Names: A Source of Stories for Dance Improvisation

 

Unit: Creative Dance

Theme: Names

 

I

Introduction 

 Names have meaning. In modern times most people are not aware of their name's meaning. However, names are a very personal source of inspiration to create dance. Today's class uses the students' names to generate stories. Each story is told in expressive movement as students move deeper into the significance of the name given to them at birth, during their life time, as a result of a quest.

 

 II

Learning Objectives

• Understand the meaning of names
  
• Explain the usefulness of finding the story in the name
  
• Gain awareness of the potential names have as a source
  
• Experience the connection between your own name dance
  
• Reflect on the work done in class.

 

 III

Main Lesson

 

1

Warm Up 

2

 Name Dance

 

3

 

Review directions, levels and space

 

3

Ideas

Alphabet Dance. https://fb.watch/pDxSC0oEBX/

4

Read Introduction (Page x)

The Movement of Movement

 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Moment_Of_Movement/kckFbAFDE70C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dance+Improvisation&printsec=frontcover

 

III

Discussion

 

1. Be aware of the letters in your name. What moves can you generate to embody the letters in your name?
   
2. What is the meaning of your name? Express it in movement.
   
3. Think about the circumstances in which your name was chosen by your parents. Turn it into a story. Dance it!
   
4. Is your name related to any important figure in history, religion, or politics? Express this relation in movement.
   

 

IV

A Note to Remember

  Dance improvisation fuses creation with execution. The dance simultaneously originates and performs movement without pre-planning. It is a way of tapping the stream of the subconscious without intellectual censorship, allowing spontaneous and spontaneous exploring. (3)

V

Case Study 

 

Video

VI

 Activity

 

Solo Work

What is the story of your name?

Discover it

Write it...

Say it...

Dance it....

Find music for it

Re-Dance it

Record it

 VII

 Journaling 

 

Reflect on the experience

Post it!

 

 

VIII

 

Glossary

 

Free association: a therapeutic method used to investigate the psyche, is a significant feature of psychoanalysis. The client is asked to express whatever is on their mind including memories, words, images, and daydreams, however random.(4)

 

 

IX

 

Sources

1. Creative Movement: The Name Dance. https://thedancebuzz.com/2012/07/14/creative-movement-the-name-dance/

 

2. Dance Tour Name.https://stagelightarts.com/3-17-20-dance-your-name/

3. Blom, L.A. and Tarin Chaplin, L. (1988). The Moment of Movement. University of Pittsburgh Press. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Moment_Of_Movement/kckFbAFDE70C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dance+Improvisation&printsec=frontcover

4. Washington, N. (2021). All About Free Association Therapy. https://psychcentral.com/health/free-association-therapy

X

 

Students' Work 

 

 

Daniel Bron

In researching my names, Daniel, Ethan, and Bron, I’ve uncovered fascinating meanings and origins.

Daniel, a Hebrew name, means ‘God is my judge.’ It reflects qualities of integrity and leadership. Ethan, also Hebrew, means ‘firm’ or ‘strong,’ symbolizing resilience and wisdom. Bron, with Yiddish roots, translates to ‘brown,’ suggesting earthiness and a connection to nature.

Each name carries a distinct significance, together painting a picture of a strong, wise, and grounded individual.

 

Emma & Caro

This was a very interesting exercise. (Caro) I danced about how my mom named me after Caroline Kennedy. (Emma) I wrote about my mom's best friend that passed away suddenly when she was 17. My mom and her other friends made a pact to name their first child after Eve with the starting letter E. the name Emma means universe so I tried to make grand movements. 

Danielle And Gabi

We learned that we really like spins. We also learned that we do not have to be good dancers to improv. It is all about how your body feels and how the simplest movements count. We observed that everyone is different when it comes to improv. Everyone in the class has different levels of dance background. We noticed that some people like to do more flexible movements like extensions and turns, while others like simpler movements.

 

Alejandra and Jordyn

My dance was the meaning of my name which means flowing down. I did movements to reflect this like different arms and a turn to the floor. It felt flowy and freeing to do these different dance movements to the floor. My name is Alejandra, which means protector of man. In my dance I felt like I was trying to protect myself from the dangers of this world, yet still wanted to explore and discover new things. With my interpretation, I wanted to highlight the aspect of protection behing my name and its conflicts that may arise.

 

Tomi Frame

Gianna Angelillo

It let us be free, and be free, It made us feel like its okay to let loose in the wild. Felt super confident and laughter. It felt good and we want to dance in the mirror till we die. We learned that you can show emotions through dancing and feel your name out. We observed that a lot of people take their name into another way and connect with their bodies. 

Gabriella & Shayla

Improvisation was freeing and made us feel light. Shaylas name resembles the goddess of the mountain which made her dance extremely strong and powerful. Gabriella embodied the letters of her name as she spelt them out. We learned that movement can have meaning. In addition, we have learned that movement can be interpreted in many ways. 

Oriana Davila & Enrique

This experience was a success since it allows us to know more about our names and to be able explore movements freely. Also it was very interesting to see how people were interpreting their names by either the meaning, literally the letters, or the story behind.

Jingjing Pan，Yiyun Yang，Meng Wang

 

We relaxed our bodies during the warm-up exercise session. In the second part, we brainstorming and had a deep understanding of our names, created different dance movements with our bodies, and then 

shared with each other, so that we were more familiar with each other and saw the students' understanding of their own names.

 

 

Delaney Brown and Savannah Park

 

Made us get out of our comfort zone and be creative. Find more meaning in our names and how to represent it.