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Unit in Musical Theatre Curriculum

The Foundations of Movement

Created by Drama Teacher Academy

8 lessons

In this unit, students will explore a variety of styles and techniques to encourage students to feel comfortable in their bodies, to move in different ways, and to apply this knowledge to character physicalization. They will then explore not only learning choreography but presenting it from memory, coordinating upper and lower body movements, and incorporating performance goals such as endurance and emotion.

Some of your students will have never taken a dance class. Some of your students will have taken them for years. Keep that in mind as students try to learn choreography in this unit.

Start here
The overview lays out the structure of the unit, includes time management strategies, physical warm-up tips, assessment notes and essential questions.
  1. 1
    Lesson 1
    Movement and Focus Games
    This movement unit starts with basic movement and focus games. Students will play a number of games that highlight not only physical movement, but the entire class moving and focusing together, as is sometimes necessary in a musical theatre number.
  2. 2
    Lesson 2
    Mindful Meditation
    In this lesson, students will explore being comfortable with their bodies by participating in a mindful meditation body scan and learning a calming breathing count and a muscle tightening and release meditation.
  3. 3
    Lesson 3
    Posture Routine
    In this lesson, students will explore being comfortable with their bodies by going through yoga exercises that support posture.
  4. 4
    Lesson 4
    Laban and the Eight Efforts
    In Lessons 4 and 5, students will explore a couple of different movement techniques. In this lesson, students will learn Laban’s eight efforts to give more variety, texture, and richness to their movement choices.
  5. 5
    Lesson 5
    Exploring Viewpoints
    In this lesson, students will explore Viewpoints, a technique used to help students understand their own physicality and create dynamic moments of theatre by simply existing on the stage. In this lesson students will participate in exercises for two Viewpoints: time and shape.
  6. 6
    Lesson 6
    Character-Driven Movement
    In this lesson, we’ll focus on how characters “move.” We’ll start by discussing and analyzing three specific clips demonstrating how to combine character with choreography; learn some specific character choices when it comes to movement, such as levels, walks, and emotional bodies; and end up with a character physicalization presentation in which students have to present a character’s personality and have them move to music.
  7. 7
    Lesson 7
    Introduction to Dance
    In this lesson, students are introduced to learning choreography and focus on specific performance goals. Choreography in musical theatre is often quite tricky. Not only do performers have to coordinate lower and upper body movements, they have to sing, they have to commit and demonstrate endurance, and don’t forget emotion!
  8. 8
    Lesson 8
    Movement Assignment
    In this lesson, students will take what they have learned and work in groups to create a movement presentation which includes elements of all the movement techniques, performance goals, and learned steps throughout the units.

Standards Addressed

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 6

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 8

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Proficient

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Accomplished

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