A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Dance, Power and Roles in Communities

A3.1 A3.2 A2.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe how dance can show people's roles in a community, such as who has power and who dances what.
I can compare dances from different times and places, like European court dances and village dances long ago, and street dance today.
I can describe how communities have kept their dances alive, even when they were not allowed to dance.
I can describe the different roles dance plays in my life and in communities around the world.

Words to know

social role
The part a person plays in a community, such as leader, worker, elder, child or guest.

political
Having to do with power, rules, laws and government.

court
The home of a king or queen and the important people around them.

court dance
A formal dance performed by nobles at a royal court long ago, with careful steps and manners.

folk dance
A traditional dance of ordinary people in a community, often passed down through families.

style
The special way a kind of dance looks: its typical steps, shapes and energy.

tradition
A way of doing things that is passed down from older people to younger people.

potlatch
An important gathering of some First Nations on the west coast of Canada, with feasting, gift-giving, songs and dances.

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you learned about the roles of dance in communities: bringing people together, celebrating, and passing on traditions. You met dances like Haudenosaunee social dances, Métis jigging, the lion dance, bhangra and Highland dancing.

This year you will ask a new question: What can dance tell us about people's roles and about power in a community? Who is allowed to dance? Who watches? Who makes the rules?

Long ago in Europe: palace and village

About 300 to 400 years ago in Europe, kings and queens lived in palaces with their court of nobles. At court, dancing was a way to show who was important.

Court dances, like the minuet, were slow, graceful and very controlled. Dancers had to learn exact steps and polite bows. Dancing well showed that you had good manners and belonged to the upper class.
King Louis XIV of France loved to dance and performed in ballets at his court. In 1661 he started a royal academy of dance. Ballet grew from these court dances.
In the villages, farmers and workers danced folk dances at harvests and weddings: lively circle and line dances that anyone could join.

So the style of a dance showed a person's social role: nobles danced the careful court dances; villagers danced energetic folk dances.

An empty, grand palace ballroom with a shiny wooden floor, gold walls, tall windows and crystal chandeliers. — Long ago, court dances like the minuet were danced in grand rooms like this one, where dancing showed who was important. AI-generated image

	Court dance (like the minuet)	Village folk dance
Who danced	kings, queens and nobles	farmers, workers and their families
Where	in palace ballrooms	in village squares, barns and fields
Time and energy	slow, controlled, smooth, light	lively, bouncy, strong
Relationship	couples in careful patterns; bows to show respect for rank	big circles and lines; everyone joins hands
What it showed	power, wealth, manners and rank	togetherness and celebration of work and family

Two dances from the same time and place that show different social roles.

Seen from above. At court, couples danced in careful patterns and bowed to show respect for rank. In the village, everyone joined hands in one big circle.

Dance, power and keeping traditions alive

Sometimes people in power have tried to stop others from dancing.

On the west coast of what is now Canada, many First Nations hold potlatches: important gatherings with feasting, gift-giving, songs and dances that mark big events and pass on history and rights. From 1884 to 1951, a Canadian law banned the potlatch. The government wanted First Nations to give up their ways of life. Many families kept their songs and dances alive anyway, often in secret. Today, potlatches are held proudly again, and the dances are passed on to young people.

This shows that dance can be about identity, rights and who a community is. Some dances belong to a particular family or community, and others do not perform them without permission. We learn about these dances; we do not copy them.

Today: dance from the street to the Olympics

Breaking (sometimes called breakdancing) was created by young people in the Bronx, a part of New York City, in the 1970s, as part of hip hop. Young people who did not have fancy dance studios made their own style on street corners and in community centres. Dancers formed crews and took part in battles, showing their skill and creativity.

Breaking grew so popular that it was part of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) from Vancouver won the gold medal for Canada. A dance that started on the street is now on the world's biggest stage!

Dance and power on a timeline. The shaded bar shows the 67 years when the potlatch was banned. Breaking went from street corners in the 1970s to the Olympics in 2024.

