Space: Pathways, Levels, and Directions

Active learning works for Space: Pathways, Levels, and Directions because dance is a kinesthetic art form. When students physically explore space through their bodies, they move from abstract ideas to concrete understanding, making the Elements of Dance tangible and memorable.

• 7th Grade
• Visual & Performing Arts
• 3 activities
• 20 min–40 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how different levels (high, medium, low) in a dance phrase can communicate specific emotions or ideas.
2. Compare and contrast the visual impact of dancers moving along curved versus straight pathways.
3. Create a short dance sequence demonstrating intentional use of high, medium, and low levels.
4. Explain how the use of negative space around a dancer influences the overall composition and audience perception.
5. Design a movement phrase that incorporates changes in direction (forward, backward, sideways, diagonal).

Stations Rotation

⏱ 40 min·Individual

Stations Rotation: The Element Lab

Set up four stations: 'Space' (moving through high/low levels), 'Time' (moving in slow motion vs. double time), 'Force' (moving like 'melting ice' vs. 'popping corn'), and 'Body' (creating shapes with only elbows and knees). Students spend 8 minutes at each.

Prepare & details

Analyze how varying levels in a dance sequence can convey different emotional states.

Facilitation Tip: During Station Rotation: The Element Lab, assign clear roles at each station to ensure all students participate actively and stay on task.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Movement Translator

In small groups, students are given a 'secret' word (e.g., 'Thunder' or 'Silk'). They must create a 15-second sequence that uses specific elements of Force and Time to represent that word, while the rest of the class tries to guess the word.

Prepare & details

Construct a short movement phrase that incorporates changes in pathways and directions.

Facilitation Tip: For Collaborative Investigation: The Movement Translator, require students to sketch or record their translations to hold them accountable for their interpretations.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Negative Space

Students work in pairs to create a 'statue' where one person is the positive space and the other uses their body to frame the 'negative space' (the air around them). They discuss how changing the negative space changes the 'story' of the statue.

Prepare & details

Explain how the use of negative space around a dancer contributes to the overall aesthetic.

Facilitation Tip: In Think-Pair-Share: Negative Space, model how to physically trace negative space with hands or bodies to make the concept visible.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by balancing demonstration with guided discovery. Start with clear examples of how space shapes meaning in dance, then let students experiment freely before refining their observations. Avoid over-explaining; instead, ask questions that prompt students to notice spatial choices in their own and others' movement.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently using vocabulary for levels, pathways, and directions in their movement. They should analyze choreography with precise language and create original phrases that clearly communicate spatial choices to peers.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Station Rotation: The Element Lab, watch for students assuming dance must always look 'smooth' or 'pretty.'

What to Teach Instead

Use the Force station to have students practice 'ugly' or 'staccato' movements, explicitly labeling these as valid expressive choices. Ask them to describe how these qualities change the emotional impact of the space.

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Investigation: The Movement Translator, watch for students relying solely on music when translating movement.

What to Teach Instead

Instruct students to translate movement into silence first, focusing on the visual rhythm of pathways and levels. Have them present their translations without sound to highlight the body's role in shaping space.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Station Rotation: The Element Lab, have students write a 2-3 sentence reflection on one spatial choice they explored and how it affected the energy of their movement.

Quick Check

During Collaborative Investigation: The Movement Translator, observe how students describe pathways and levels in their translations. Note if they use precise vocabulary to distinguish between, for example, 'diagonal' and 'spiral.'

Discussion Prompt

After Think-Pair-Share: Negative Space, show a short silent movement clip and ask students to discuss how negative space influenced the dancers' use of levels and pathways.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to create a 30-second phrase using only curved pathways and low levels, then teach it to another pair.
• Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of spatial terms (e.g., zigzag, spiral, suspended) for students to reference during choreography.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research a specific dance style (e.g., flamenco, ballet) and analyze how it uses space differently than their own choreography.

Key Vocabulary

Pathways	The route a dancer takes through space, which can be direct (straight lines) or indirect (curved or zigzag lines).
Levels	The vertical distance of movement from the floor, categorized as high (e.g., jumps, leaps), medium (e.g., walking, stepping), or low (e.g., crawling, kneeling).
Directions	The orientation of movement in space, such as forward, backward, sideways, upward, downward, or diagonal.
Negative Space	The empty or unoccupied space around and between the dancer's body, which is as important to the composition as the dancer's form.