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.
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