Exploring Beat, Tempo, and Rhythm

Dance Lesson Plan
Grades
9-12
EXPLORING BEAT, TEMPO,
RHYTHM
AND
Technology
TV/DVD player
Length
Concept/Objectives
Activities
Toolkit Resources
1-2 class sessions
Students will identify
the components of
time (i.e., pulse,
tempo, rhythm) in a
variety of different
musical and dance
contexts.
Students explore the
components of time
through improvisation and create a
social dance that
reflects the rhythm of
our time.
On the
DanceSense
Enhanced DVD:
DanceSense
Program 2: The
Dance of Culture
Length of Segment:
00:15:00
Vocabulary
accent
beat
counterpoint
duet
duration
meter
percussive movement
polyrhythmic
pulse
rhythm
sustained movement
syncopation
tempo
time
Students will explain
how these elements
are used in a dance
to create variety,
interest, and effect.
DanceSense
Program 4: The
Elements of Dance
Length of Segment:
00:15:00
Students will create
dances using the
components of the
dance element time
in a variety of
interesting and
meaningful ways.
Instructional Strategies and Activities
Background
Get students thinking about the dance element time and its components of
beat/pulse, tempo, and rhythm. Here’s a possible introduction:
The great dance writer Edwin Denby said the following about the basic dance element
of time:
“However people began to keep time, one imagines the eerie thrill they
felt as they found themselves aware of hearing a beat from the outside
and of taking a step from the inside, both of them at once. One can still
feel a far echo of that thrill as one finds oneself hitting the beat; or, later
in life, as one finds oneself stepping securely to a complex rhythm one
isn’t able to follow consciously.”
(Edwin Denby, Dancers, Buildings, and People in the Streets, p.152.)
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 337
Denby was writing about a primal connection we feel to moving in rhythm. Time is
our invisible environment, but we can sense it through a pulse, through rhythm, and
through marking of durations of time. The connection we make through rhythms is
like a connection we make to our invisible feelings and a connection of our insides to
the outside world.
Dance is concerned with the timing of movement in much the same way timing is
considered important in sports. Think about baseball players learning to time the
swing of the bat with the oncoming ball, and basketball players passing the ball to a
player down the court. In dance, we speak of movements having an underlying pulse
or beat.
Kentucky
Academic
Content
Big Idea: Structure in
the Arts
Academic Expectations
1.15
Program of Studies
Pulse (i.e., the beat) is a sub-element or component of time. A pulse is the steady
beat that underlies our most familiar movements, as well as most of the music we
hear. If we watch people walk down the street, we notice how every person has a
consistent and pretty unique beat to their walk. When you think of beat, think of your
own heartbeat. (In fact, some scientists posit the idea that the human being’s first
sense of consciousness—one’s first sense of being alive—occurs in the mother’s
womb upon first sensing the mother’s heartbeat and then the baby’s first sensation of
his/her own heartbeat.)
Reviewing the Element of Time
Have the students view DanceSense Program 4: Elements of Dance and take notes
about anything in the program having to do with time. Afterward ask the following
questions:
1. How do the tempo and rhythm of the music influence the creation of
a dance?
2. What makes a dance “go well” with the music? What is the effect on the
viewer when the music and dance do go well together? What is the effect
on the viewer when the music seems “at odds” with the dance?
3. Can you name some very good dance music and the composers of that
music? Can you explain how varied tempos and rhythmic lines in the music
and in the dance create and keep the audience’s interest?
Understandings
AH-HS-SA-U-1
Skills and Concepts
AH-HS-SA-S-Da1
AH-HS-SA-S-Da2
Core Content
AH-HS-1.2.1
Big Idea: Processes in
the Arts
Academic Expectations
1.15
2.22
Program of Studies
Understandings
AH-HS-PA-U-1
Skills and Concepts
AH-HS-PA-S-Da1
AH-HS-PA-S-Da3
Core Content
AH-HS-4.2.1
AH-HS-4.2.4
Movement Activities: Explore Tempo
Introduction
The speed of the pulse is known as the tempo. If we were to run a mile as fast as we
could, our heartbeats would race faster than they do in our sleep. Tempo is the rate
or speed of the beat. Time is the great organizer of dance.
