Beginner Somatic Contemporary Dance Technique

Lesson 3
(Lecture and Movement - 60 minute class)
Age/Grade 14-15 years old // Freshmen High schoolers (3 + years of training)

Goals of Course 1. To cultivate mindfulness as foundational to a students

movement practice.
2. To engage dancers physically & mentally through
movement and self-inquiry.
3. To use both lecture and movement-based pedagogy for an
optimal learning experience.

List of Materials Resources

Music on Laptop Teresas Teaching Dance Lesson Plan Template
Meditation Book(s) Melody Beatties Journey to the Heart
Anatomy Coloring Sheets Nancy Hull-Masts Our Best Days
Andrea Olsens B
ody Stories

Structure of Class

Greeting 10 -Dancers will be greeted and directed to walk around the space
min for a mobile body scan. I will verbally cue sensations all about
Instrumental music will the feet, changing speed and direction.
be quietly playing in the - Lets go for a walk. How are you walking? Heel to toe? Toe to
background. heel?
- Walk along the inner borders of your feet. Walk along the outer
I will be moving around borders of your feet.
the space with my - Come to neutral (The neutral pelvis was introduced earlier)
students. -Now imagine the floor is hot lava - SPEED - invite your upper
body to respond, envision hot spores are flying everywhere...
-Now imagine the floor is freezing snow - SPEED
- Come to neutral
-Now imagine youre walking through a maze with narrow halls
- SPEED, DIRECTION & smaller kinesphere
Meditation 3 min Dancers will pause standing and be directed to gently
close their eyes.
I will lower the music. Remember that our feet are our base of support and
connection to the earth: How can you focus your attention
I will take a physical & and energy to this place in class today?
mental pause with my Now gently open your eyes and walk on either your heels
students. or balls of your feet to the whiteboard

This Opening Meditation
(whether it will be seated,
through movement,
silence, etc.) Trying to
build routine for the
students; in hopes that
they develop their own
daily meditation outside of
class.

Lecture 20 Lets look at the anatomy of our feet!

min Using whiteboard:
No music will be - Shout out some things we know about our feet!
playing. - List any shares on the board.
- Give handouts of diagrams.
I will be doing the foot - Fill out as a class - Labeling phalanges, metatarsals,
massage with my calcaneus - discuss the joints and range of movement per
students. each section of the foot
- Any questions?

Tying into Opening:
Could someone describe some of the sensations of the various
walking patterns we tried at the beginning of class?
- What were you doing?
- How were you doing it?
- List sensations. Have class explore 1-2 on their own.

Foot Massage - Wake up every surface of the Foot!
- Brush tap knead the feet
- Hands in between toes and articulate the the toes, slowly,
in all directions
- Wiggle each toes point & flex just the toes
- Mobilizing the ankle joint still seated, manipulate with
hands standing, roll the ankles out
- Stand in neutral, feet hips width distance apart - ground
down through all four corners of your feet - notice what
different sensations you may feel after the foot massage
Movement Exploration 15 Lets Explore!
min 1-Walk around the space again.
Instrumental music will - Stop & pause. Bring your attention to your feet.
be playing in the - Go.
background. - Call out different sensations in your feet!
2-Now take it into a light jog.
I will be moving around - Stop & pause. Bring your attention to your feet.
the space with my - Go.
students. - Imagine the floor is sand. Do you feel as though youre
sinking into the floor? How is this affecting your speed?
3-Lets prance.
- Stop & pause. Bring your attention to your feet.
- Go.
- Imagine the floor is covered in crunchy leaves. Do you feel
as though youre lifting away from the floor? How is this
affecting your speed?

Lets end moving at a gentler pace, just walking too...

Center Phrase:
Working in parallel
R glide front L glide back R side L side
R side drag turn R drop extended leg to
the floor roll to share weight on your hands
invert to come back to standing
L glide front R glide back L side R side
L side drag turn L drop extended leg to the
floor roll to share weight on your hands
invert to come back to standing

Make your way to your journals and write down todays prompt.

Closing 5 min - Dancers will be asked to journal the following: to complete for
our next meeting
Instrumental music will
be playing in the
background. 1. Outside of class, when I am wearing different shoes, am I
aware of the articulateness of my feet?
Journaling assignments
are meant for the dancers. 2. How am I walking outside of the studio? Where is my
I will not read them. They
weight? In my heels? Along the outside borders of my feet?
may share with partners
or discuss i n a group, if
time allows in a given Once you are ready, close your notebooks and stand so that I
class. know you are ready. Come to standing, close your eyes. On the
 count of three, we will stomp our feet 4 times to ground todays
This assignment is meant work.
to build a consistent

self-inquiry practice for
the students. Thank you dancers!