Introduction
Based on the multiculturalism value and the big idea “respect for diversity” in BC curriculum, we are developing a teaching program about folk dances in elementary school. For this collection, we incorporate French Canadian folk dances (e.g. circle dance), English Canadian folk dances (e.g. square dance), First Nations dances (contact info), and folk dances in other cultures (e.g. Bhangra in India) as four blocks to make cross-curricular unit plans.
Folk dances are good transition from creative dance to more complicated dances (e.g. social dancing, hip hop dancing). With the foundation of basic movements (e.g. skip step, foot tap), action words, rhythmical and spatial awareness, etc. learning from creative dancing, students would be more easily to learn other new type of dances. Moreover, students’ interests about dancing would be greatly motivated so that they would feel more comfortable and be willing to learn new dances. Students are also able to learn and experience historical culture and culture from other nations and countries through a joyful and interesting way, i.e. music and dances. Also, having students to develop their own culture and also respect other culture greatly ties in the multiculturalism value and the big ideas in BC curriculum.
Dance
English Canadian Dance
Square dances
Square dances were first documented in 17th-century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe. They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there.
In England around 1600, teams of six trained performers—all male, for propriety’s sake, and wearing bells for extra oomph—began presenting choreographed sequences known as the morris dance. This fad is thought to have inspired English country dance, in which couples lined up on village greens to practice weaving, circling and swinging moves reminiscent of modern-day square dancing. Over on the continent, meanwhile, 18th-century French couples were arranging themselves in squares for social dances such as the quadrille and the cotillion. Folk dances in Scotland, Scandinavia and Spain are also thought to have influenced square dancing.
When Europeans began settling England’s thirteen North American colonies, they brought both folk and popular dance traditions with them.
Source Cr: http://www.history.com/news/square-dancing-a-swinging-history; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_dance
Square Dancing
Circle Dancing
French Canadian Dance
Circle dances
Circle dancers are in physical contact with each other; the connection is made by hand-to-hand, finger-to-finger or hands-on-shoulders. It is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of partners. Generally, the participants follow a leader around the dance floor while holding the hand of the dancers beside them. The dance can be gentle or energetic.
Modern circle dance mixes traditional folk dances, mainly from European or Near Eastern sources, with recently choreographed ones to a variety of music both ancient and modern.
The fiddle, accordion, and guitar are the most common instruments used in French-Canadian music. The song La Bastringue in the circle dance unit, it can be felt that the French-Canadian style of music is well-displayed.
Source Cr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_dance; https://www.nh.gov/folklife/learning-center/traditions/music-dance-french.htm
Indian Dance
Modern Bhangra
The origins of traditional Bhangra are speculative. According to Dhillon (1998), Bhangra is related to the Punjabi dance 'bagaa' which is a martial dance of Punjab.
Bhangra dancers from Case Western Reserve University dancing at the annual Buckeye Mela event at Ohio State University.
By the 1990s, modern Bhangra was being staged in the Punjabi Diaspora, often characterized by a fusion with Western dance styles and the use of prerecorded audio mixes.
Since the 1990s[citation needed], universities and other organizations have held annual modern Bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, England, and Australia as well. At these competitions, young Punjabis, other South Asians, and people with no South Asian background compete for money and trophies.
Modern Bhangra Dancing
Mexican Hat Dance
Mexican Dance
Mexican Hat Dance
The Mexican hat dance or Jarabe Tapatío is a very prevalent dance that is often considered the Mexico’s national dance. One of the greatest reasons for its popularity is that it celebrates courtship.
The increasingly popular Mexican hat dance provides viewers with a twirling collage of vitality and sparkle. The dance has captured the heart and soul of many including traditional music lovers in Mexico and around the world. And to this day, Jarabe Tapatío outshines most dances in history, courtship and choreography.
Source Cr: http://www.facts-about-mexico.com/mexican-hat-dance.html
Standardized Abbreviations For Folk Folk Dance Descriptions
| & | a secondary ct between two major cts, as in "1-&-2" |
| beg | beginning |
| bt, bts | beat, beats |
| bwd | backward |
| CCW | counter-clockwise, often meaning turning that direction in place (see LOD) |
| cir | circle, circles |
| COH | center of hall |
| cpl, cpls | couple, couples |
| ct, cts | count, counts |
| ctr | center |
| CW | clockwise, often meaning turning that direction in place (see RLOD) |
| diag | diagonal, diagonally |
| dir | direction |
| dn | down |
| fig, Fig | figure, Figure |
| ft | foot, feet |
| ftwk | footwork |
| fwd | forward |
| L | left (side, dir, ft, arm, hand, etc.) |
| LOD | line of direction around the floor, counter-clockwise |
| M | man, man's, men, men's |
| meas | measure, measures |
| opp | opposite |
| orig | original |
| pos | position |
| prev | previous |
| ptr, ptrs | partner, partners |
| R | right (side, dir, ft, arm, hand, etc.) |
| RLOD | reverse line of direction around the floor, clockwise |
| shldr, shldrs | shoulder, shoulders |
| swd | sideward |
| twd | toward |
| uh | bt between a major ct and a secondary ct, as in Lawrence Welk's "uh-1-&-uh-2" |
| var | variation, variations |
| W | woman, woman's, women, women's |
| wt | weight |
Source Cr: by Dick Oakes