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A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Moving Like Creatures and Objects

A1.4 A2.2About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can tell the difference between moves that travel (locomotor) and moves that stay in one spot (non-locomotor).
  • I can use both kinds of moves to show an animal or an object.
  • I can choose a level, a tempo and an energy that fit my creature.
  • I can use dance words to say which elements I used and what they show.

Words to know

elements of dance
The five building blocks of every dance: body, space, time, energy and relationship.
locomotor movement
A move that takes you from one place to another, like walking, hopping, galloping, skipping, sliding, crawling or rolling.
non-locomotor movement
A move you do while staying in one spot, like bending, stretching, twisting, turning, swinging, shaking, rising or sinking.
body base
The part of your body that holds you up, like your feet, your knees or your hands and feet together.
tempo
How fast or slow you move.
depict
To show something. A dancer can depict a frog without saying a word.

Remember from Grade 1

In Grade 1 you learned the five elements of dance: body, space, time, energy and relationship. You made body shapes, moved at high, middle and low levels, and joined moves into dance phrases.

This year you will use those elements to show creatures, objects, stories and things you see in your community.

Can you guess what I am?

A grown-up moves across the room. They take big, heavy, slow steps. They swing one arm low in front of their face, side to side.

What are they? An elephant! They did not say a word. Their moves told you.

Dancers can show (or depict) animals, machines, weather and objects just by how they move.

An elephant walking across a dry grassy plain with its trunk hanging low.
An elephant takes big, heavy, slow steps, and its trunk swings low. How could you show these moves with your body, without saying a word? AI-generated image

Two kinds of moves

Locomotor moves travel. They take you from one place to another.

  • walk, run, hop, jump, skip, gallop, slide, crawl, roll, leap, tiptoe

Non-locomotor moves stay in one spot. Your feet (or your body base) stay where they are.

  • bend, stretch, twist, turn, swing, shake, sway, push, pull, rise, sink

A good trick to remember: locomotor sounds like locomotive, a train engine. Trains travel!

LOCOMOTORtravels from place to placehop, skip, gallop, slideNON-LOCOMOTORstays in one spotbend, twist, sway, shake
Locomotor moves travel across the space (like a train). Non-locomotor moves happen while you stay on one spot.
Creature or objectLocomotor move (travels)Non-locomotor move (stays)Other elements
Frog 🐸hopcrouch low, then stretch uplow level, sharp energy
Snake 🐍slither (crawl on your tummy)twist and curllow level, smooth energy, curved pathway
Horse 🐎galloptoss your head, stamp a footmiddle level, fast tempo
Washing machine 🫧(none, it stays put)twist, shake, spinstrong energy, gets faster
Maple tree in the wind 🍁(none, its roots stay put)sway, bend, shake your fingers like leaveshigh level, smooth energy
Robot 🤖stiff walksharp arm bendssharp energy, angular shapes
Many creatures and objects use both kinds of moves.

Using the other elements

The move is only the start. Ask yourself:

  • Body: What shape is my creature? Curved like a cat? Angular (with sharp corners) like a robot? Which body base holds me up?
  • Space: Is it high, middle or low? Does it travel in a straight, curved or zigzag pathway?
  • Time: Is it fast or slow? Does it pause?
  • Energy: Is it strong or light? Smooth or sharp?
  • Relationship: Is it alone, or in a herd, flock or school with others?
DANCEBODYWhat shape am I?SPACEWhere am I going?TIMEFast, slow, pause?ENERGYStrong or light?RELATIONSHIPAlone or with others?
The five elements of dance. Ask one question for each element, and your creature or object comes alive!

Music about animals

Long ago (in 1886), a French composer named Camille Saint-Saëns wrote music called The Carnival of the Animals. Each short part is about a different animal. The Elephant is played low and heavy on a big string instrument called a double bass. The Swan is a smooth, gliding melody on a cello. Kangaroos has hopping, bouncy piano music. Tortoises is famous fast dance music played very, very slowly. Dancers love to move to it! Ask a grown-up to find it for you.

Worked example

Example: Let's dance a snowshoe hare

Let's make a short dance about a snowshoe hare, an animal that lives in Canadian forests and turns white in winter.