Everyone has a natural tempo in his or her bearing. Some people just naturally like to
move fast while others prefer to take their time at a slower tempo. Most of us fall
somewhere in between. In dance, the tempo enables the dancers to dance together.
In some dances the tempo will change often and by great degrees, and in others it
will stay at a constant rate.
338 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
Activity 1
Put forth the question: How fast is fast? There are many degrees of fast tempos—
very fast, medium fast, a little bit fast, and so on. There are many reasons to move
fast—maybe you’re late, hysterical, afraid, or you just love moving fast, in control or
maybe out of control.
Have students sit in a circle. They can take turns picking a harried behavior of their
choice and demonstrating that behavior in the center of the circle. (The students may
wish to play a game of charades where they guess the cause of particularly harried
behavior.)
After you’ve explored and experimented with the idea of fast for a while, play with
slow in the same way. Discuss how some days it just feels good to move a little more
slowly—to indulge oneself in the pleasure of a slow stretch, a languid movement.
Slowness can be soothing or it can drag us down in depression or in hurt sadness.
Ask students to choose images and work with them in slowness. Try several moods
and attitudes toward slow.
Activity 2
Create a simple movement phrase (e.g., slide, hop, turn, lunge, and fall). Perform the
movement sequence slowly. Then try it at a moderately fast tempo. Now try it at a
very fast tempo. Have students notice what was different about the phrase as it was
performed at different tempos. Have them determine whether the phrase was easier
to perform at a faster tempo or slower.
Now have students tell a short story with a movement sequence. For example: “What
happened when you woke up this morning?” Have them identify the tempos they
used for their “stories” and why. Have students perform a movement sequence to a
real or made up melody (e.g., “Happy Birthday,” perhaps, or a melody of their own
creation).
Movement Activities: Explore Rhythm
Introduction
Another component of time is rhythm. Rhythm is the particular way we organize the
different patterns of beats in a given piece of music. There are literally an infinite
number of ways in which to organize the rhythm of a particular piece of music. Some
music has a very complex set of rhythms (sometimes called polyrhythm), and other
music maintains the same rhythm throughout.
Many dances are created for a specific rhythm (such as the waltz and minuet). Ask
students: Can you name some other examples of dances that go with a particular
piece of music? Rhythm plays a major role in the way a choreographer will organize
and create the particular steps and pattern of steps in a dance.
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 339
Activity 3
Students stand in a circle. A leader establishes a moderate tempo that the students
keep by stepping in place in unison. One student is chosen to go first, with the order
then proceeding clockwise around the circle.
Using the established tempo and with the other students keeping the tempo with their
stepping, the first student sounds off four measures in either 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 time
by clapping (other percussion instruments may also be used). Clap the first beat of the
measure loudly and the others softly to indicate clearly the organization of the measure. The next student immediately sounds four measures in any one of the three preselected measures, without skipping a beat after the end of the previous student’s four
clapped measures.
This procedure continues around the circle. Inexperienced students may wish at first
to repeat the meter sounded by the previous student. Others should try to choose a
new meter.
Variations: Each student sounds only two measures of each meter. In a fast tempo,
the students sound patterns in four measures and in two measures. The group does
not keep the pulse. Each student in turn is responsible for keeping the continuity of
the movement. (This may take a little practice. Stay patient!) Have the students keep
time with steps that use different parts of their bodies.
Activity 4
Direct students to one end of the space. Divide the group into two smaller groups—
the “odds” and the “evens.” Then pair up the students one with two, three with four,
and so on. The odds step and clap 3/4 meter. The evens step and clap 4/4 meter, as
before.
At a cue from the leader, the first duet begins. The two students move across the
space using a single locomotor movement (e.g., march), each one accenting in movement the first beat of every measure in his/her own meter (the duet need no longer
clap). Additional weaker accents may be freely improvised. Students should maintain
their own meter clearly. Each one should also try to be aware of his/her partner’s
contrasting meter.
After 24 beats, the next two students begin to move across the space. When the students arrive across the space, they resume stepping and clapping. All students should
have a turn to go across the floor at least once in each meter.
Variations: The odds are on one side of the space, and the evens are on the other.
