Minute Masterclass Episode 179

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance and creator of the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Dance Educators and the DiscoverDance Experience Membership. Now that we know the DiscoverDance 5-Station Obstacle Course and have several different variations to choose from, let’s talk about how to set up the obstacle course portion of class.

 There are a few different ways we can keep our dancers engaged as we set up each station. First, we can Show and Tell. Show the dancers the activity and have them tell you the concept you are exploring. For example, if we are exploring the concept of speed. As I am putting each prop out, I will say, “Dancers, what is our word of the day? Speed, that’s right!. When we walk across my balance beam we will move with slow speed. Say slow. When we jump over our domes, we will move with fast speed. Say fast. When we tiptoe from red spot to red spot, we will move with slow speed. Say Slow. And, when we crawl through the tunnel you get to pick which speed you will go. Julia, line up on our train track and tell me, will you crawl fast or slow through the tunnel. Let’s hear from Ryan as he lines up. Fast or Slow Ryan?” And so on.

We can also have the dancers assist in creating the obstacle course. If the course is the same as previous weeks, have them recall what prop was where and the activity. This is a fantastic progression if you do the same course for several weeks. A moment of teamwork, problem solving, social interaction, and memory retention will keep this transition engaging and enriching.

For more information, to enroll in the Foundations Course, or to join the DiscoverDance Experience and access our full training on transitions inside the DiscoverDance Academy, visit DiscoverDance.com.