Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Dance conditioning
includes fitness activities such as aerobic movements, stretching, yoga, and strength training, as well as a variety of somatic approaches
for improved physical performance requires commitment, perseverance, and resilience.
Deepening their knowledge of the human body empowers dancers in their technical and artistic training.
Following proper training guidelines and techniques can help dancers reach their health, fitness, and dance-specific goals.
Dance requires a high level of physical fitness for the creation and performance of artistic works.
Personal choices influence our mental, physical, and artistic well-being.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
anatomical terminology
for example, joint movements (e.g., “flexion” and “extension” at the elbow in a biceps curl)
body conditioning
exercises or practices to maintain and improve physical fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility
anatomically and developmentally sound movement principles
including but not limited to mobility, stability, alignment, weight transfer, flexibility, strength, balance, coordination
spatial and kinesthetic awareness
the body’s ability to coordinate motion and its awareness of where it is in time and space
somatic approaches
body-mind approaches that foster internal awareness and body connectivity
skeletal system, including bones and joints
could include bones such as femur, humerus, tibia, and ulna, and joints such as shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, and ankle
different types and functions of connective tissue
- Tendons connect bones to muscle.
- Ligaments connect bone to bone.
relationships between energy systems and muscle-fibre types
- Fast-twitch muscle fibres have a high anaerobic capacity as well as a fast speed and high force of muscle contraction. These are exercised in, for example, sprint and power activities.
- Slow-twitch muscle fibres have a high aerobic capacity as well as a slow speed and low force of muscle contraction. These are exercised in, for example, endurance activities.
planes of movement
- sagittal plane: vertical plane that divides the body into right and left sides; it is sometimes called the wheel plane
- frontal plane: vertical plane that divides the body into front and back portions; it is sometimes called the door plane
- transverse plane: horizontal plane that divides the body into upper and lower portions; it is sometimes called the table plane
movement actions
including but not limited to flexion, extension, hyperextension, pronation, supination, abduction, adduction, outward rotation, inward rotation
components of fitness
including aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, muscle endurance, strength, power, flexibility, neuromuscular coordination, body composition, rest
ways to monitor and adjust physical exertion levels
including heart-rate monitoring and percentage of one-repetition maximum
principles of fitness program design
includes training principles to enhance personal fitness levels, such as the FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type) principle, SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) principle, adaptation, specificity, individuality, reversibility, compensation, and progressive overload
effects of different types of fitness activities
could include:
on the body
- strengthening muscles and bones in activities where you have to move and/or control some type of weight (e.g., fitness circuits and/or jumping and landing)
- strengthening heart and lungs in activities where you are moving at a fast pace (e.g., jogging or running) for periods of time (e.g., games, swimming, biking)
- reducing stress and/or anxiety levels in activities where you can participate outside and/or elevate the heart rate
influences of dance conditioning on performance
performance-enhancing supplements and drugs
short- and long-term impacts of legal and illegal supplements and drugs (e.g., steroids, creatine, protein powder, weight-loss pills)
exercise safety and etiquette
- training practices (e.g., avoiding overtraining and dangerous practices)
- breathing techniques (e.g., breathing out during exertion and breathing in during the “easy phase”)
- spotting (e.g., helping others complete their repetitions in weight-training activities)
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Explore and create
Participate in physical activities designed to maintain or enhance overall fitness and improve dance performance
Create, implement, and reflect on a personalized fitness program
incorporating a variety of activities to achieve fitness goals for dance
Demonstrate ways to train the muscular and cardiovascular systems
for example, using interval training to train the anaerobic energy system
Develop core support, turnout, and efficient use of the spine, arms, and legs to enhance dance movements and protect the body
Demonstrate kinesthetic awareness of dance elements and techniques through dance conditioning
Demonstrate and refine appropriate exercise techniques for a variety of dance conditioning activities
Demonstrate ways to safely and effectively increase flexibility
Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between body conditioning and somatic approaches to technical and expressive skills
Reason and reflect
Examine how psychological factors
including but not limited to self-esteem, perfectionism, body image, stress, anxiety, competition, social pressures, rest, fatigue, burnout
influence dance training and performance
Identify, apply, and reflect on strategies for pursuing personal fitness and dance-related goals
Analyze and critique dance aesthetics in relation to anatomical function
Analyze health messages from a variety of sources
for example, medical professionals, websites, magazine and TV advertisements, retail stores (e.g., vitamin/supplement stores)
and describe their potential influences on health and well-being
Reflect on personal and social responsibility toward self, others, and place
any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives on the world.
Communicate and document
Examine and describe how muscles produce movement in different parts of the body and how to train those muscles
Examine and document the relationships between healthy eating, overall health, and performance in dance activities
Analyze and describe how different types of fitness activities influence the muscular and cardiovascular systems
Connect and expand
Examine cultural perspectives, protocols, ways of knowing
First Nations, Métis, Inuit, gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
, and movements to enhance dance conditioning activities
Research personal, educational, and professional opportunities related to dance conditioning
Consider personal safety, injury prevention and care, and physical health when engaged in dance conditioning activities
Demonstrate leadership skills
for example, leading dance conditioning activities for peers, or small or large groups; promoting a healthy lifestyle in the school or community
in different types of dance conditioning activities