities or...

Students examine the various types of dancing present in Korea. In groups, they discover the history and cultural purposes of the dances and how society influenced the role of dance in its culture. They answer discussion questions and...

Students participate in different types of dances in which they explore time, action and other elements of dancing. They dance with a group or a partner and explore how to work together.

The wacky letter W is the star of a music video intended for beginning readers. With words like wacka-wacka-doo, wow, and Wanda, viewers gain a very firm grasp on the way the letter W looks and sounds.

In this dance word search, students analyze 15 words in a word bank that are styles of dancing. Students find these in a word search puzzle.

High schoolers draw portraits of a dancer. In this visual-arts instructional activity, students study the work of James Wyeth online. They then watch a dance performance and sketch 10 - 15 pieces depicting dancers. Five of these sketches...

First graders explore Aztec culture to gain understanding of relationship between music, recreation, and culture. Seven lessons on one page.

Students go through the experience of creating a dance. They use the correct vocabulary when creating the dance in writing. Students choreograph the steps needed to perform the dance in sequence. Then they perform the dance for final...

Sixth graders investigate the meaning of different types of Native American music and dance. They determine how this music and dance has contributed to modern music and dance. They problem solve to determine the average length of the...

Seventh graders, while in the computer lab utilizing a Sibelius software, create an eight-measure piece in the key of a minor using the notes A, B, C, D and E. They incorporate quarter notes, eighth notes and half notes. Each student...

Students explore dancing to a Friendship or Round dance songs. They perform basic dancing steps such as the stomp and hit. Students demonstrate rhythm, hand motion and proper foot placement. They listen to the music and perform a dance...

Students are introduced to a social dance from Canada's Aboriginal peoples. Students warm up listening to the music and listening for the beat before trying the 'Stomp' step without a partner. After some practice, students choose...

Students receive instruction in a variety of dance skills. Upon completion of the dance unit, they write a Pen Pal letter to describe their personal experience during the dance unit. They do their own research to explore 2 dances of...

In this sport worksheet, students complete a set of 8 questions about sports. Answers are included on page 2. A reference web site is given for additional activities.

Students explore performing arts by reading a children's book in class. In this body movement lesson plan, students read the book Dance and create their own artistic impressions based on dancing images from the book. Students share their...

This site contains information on the history and styles of ballroom dances. Find the type of dance you're interested in and the site will provide an overview, syllabus, featured steps, and even music.

Resource includes descriptions of different types of renaissance dances.

Wikipedia offers a definition of allemande, a type of dance popular in Baroque music. Includes hyperlinked terms.