A Sense of Dance: Exploring Your Movement Potential

A Sense of Dance: Exploring Your Movement Potential, Second Edition, is written for true beginners—students who are exploring the art form for the first time and are not likely to describe themselves as dancers. Through this text, students discover that dance is an accessible art form that can bring greater self-awareness and self-confidence. It helps new dancers learn how to express themselves through dance. This second edition, based on an already-successful textbook, features three new chapters that add even more depth to the topics covered. The chapters address the power of dance through time and place, culture, and community; a sense of style; and patterns of coordination. Like the first edition, this empowering text uses an interactive approach to invite students to learn about dance through everyday experiences, personal observations, and guided experiences. The following are some of the special elements in the text: - “Inside Insights” encourage students to reflect on interesting observations that may affect their movement and expression. -“Try This Experiment” exercises are guided physical explorations of concepts in the text that help students become more kinesthetically aware of their movements and discover new ways of moving. -“Think About It” sections require students to reflect on how they can apply the information presented. These considerations provide good material for journal entries. -“Your Turn to Dance” provides two opportunities per chapter for students to work in small groups to discover movement possibilities, solve problems, and hone their observation and evaluation skills. These become springboards for choreography that reinforces the concepts in the chapter—and provide another adventure of exploring movement potential. The author uses a basic movement vocabulary that you can use to describe and evaluate movement possibilities, improve sensitivity when working in groups, develop critical-thinking skills, and express ideas and emotions through movement. The book also contains these features designed to help students personalize and interact with the content: -Short quizzes -Highlight boxes -Self-assessment exercises -Updated, easy-reference index Whatever your students' level of artistic awareness, this engaging text will inspire innovation and help you guide students in the discovery of their own creativity and sense of dance.