They clap only the accents without stepping time in between. If an even student
enters the space, an odd student must join in to make a duet, and vice versa. One or
more such pairs enter the space and perform duets, accenting in counterpoint as
before and traveling anywhere in the space. They may leave when they wish and
rejoin the group of clappers. Additional duets may enter the space at any time.
340 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
Performance
Time
Show students the two
jazz excerpts, Heat and
Ode to Sabrina, and/or
the tap performance
Jamaica Funk on the
Dance Performances
DVD and/or Tap Jam on
the Dance Onstage DVD.
Ask them to identify examples of syncopation in the
dances. Are there places
in the tap performances
where the tappers seem
to improvise?
The element of time is also
distinct in the clogging
and flamenco performances. Compare and contrast the use of time and
its components in any two
of these dance performances. Use the
Responding to Dance
guide and worksheets to
help students describe,
analyze, and evaluate one
of these performances.
The Performance
Assessment asks students
to create a social dance
reflecting the rhythm of
our times. Show AfricanAmerican Stepping, from
the Dance Onstage DVD
as an example.
The “accompanists” mark time in place, but clap only the first of every 12 beats.
Duets enter and leave when they wish. The students must keep track of their own
accents.
Duets move across the space in 3/4 and 5/4 time, with accompanists. Each new
duet begins after 30 beats.
Try previous variation with music in 4/4 time, so that both dancers are moving
against the meter of the music. Have the students note what effects this creates.
Movement Activities: Explore Syncopation
Syncopation is the intentional displacement of the regular metrical accent to a weak
beat or to the space between beats. Movement which happens quickly on a single
beat is sometimes referred to as percussive movement. Movement which takes place
over the duration of many beats is sometimes referred to as sustained movement.
Activity 5
All the students are in the space. The leader claps a steady 4/4 meter or provides
music with a clear 4/4 meter. Students move on every “and” beat (the upbeat) and
sustain their movement or stay still between their accents. Students may accent any
beat or “and” beat, except for the first beat in each measure. They may use both percussive and sustained movement as they choose.
Support/Connections/Resources
Morganroth, Joyce. Dance Improvisation. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh
Press, 1987.
Rhythm dance performances on the Dance Performances and Dance Onstage
DVDs (e.g., jazz, tap, clogging, flamenco, and step).
The DanceSense teacher’s guide in the For Teachers section of the World of
Dance and Music CD-ROM.
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
Students may write a short story with particular attention to descriptions of the
rhythms and tempos of the environments and characters about whom they write.
Science
Examine the physics of fast and slow tempos. Why is it so hard to jump high at a
very slow tempo? How does gravity affect the movement of a dancer in terms of
tempo? What are reasonable rates of acceleration for a given movement phrase?
Social Studies
Do different cultures (e.g., people in the city vs. those in the country) inherently move
differently from one another in terms of speed? If so, how might you account for
these differences?
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 341
Open Response Assessment
Prompt:
Rhythm might be described as the particular “motor” of a given dance. It may “drive”
the dance in a way that is frantic and unnerving, powerful and exciting, or tranquil
and calming. For inspiration choreographers often look to nature and to common,
everyday activities that may also be frantic, unnerving, tranquil, or calming. Basic
rhythmic “motors” also lie at the foundation of these everyday activities as well.
Directions:
Consider the dance element of time. Observe and describe the ways people move in
the following contexts:
•
•
•
•
In a busy restaurant at the lunch rush.
In a park on a warm summer day.
Waiting in line and filing into the theater to watch a movie/performance.
On the basketball court running/defending a play.
Describe in detail the different tempos and rhythms you would encounter in these different contexts. What music might “go well” with a dance about these different situations? Why? Analyze the types of movement (locomotor and nonlocomotor) that
might best accompany the rhythms inherent in these situations.
OPEN RESPONSE SCORING GUIDE
4
• Student’s
response is
complete and
demonstrates an
extensive understanding of the
basic dance
element time (and
its components
tempo and
rhythm) and how
time distinguishes
and creates
variety and
interest in
different movement contexts.
• Student’s
response reveals
keen insight into
the observed
situations and the
variety of movements/rhythms
expressed in
them.
3
• Student’s
response is
complete and
demonstrates a
broad understanding of the
basic dance
element time (and
its components
tempo and
rhythm) and how
time distinguishes
and creates
variety and
interest in different
movement
contexts.
