Discovering Dance is the ideal introductory text for students with little to no dance experience. Teachers can adapt this course to meet students where they are, whether they are new to dance or already have some dance experience. The material helps students consider where movement comes from and why humans are compelled to move, grasp the foundational concepts of dance, and explore movement activities from the perspectives of a dancer, a choreographer, and an observer. The result is a well-rounded educational experience for students to build on, whether they want to further explore dance or choreography or otherwise factor dance into college or career goals. Discovering Dance will help students in these ways: • Meet national and state standards in dance education and learn from a pedagogically sound scope and sequence that allow them to address 21st-century learning goals. • Discover dance through creating, performing, analyzing, understanding, responding to, connecting to, and evaluating dance and dance forms. • Step into a flexible dance curriculum that is appropriate for one or more years of instruction. • Build on their dance experience, whether they want to further explore dance or choreography or otherwise factor dance into college or career goals. • Use student web resources to enhance their learning. The book is divided into four parts and 16 chapters. Part I focuses on the foundational concepts of dance and art processes, wellness, safety, dance elements, and composition. Part II delves into societal facets of dance, including historical, social, folk, and cultural dance. In part III, students explore dance on stage, including ballet, modern dance, jazz dance, and tap dance, and also examine aspects of performance and production. Part IV rounds out the course by preparing students for dance in college or as a career and throughout life. Each chapter helps students • discover new dance genres; • explore dance genres through its history, artists, vocabulary, and significant works; • apply dance concepts through movement, written, oral, visual, technology, and multimedia assignments, thus deepening their knowledge and abilities; • enhance learning by completing in each chapter a portfolio assignment; and • use the Did You Know and Spotlight elements to expand on the chapter content and gain more insight into dance artists, companies, and events. Learning objectives, vocabulary terms, and an essential question at the beginning of each chapter prepare students for their learning experience. Students then move through the chapter, engaging in a variety of movement discovery, exploration, response, and research activities. The activities and assignments meet the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners and help students explore dance through vocabulary, history, culture, creation, performance, and choreography. This personal discovery is greatly aided by technology—including learning experiences that require taking photos; watching or creating short videos of dancers’ performances; creating timelines, graphs, drawings, and diagrams; and creating soundscapes. Chapters conclude with a portfolio assignment or project and a chapter review quiz. A comprehensive glossary further facilitates learning. In addition, some chapters contain Explore More elements, which trigger students to investigate selected dance styles on the web resource. These sections offer students insight into various dance genres and styles; for example, in the chapter on cultural dance, students can explore more about street dances, Mexican folkloric dance, African dance, Indian dance, and Japanese dance. The online components further strengthen the book and enrich the students’ learning experience. These resources also help teachers to prepare for and manage their classes. Here is an overview of the resources: Teacher Web Resource • Learning objectives • Extended learning activities • Handouts and assignments that students can complete, save, and print to turn in • Explore More sections of selected chapters to introduce students to additional social, folk, cultural, and contemporary dance styles • Chapter glossary terms both with and without the definitions • Chapter PowerPoint presentations • Information on assessment tools • Interactive chapter review quizzes • Answer keys for handouts, assignment sheets, and quizzes • Unit exams and answer sheets • Video and audio clips for selected dance genres • Web links and web search terms for resources to enhance the learning • Additional teacher resources to support and extend the teaching and learning process (these resources include chapter learning objectives, enduring understanding and essential questions, chapter quotes, teacher-directed information to support teaching specific activities, and web links) Student Web Resource • Handouts and assignments that students can complete, save, and print to turn in • Explore More sections of selected chapters to introduce students to additional social, folk, cultural, and contemporary dance styles • Chapter glossary terms both with and without the definitions so students can test their knowledge • Information on assessment tools • Interactive chapter review quizzes • Video and audio clips for selected dance genres • Web links and web search terms for resources to enhance the learning

From ballet and contemporary to hip-hop and even Broadway, this book reveals what it really takes to build a career in dance today.

Opening the wonderful world of ballet and music to children is a goal for every teacher of ballet -- and of music. With the teacher as guide, children can experience the exhilaration of expressing the range of human emotions with their body and music as one.This book is based on my 17 plus years of experience as a ballet teacher committed to achieving this goal. It presents the history and stories of many of the great ballets in chronological order, from its beginnings in Italy and France in the 16th and 17th centuries, up through 20th century America. Created in part with the spirit of Prokofiev's "Peter and The Wolf" in mind, the book can be used in a similar manner, using movement, story, and music to teach children musical awareness. It adapts the stories of these ballets as portrayed in dance and music. Equally important, this book includes age-appropriate exercises, or improvisations, closely tied to the music, which the teacher can suggest for the children to perform to the music. Children become familiar with the ballets of the past as well as develop a sense of musical awareness and the ability to use their imagination. Young children do not need any training in ballet, dance, or music to benefit from the book and its exercises.Discovering the art of ballet and music is a joy for any child, and can last for a lifetime. It is my hope that this book will help dance and music teachers convey this joy and understanding and love of the arts.Anne Easterling-Freifelder

If you are thinking about taking ballet classes, have a child who is starting to dance, or want to know more about ballet, then HowExpert Guide to Ballet is for you. This book covers many things, such as: - How to find the best studio for you. - Elements to look for in classes from ages 3 to 18. - What to wear to class if you are a child or an adult dancer. - Things to bring to class in your dance bag. - How to make the perfect ballet bun. - Proper ballet etiquette. - How to behave in class, at the barre, and when dancing in the center of the room. - Warm-up exercises to do sitting and standing. - Basic feet and arm positions. - The five major methods of ballet instruction. - Advice and encouragement for adult beginners. - The history of pointe shoes. - How dancers soften or harden their pointe shoes from ripping them apart to baking them in the oven. - What dancers wear inside their pointe shoes to make them comfortable. - How to Identify "dead pointe shoes" and why they are dangerous. - The history of male dancers in ballet. - Information for parents whose sons want to take ballet classes. - What Men's Classes and Partnering Classes are. - Featuring expert advice, tips and tricks, and stories from the barre. About the Author Lauren Dillon is a multifaceted writer who has been dancing classical ballet for over two decades. She has worked as a dance instructor for children and enjoys sharing classical ballet with others. Born and raised in Florida, Lauren was inspired to take ballet classes by her mother, who took ballet classes as an adult. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts in Russian & Eastern European Studies from Florida State University (FSU). After moving across the country to California, Lauren earned her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of San Francisco. When she wasn't visiting museums or working in a performing arts archive, she continued to dance at San Francisco Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. HowExpert publishes how to guides by everyday experts.

Explains how ballet began, how ballets are produced, and what is taught in a ballet school. Contrasts modern ballet with classical ballet and introduces all-time favorite ballets.

“A lucid and interesting history” of ballet—from sixteenth-century French Royalty to contemporary masters—“that reads like a novel” (Kirkus Reviews). In this engaging history of dance, readers are introduced to the major performers, choreographers, and composers who influenced the development of ballet. Beginning with the birth of the art in the sixteenth-century French court of Catherine d’ Medici, this informative text traces ballet as it evolved in Europe and Russia, and subsequently in England and then the United States. Included are details about the creation of such classics as Giselle, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Serenade, as well as the contributions of such prominent figures as Pavlova, Nijinsky, Balanchine, and Ashton. Fascinating facts include inside looks at contemporary ballet companies, how toe shoes are made, and what a professional dancer’s day is like. All in all, a delightful, enjoyable, and informative historical overview that will delight anyone who enjoys the art of dance.