DEL Dance for Adolescent Learners (Ages 12-18)

In this Module, you will deepen your understanding of the developmental characteristics and benchmarks of middle and high school dance students. You will also explore a middle school DEL-based dance unit I designed that focused on the choreographic processes of choreographer Alonzo King.

In Module 2, you will learn how to facilitate dance experiences that explore identity through poetry, spoken word, and movement exploration. This module will help participants create lessons that explore identity and use collaborative dance-making to establish community and cultural relevance within a class setting.  Sensory awareness, poetry, and the DEL Dance Framework will be used to create movement sentences about who we are and how we came to be. Participants will learn how identity is formed from a geographical, historical, and familial perspective, expressed with sensory details. Each participant will create an embodied portrait of themselves and reimagine the process for middle and high school students. This module consists of two thoughtfully designed lessons that guide students through movement exploration, ultimately leading to dance-making rooted in the idea that we are all part of a larger, interconnected community. As an introductory unit, it serves as a dynamic and engaging way to get students moving while fostering self-awareness and an understanding of their peers. More than just a movement exercise, this unit is designed to cultivate a safe, inclusive classroom environment where every student feels valued. By engaging in both written reflection and physical expression, students and teachers alike are encouraged to analyze their roles within the classroom, recognizing the impact of their actions on the broader school atmosphere. The ultimate goal is for the collaborative and respectful behaviors developed in class to extend beyond the studio, influencing students’ interactions within the school and at home.

Module 3 consists of two thoughtfully designed lessons that guide students through movement exploration, ultimately leading to dance-making rooted in the idea that we are all part of a larger, interconnected community. As an introductory unit, it serves as a dynamic and engaging way to get students moving while fostering self-awareness and an understanding of their peers. More than just a movement exercise, this unit is designed to cultivate a safe, inclusive classroom environment where every student feels valued. By engaging in both written reflection and physical expression, students and teachers alike are encouraged to analyze their roles within the classroom, recognizing the impact of their actions on the broader school atmosphere. The ultimate goal is for the collaborative and respectful behaviors developed in class to extend beyond the studio, influencing students’ interactions within the school and at home.

In Module 4, you will explore making dances for social change by examining the work and creative process of acclaimed contemporary choreographer and activist Kyle Abraham. 

In Module 5, you will learn how to incorporate waacking and queer dance into your teaching practice to create an inclusive and empowering classroom environment. Emerging from the underground gay clubs of 1970s Los Angeles, waacking blends dramatic expression, posing, and musicality, offering a powerful tool for self-expression and identity exploration. The module includes strategies and lesson plans designed for middle and high school students, emphasizing inclusivity and celebrating diverse identities.

By integrating queer dance forms (Waacking, Voguing, House, and many more) into the classroom, we foster a more inclusive space where students can explore their individuality. Providing a variety of styles from diverse perspectives helps students in middle and high school, a critical time for self-discovery, connect with dance cultures that resonate with them, empower them, and allow them to feel seen and valued.

By the end of this module, you will have a well-rounded understanding of waacking’s history, embodied experience, and practical classroom applications. This approach ensures that waacking is honored as a cultural and artistic practice while allowing students to explore its expressive and creative possibilities in an inclusive and meaningful way.

In Module 6, we will explore the value of fostering intergenerational relationships within our dance classroom as we provide structured opportunities for students to spend time with, listen to, develop rapport with, and learn from elders within their communities and families. Before potentially engaging our students in the activities provided and beyond, we will engage in the activities ourselves to create an embodied experience with intergenerational learning. Thus, we – and by extension, our students – will unpack potential biases about aging, thoughtfully craft interview questions to ask an elder in our family or community to get to know their life story, develop a brief biographical literary work (memoir, poem, or story) about the elder we’re working with, and use improvisation tools and choreographic devices to generate movement that embodies the story shared by our elder.