Creative Dance for All Ages: A Conceptual Approach

Rating:
Summary: A recipe book for classroom teachers of creative dance
Review: This book is the most practical one for teachers of creative dance in the classroom, although it is much more than a classroom tool. "Creative Dance for All Ages" is easy to read, simple to grasp and the lessons almost teach themselves. Gilbert starts you from the basics of movement using vocabulary and concepts simplified from Rudolph von Laban's work in movement analysis. Her methods are generous and joyful, reflecting her passion for giving children (and adults) the experience of dance without fear or feeling threatened. Each chapter focuses on one of the elements of dance (and movement) providing multiple choices for activities in each of her lesson plan components. Her basic lesson plan is sound and safe, divided into 5 main components and progressing from (1) Introduction and warm-up using the dance element, (2) exploring the element, (3) developing dance skills, (4) creating with the element explored and (5) cooling down.
If you are a teacher of dance or a teacher in the school system, you will find this book invaluable! Many lesson plans are already laid out for you. Most may be adapted to expand student learning in the academic curriculum. This book is also great for dancers looking to expand their compositional approach. Every teacher will want a copy ready at their teaching fingertips.

Rating:
Summary: A complete guide to teaching creative dance
Review: This is an excellent book for anyone interested in teaching creative dance, whether you have dance experience yourself or not. The book provides a thorough overview of what creative dance is and how to teach it. There are hundreds of dance exercises included, as well as sample lesson plans and useful suggestions for how to structure your classes. As a dance teacher, I have found this book to be the most helpful I've encountered -- I use it constantly!