Here’s a fun introductory game I’ll use in a first day of dance camp or as a creative portion of technique class.  Each student must spell his or her name using movement.  My name is Erika, so I might E-echappe, R-run, I- itch, K-kick, and A-balance in attitude.  Then, show and share with partners and in small groups.  If you have time, have students teach their partner or groups their dances!

A- arabesque, above (arms above head), attack

B- bounce, ball, boing, beat, bang, big, balance, blink, bourre, bear walk, butterfly stretch

C- child’s pose, crouch, chasse, creatively walk, crab walk, crawl, clap, jump over cones

D-dance, developpe, dig, daintily tip-toe, downward dog

E- echappe, energetically skip, elbow circles, elevate your arms or feet, elephant stomp

F- flip, forwards march, fly, flex your muscles, do the fish dance

G-go, great big jump, gallop, grin, grow

H-hop, half-split, heavy march, move your head

I-inchworm, itch, icicles (freeze dance)

J-jump, jiggle, jell-o legs, jog, jumping jacks

K-kangaroo jump, kick, kneel

L- leap, lazily turn, loop, laugh

M- march, mash, move

N-  neck movements, noodle, nod, nose to knees

O- open and close, over, on top

P- prance, pirouette, plie, push and pull, pike stretch, pat

Q- quickly turn, quietly jump

R- run, releve, reach, roll, robot, ribbon dance

S- shake, shiver, snake crawls, slowly run, skip, salute, somersault, sit, stand, stretch, spin, slither, scarves

T- turn, tendu, teeter-totter, twirl, tip-toe

U- under and over, up (go up), upside down

V- v-arms, vrooom (like a car)

W- wildly crawl, wiggle, walk, wave, waddle

X- x-jump

Y- nod yes, yawn, yo-yo

Z- zig-zag, zoom

If you liked this activity, try my Pilobolus Alphabet activity.