  1. Think about it. A snowshoe hare has big back feet. It hops fast. It sits very still to hide, and its nose twitches.
  2. Choose a locomotor move: quick, light hops in a zigzag pathway (to escape a fox!).
  3. Choose a non-locomotor move: crouch at a low level on your feet and hands, and twitch your nose and shoulders in place.
  4. Add time and energy: the hops are fast and light. The hiding part is a long pause, very still.
  5. Put it in order: hide (still and low) → twitch → hop, hop, hop in a zigzag → freeze in a curled-up hiding shape.

Our hare dance uses a locomotor move (hopping), non-locomotor moves (crouching and twitching), a low level, a zigzag pathway, fast tempo, light energy, and a still pause. We can name all of these with dance words!

Worked example

Example: Talking about a dance with dance words

Ana dances a thunderstorm. She stomps in place with strong feet, then runs in a zigzag with sharp arm shapes, then sinks slowly to the floor. What elements did she use, and what do they show?

  1. Energy: the stomping is strong. It shows loud thunder.
  2. Space: the zigzag pathway and sharp arms look like lightning.
  3. Time and space: sinking slowly to a low level shows the storm ending.
  4. Body: stomping in place is non-locomotor; running is locomotor.

Ana used strong energy for thunder, a zigzag pathway for lightning, and a slow sink to a low level to show the storm calming down.

Just for fun

Snowshoe hares change their fur from brown in summer to white in winter. That's like having a different dance costume for every season!

Hands-on activity

Animal guessing game

You need: open space and one or more players.

  1. Write animals and objects on slips of paper: moose, beaver, Canada goose, kitten, snowplough, leaf, popcorn, jellyfish, caterpillar, butterfly.
  2. Pick a slip. Do not say what it is!
  3. Make a dance with one locomotor move and one non-locomotor move for it. End with a freeze.
  4. Your audience guesses. Then they say one dance word about what they saw: "You used a low level." "Your energy was light."
  5. Switch roles.

Bonus: Play a short part of The Carnival of the Animals and dance the animal the music makes you think of.

Your turn

1

Is skipping locomotor or non-locomotor?

2

Is twisting locomotor or non-locomotor?

3

Show a cat stretching after a nap. Which kind of move is it?

4

Gallop like a horse across the room. Then stop and toss your head.

5

Move like a jellyfish floating in the ocean. What energy did you use?

6

Name the body base when you crawl like a bear.

7

Your grown-up moves like a robot. Name one element of dance they used and what it shows.

More practice: warm-up

1

Is hopping locomotor or non-locomotor?

2

Is bending locomotor or non-locomotor?

3

Show a low level, like a caterpillar.

4

Is a mouse fast or slow?

5

Name one locomotor move and one non-locomotor move.

More practice: on your own

1

Move like a Canada goose flying south. Which level and pathway did you use?

2

Dance a snowplough clearing a street. Which energy fits, strong or light? Why?

3

Make a dance for a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. Use one non-locomotor move and one locomotor move.

4

Move like a turtle, then like a squirrel. Which element changed the most?

5

Watch a grown-up sway with arms high, fingers fluttering, feet still. What might they be? Which kind of move is it?

Challenge

1

Make a dance about a beaver: it swims, slaps its tail and chews a tree. Use at least one locomotor move, one non-locomotor move and one level change.

2

A kite and a rock are both objects. Plan how each would move. Name two elements that are different.

3

Why might a dancer choose sharp energy and angular shapes to show a crab?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which move is locomotor?

2.

Which move is non-locomotor?

3.

A dancer shows a snake. Which choice fits best?

4.

The part of your body that holds you up is your ___.

5.

Ty stomps in place with heavy steps to show a giant. Which element is he using most?

6.

In The Carnival of the Animals, The Elephant is played ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 2 dancers use locomotor (travelling) and non-locomotor (staying in place) movements to depict creatures and objects, and they use dance vocabulary to name the elements they used and what each one communicates.

How to help:

  • Turn walks into dance games: "Can you move like a chickadee to the next tree? Now like a moose?"
  • Ask "Is that move travelling or staying in one spot?" until it becomes automatic.
  • After any move, ask for one dance word and one reason: "I used a low level because snakes stay near the ground."

Common difficulties:

  • Acting instead of dancing (making sounds or miming only with hands). Encourage the whole body: "Show it with your legs and back too."
  • Mixing up the two move types. Ask: "Did your feet stay in their spot?" If yes, it is non-locomotor.
  • Space safety. Clear a space and agree on a stop signal (a clap or "freeze!").