Movement

Birds flying in the sky appear as if they’re in perfect formation and synchronization. They’re aware of each other and the space around them at all times. Through this exercise, students will explore different types of movement and how it can express certain feelings and concepts. They’ll also build trust and ensemble by working together to create choral movement connected to vocal pieces.

Students will demonstrate their ability to use their whole body to create a character by participating in a “character walk.” Students explore how movement can be used to create a character. They will see what different body parts are used to convey character, how circumstances change how we move and how characters move differently from one another.

Learning to deal with rejection and turn rejection into a positive motivator is a lifelong skill. In this multi-class lesson, students will reflect on and discuss their views on rejection, theatricalize that view through movement, research someone who has found success only after rejection and failure, and theatricalize that information.

In this lesson, students will take a task that has steps to it (the model for this activity demonstrates the process of making handmade candy) and turn it into a physical-movement piece. How can you theatricalize an ordinary task?

This Lesson Plan introduces one of the important tools of an actor: the body. Student actors often have difficulty getting out of their own body, especially if they suffer from any kind of stage fright. How do we move on stage? What happens when we’re afraid to move? How can we get beyond nerves to become comfortable with our bodies? What do we “do” on stage?

Use this lesson plan as an introduction to onstage physical action. Students will demonstrate comprehension of nonverbal communication by identifying, discussing and demonstrating different aspects of body language. They will brainstorm examples of nonverbal communication. They will practice these gestures in exercises. They will come up with body language for different characters and relationships between characters. Their final task will be to put what they've learned into a short scene and then write a reflection.