Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: What is a ceremony?

25 minutes

Find Out: Exploring the elements of dance

15 minutes

Take Action: Practising the elements of dance

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

learn about the Commonwealth Games' opening and closing ceremonies
explore the dances of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremonies.

Success criteria

Students can:

describe how cultural sharing by different nations can be done through dance at ceremonies like the ones held at the Commonwealth Games
identify how elements of dance hold meaning.

Tune In: What is a ceremony?

Step 1

Invite students to sit in a circle on the floor and ask them if they know what a ceremony is. Encourage them to share any ceremonies they have participated in, such as birthday parties, weddings or special school assemblies. Briefly discuss what usually happens at these ceremonies and highlight those that involve dancing, eg weddings (bride and groom dance), religious festivals (such as Diwali), or rites of passage (finishing primary or high school).

Step 2

Explain that for this lesson, students will learn about an event called the Commonwealth Games, which involves opening and closing ceremonies. These ceremonies include a range of elements – can your students name any? Suggested answers include:

performances (music and dance, often with props)
speeches
presentations
welcoming nations (often athletes march into the stadium waving their nation’s flags)
final leg of the King’s Baton relay and the King’s speech
official opening or closing of the Games
fireworks/light/drone show.

Point out to students that these ceremonies occur in a stadium in the city where the Games are hosted. The ceremony is held in front of a large audience.

Find Out: Exploring the elements of dance

Step 1

Briefly explain the overall purpose of the Commonwealth Games using the What are the Commonwealth Games? Visual Explainer.

Highlight that ceremonies within the Commonwealth Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies, typically include elements of dance, which is what this lesson is going to focus on.

Alongside the sports competitions, people from different countries share their culture, such as traditional dances or physical movement, which are performed and showcased during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. Sometimes, the host country performs a dance in the opening and closing ceremonies, reflecting its heritage and traditions. This cultural sharing helps us learn about the different countries involved and helps to foster understanding and friendship among nations.

Step 2

Show students the video clips of the opening ceremonies hosted in Australia (Gold Coast) in 2018 and India (Delhi) in 2010.

Gold Coast 2018 | Opening Ceremony – Watch from 0:00 - 3:55 minutes – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lo4qaGyswU)

Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 | Opening Ceremony – Watch from 3:55 minutes onwards – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CInzA55STzE)

After watching the clips, invite students to share their initial thoughts on the dances and identify some of the similarities and differences.

Step 3

Display the Elements of Dance Student Worksheet on the whiteboard for everyone to see. Read each element aloud and prompt students to consider the accompanying questions for each. As a class or in small groups, fill out the table based on what was shown in the video clips. You may need to replay the first minute or 2 of each clip to help jog students’ memories.

Elements and questions:

Colours – What were the main colours you could see?
Costumes – What were the performers wearing?
Sounds – What instruments could you hear?
Objects – What objects surrounded the dancers? E.g. on the ground and in the sky.

Possible answers:

Elements of dance	Questions	Australia	India
colours	What were the main colours you could see?	blues and browns	red and white
costumes	What were the performers wearing?	Long skirts, face and body paint	white gowns with red sashes
sounds	What instruments could you hear?	voice, clapping sticks	flute, drums
objects	What objects surrounded the dancers? Eg on the ground and in the sky.	projection of an eagle	giant puppets and an air balloon

Step 4

Explain how each element of dance holds meaning, not just for the performer but also for the country they are representing. For example, colours can represent emotions and places, costumes can be a form of self-expression, sounds can assist with storytelling and objects can symbolise past events and beliefs. To help illustrate this point, you may like to ask students what meaning they attach to the colour red, such as anger, love, danger, etc.

Step 5

Ask students to return their attention to the Elements of Dance Student Worksheet and focus on the answers written in the ‘Australia’ column. Facilitate a class discussion about the possible meaning behind each of the elements featured in the dance.

Possible answers:

Elements of dance	Australia	Possible meaning
colours	blues and browns	Blue represents the ocean surrounding Australia. Brown represents the earth and Australia’s amazing wildlife.
costumes	grass skirts, face and body paint	These costumes are traditional to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Their body paint can represent many things, such as their ancestors, land, stories and Nations/peoples.
sounds	voice, clapping sticks	Clapping sticks and the use of voice are important elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and are commonly used for storytelling, ceremonies and passing on knowledge from generation to generation.
objects	projection of an eagle	Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples consider the eagle a sacred animal. It commonly represents power, strength and a spiritual connection to the land.

Step 6

Wrap up this part of the lesson by asking students to consider the following questions:

Why would the Commonwealth Games ceremonies want to include dance?
What can the elements of dance teach us?
Do all dances have a meaning or story attached to them?
What else can dancers do to tell their stories? What other elements can be included?

Take Action: Practising the elements of dance

Step 1

Ask students to raise their hands if they’ve attempted to create their own dance before. Invite them to demonstrate their favourite move to the class if they feel comfortable doing so. Before they return to their seat, ask them if the dance move holds a particular meaning. For example, it could represent a specific word, a feeling or action.

Step 2

Explain that students will get the opportunity to participate in a dance tutorial led by Borobi the koala (mascot of the 2018 Commonwealth Games) and that this dance contains a number of moves that represent a word or idea. To help them warm up and get excited about dancing, play a quick game using the instructions below.

Warm-up game

Advise students the dance involves learning 3 key moves – sunset/sunrise, starburst and Borobi’s favourite pose.
On the count of 3, ask students to demonstrate what the sunset/sunrise move might look like. Select some students to show the class their sunset/sunrise move based on creativity and originality. Repeat this by asking them to suggest what the starburst and Borobi pose might look like.

Step 3

Ask students to stand up and spread out around the room, allowing enough space to expand their arms without touching one another. Play the following video for students:

‘Learn to dance with Borobi’ video clip (3:55 minutes) – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tiu4E--60w).

Encourage everyone to participate (including you!). Once the dance has ended, invite students to take a seat and congratulate those who picked the correct move during the game.

Reflection

To wrap up the lesson, ask students to reflect on the following questions, inviting them to share their answers in pairs or small groups:

Why would Borobi have a dance for the Commonwealth Games?
We explored 3 different dances today. Which was your favourite and why?
How can a dance tell a story?
What can dancing teach us about ourselves and others?
Why do Commonwealth Games ceremonies often include dance performances?

Let the Games Begin!

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