• Student’s
response reveals
some insight into
the observed
situations and the
variety of movements/rhythms
expressed in
them.
2
1
• Student’s
response is
complete and
demonstrates a
basic understanding of the basic
dance element
time (and its components tempo
and rhythm) and
how time distinguishes and creates variety and
interest in different
movement
contexts.
• Student’s
response reveals
basic comprehension into the
observed situations and the variety of movements/rhythms
expressed in
them.
• Student’s
response is
partially complete
and demonstrates
little understanding of the basic
dance element
time (and its
components
tempo and
rhythm).
• Student’s
response reveals
limited insight into
the observed situations and the
variety of movements/rhythms
expressed in
them.
342 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
0
• No answer or
irrelevant
response.
Performance Assessment
Performance Event:
Create a social dance that reflects the rhythm of our times.
Directions:
After executing the movement activities in the lesson plan and viewing DanceSense
Program 2: The Dance of Culture, create your own social dance in 4/4 time and
then another in 3/4 time. You may wish to view some other social dances (e.g., the
salsa, the electric slide, a waltz, or a tango, etc.) before you proceed. Be sure to pick
your own music or, if you or your classmates are musicians, compose the music yourself. Teach the dances to your fellow students.
PERFORMANCE SCORING GUIDE
4
• Student fully
completes the
assignment and
demonstrates
in-depth understanding of the
basic dance
element time
(especially its
components
tempo and
rhythm).
• The movement
phrases and the
timings/rhythms
he/she creates
reveal keen
creativity and
sensitivity and
careful attention
to the music
selected to
accompany the
dance.
• Student
effectively teaches
his/her dance to
the other students
and enthusiastically performs the
dances taught by
the other
students.
3
2
1
• Student completes the assignment and demonstrates a broad
understanding of
the basic dance
element time
(especially its
components
tempo and
rhythm).
• The movement
phrases he/she
creates are creative and sensitive
to the rhythmic
qualities and
demands of the
music used.
• Student effectively teaches
his/her dance to
the other students
and competently
performs the
dances taught by
the other
students.
• Student
completes the
assignment and
demonstrates a
basic understanding of the basic
dance element
time (particularly
its components
tempo and
rhythm).
• The movement
phrases used fit
the rhythmic
demands of the
music used.
• Student
adequately teaches his/her dance
to the other students and performs the dances
taught by the
other students.
• Student
attempts to
complete the
assignment but
demonstrates little
understanding of
the basic dance
element time
(particularly its
components
tempo and
rhythm) and its
relationship/influence on the
dance created.
• The movement
phrases he/she
creates only partially “go with” the
music selected.
• Student is ineffective in teaching
his/her dance to
the other students
and in performing
the dances taught
by the other
students.
0
• Non-participation
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 343
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Pulse, tempo, and rhythm are all components of the dance element of
A. space.
B. time.
C. force.
D. form.
2. The ongoing underlying beat is called
A. tension.
B. melody.
C. narrative.
D. pulse.
Answer Key for
Multiple Choice
Questions
1. B
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. D
6. C
7. C
3. The speed of the pulse is the
A. melody.
B. tension.
C. tempo.
D. rhythm.
4. The organization of patterns of beats is called
A. rhythm.
B. pulse.
C. time.
D. tempo.
5. The music was in 4/4 time. The dancer’s movements were quick and percussive.
The dancer moved between the first and second beat and then again between the
third and fourth beat. Accenting these typically weak beats is called
A. harmony.
B. melody.
C. improvisation.
D. syncopation.
6. In West African music it is common for many different rhythms to be layered or
played at the same time. These rhythms are called
A. pulses.
B. time.
C. polyrhythms.
D. syncopation.
7. Class activities encouraged the exploration of movement while performing. The
class was
A. syncopating.
B. pulsing.
C. improvising.
D. on tempo.
344 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
Author: Chuck
Bronson
Copyright 2004,
2008 KET
Reviewed by the
Kentucky Department
of Education
This lesson plan is part
of the Dance Arts
Toolkit. To order the
entire toolkit or for more
information
about the Arts Toolkit
project, visit
www.ket.org/artstoolkit
or call (859) 258-7294.