A great way to assess and build creativity is to play the dancer version of Blind Man, Blind Man, Cannot See . . . except no one has to turn around three times and try to catch anyone like we did when we were kids.
For this exercise, have your dancers find a place on the floor (standing) where they have ample room to move, without colliding with each other. Instruct them to close their eyes (and keep 'em closed!). You will have to promise them that you won't hit them, poke them, eat their snacks or anything else they might get suspicious about when they close their eyes. You may want to have strips of materials to use as a blindfold for your peekers.
Let them know you are going to call out some words, and they have toexpress that word in movement. Ask them to think as creatively as they can. Tell them you won't move on to the next word until everyone has made an expression. You may have to wait on a few people to think about their movement, but don't move on until everyone does something.
Continue your list for as many words as you'd like, and you may want to repeat a few. Don't be afraid to challenge your dancers to move beyond just standing! They can kneel, bow, sit, sink, melt, stand on one foot, arabesque, pirouette, and everything in between! Make this suggestion only if you notice that no one is thinking along these creative lines.
Once you are done, share with the group some of the movements you saw, attempting to share a movement done by each person on your team. You can later incorporate those movements in your choreography as needed. Easy right? I know!
Now if you liked this tip, tell me about it on our Facebook page! And if you want more, strategies and insight to lead your team to excellence, enroll in our next session of The Dance Ministry Manual Online Workshop, where I have soooooo much more to share with you! The next enrollment session is open NOW and you can get started right away.
Also, don't forget to share this with your dance friends and dance communities on Facebook or Twitter. I'd love to meet your friends!
For this exercise, have your dancers find a place on the floor (standing) where they have ample room to move, without colliding with each other. Instruct them to close their eyes (and keep 'em closed!). You will have to promise them that you won't hit them, poke them, eat their snacks or anything else they might get suspicious about when they close their eyes. You may want to have strips of materials to use as a blindfold for your peekers.
Let them know you are going to call out some words, and they have toexpress that word in movement. Ask them to think as creatively as they can. Tell them you won't move on to the next word until everyone has made an expression. You may have to wait on a few people to think about their movement, but don't move on until everyone does something.
Continue your list for as many words as you'd like, and you may want to repeat a few. Don't be afraid to challenge your dancers to move beyond just standing! They can kneel, bow, sit, sink, melt, stand on one foot, arabesque, pirouette, and everything in between! Make this suggestion only if you notice that no one is thinking along these creative lines.Once you are done, share with the group some of the movements you saw, attempting to share a movement done by each person on your team. You can later incorporate those movements in your choreography as needed. Easy right? I know!
Now if you liked this tip, tell me about it on our Facebook page! And if you want more, strategies and insight to lead your team to excellence, enroll in our next session of The Dance Ministry Manual Online Workshop, where I have soooooo much more to share with you! The next enrollment session is open NOW and you can get started right away.
Also, don't forget to share this with your dance friends and dance communities on Facebook or Twitter. I'd love to meet your friends!
