Socially Distant Dancing
Shared by Rob Amchin, AOSA Teacher Educator
Socially distanced classrooms and remote teaching pose challenges for keeping students moving. Yet we know that movement is vital to children’s well-being at any time, and especially now, with the challenges imposed by a global pandemic. Consider this advice from Danai Gagné about the importance of dance for children.1
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Dancing releases endorphins in the brain resulting in a sense of well-being. It benefits the child in the areas of:
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Whether dancing at home or within a personal space in the classroom, children can still engage in folk dance with some creative adaptations. This list of dances with video models will give you some ideas for how to adapt your favorite dances. If children have experienced the dance in its traditional style, they will already be familiar with the phrase structure of the music. If the dance is new to your students, be ready to playfully introduce students to the patterns found in the music. The videos in this article are shared for teachers to adapt as needed for their setting and are not intended as teaching models to show to students. Try some adaptations of your own with your favorite folk dance.
| Dance | Origin | Music Souce(s) |
| Zemer Atik (AB form) | Israel | Shenanigans: Bush Dances Of New Holland Vol. 2 1980-1990 track, 22; Rhythmically Moving #4 track 7 |
| Zigeunerpolka (ABC hand dance) | Europe | Rhythmically Moving #2 track 13 |
| Cherkessia (improvise the B section with a puppet) | Europe | Shenanigans Vol. 3 - Folk Dances Of Terra Australia, track 4; Rhythmically Moving #2, track 12 |
| Ersko Kolo (dance with stuffed animal) | Serbia | Rhythmically Moving #4, track 6 |
| Alunelul (dance with found objects) | Europe | Rhythmically Moving #6, track 4 |
| Chilili (this is the actual dance just without a partner) | Bolivia | YouTube More information on this dance2 |
| Los Machetes (dance with pool noodles...or silverware...or whatever is handy) | Mexico | More Folk Dance Music For Kids And Teachers CD #2, track 12; Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán: 12 Grandes Exitos, Vol. 2, track 2 |
| Damat Halayı-Düğün Versiyon | Turkey/Macedonia | YouTube |
| D'Hammerschmiedsgsell'n | Bavaria | Rhythmically Moving #7, track 10 |
1. Shared via e-mail with the editor in preparation for the Voices of Experience article that posted in August this year.
2. Also known as "Chililin," this Quechua song "has been around for about 300 years and was made by an anonymous member of the community of Toropalca from the Calcha tribe in the province of Potosí in Bolivia." (Shared by Bill Wadinger in Chililin: Real or Fake Note: Some links in this article may no longer be active.)
Dr. Rob Amchin is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and Concentration Coordinator in Music Education at the University of Louisville (KY). He studied music education at New England Conservatory of Music, has Orff training from NEC, Hofstra University, Memphis State University, Hamline University, University of Michigan, and attended the “Special Course for English Speaking Students” as the International Orff Institute Salzburg. Rob has presented workshops and artist-in-residences, Orff teacher-training courses, and master classes throughout the US and around the world.
Reverberations - October 13, 2020
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