Just for fun

In breaking, a move where a dancer suddenly stops and holds a tricky pose is called a freeze. So the next time someone says "Hold still!", you can say you're practising an Olympic sport.

The roles of dance in our lives and around the world

Dance has many roles. Here are some, with examples from around the world:

Celebrating: dancing at weddings, birthdays and festivals.
Telling stories: in Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from South India, dancers use hand gestures and facial expressions to tell stories.
Keeping healthy: dance fitness classes, skipping and dance games.
Competing: Highland dance and Irish step dance competitions, breaking battles.
Showing who we are: dancing at a cultural festival or a powwow shows pride in a community's culture. At many powwows, veterans lead the Grand Entry, carrying flags and eagle staffs, as a sign of respect.
Being together: school dances, family parties, community gatherings.
Working: some people dance as their job: dancers, choreographers and dance teachers.

Learning about dance with respect

Use the names communities use for themselves, and speak about First Nations, Métis and Inuit dances as living traditions, danced today.
Some dances are sacred or belong to a family or community. We learn about them; we don't copy them or perform them as a game.
It's fine to say "That's new to me!" Curiosity is respectful; making fun is not.

Worked example

Example: Let's compare two dances and their roles

Compare a minuet at a royal court long ago with breaking today. What does each show about people's roles?

Who danced? Minuet: nobles at court. Breaking: young people in their neighbourhoods, and now dancers all over the world.
Elements: Minuet: slow, controlled, upright, smooth, couples bowing in careful patterns. Breaking: fast, strong, explosive moves, spins and freezes, often at a low level on the floor, one dancer at a time in a circle.
Who made the rules? Minuet: dancing masters and the court decided the correct steps. Breaking: dancers invented the moves themselves, and crews judged each other.
What role did it play? Minuet: showing rank, wealth and good manners. Breaking: showing creativity and skill, belonging to a crew, and having a voice when you might not be heard elsewhere.

Both dances show social roles. The minuet showed the power of the upper class. Breaking gave young people a way to be seen and to belong. The elements (energy, time, level, relationship) are very different, and they match what each dance was for.

Hands-on activity

My dance map

You need: paper, coloured pencils, and a family member or neighbour to interview.

Draw yourself in the middle of the page. Around you, draw or write every place dance is part of your life: family parties, gym class, videos, festivals, a dance class, a cultural celebration.
Interview a grown-up: "When you were my age, where did you see or do dance? Who danced, and why?"
Add their answers to your map in a different colour.
Label each place with its role: celebrating, telling stories, keeping healthy, competing, showing who we are, being together, or working.
Talk about it: how are the roles of dance in your life the same as or different from your grown-up's?

Your turn

Long ago in Europe, who danced court dances like the minuet?

Describe the energy and time of a minuet.

What did dancing well at court show about a person?

From 1884 to 1951, what did a Canadian law ban?

Where and when did breaking begin?

Name three roles of dance in communities around the world.

Name one role dance plays in your life.

More practice: warm-up

What is a court?

What is a folk dance?

Which grew from European court dances: ballet or breaking?

Which Canadian won breaking gold at the 2024 Olympics?

What is a tradition?

More practice: on your own

How did the style of a dance show a person's social role in Europe long ago?

Why is it important that families kept their dances alive during the potlatch ban?

How does the Grand Entry at many powwows show respect for certain people's roles?

Compare a village folk dance with a court dance using two elements of dance.

Why do you think breaking became popular around the world?

Challenge

Explain how dance can be political (about power and rules). Give two examples from this lesson.

Invent a short dance (4 moves) that shows two different social roles, like a leader and a group. Which elements show the roles?

Compare the role of dance in your life with the role of court dance long ago. Give one similarity and one difference.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Long ago in Europe, slow, controlled court dances like the minuet were danced mostly by ___.

What did dancing well at a royal court show?

From 1884 to 1951, a Canadian law banned ___.

Breaking began ___.

In Bharatanatyam, dancers use hand gestures and facial expressions mostly to ___.

Which is a respectful way to learn about a sacred dance?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: With teacher (or parent) guidance, students describe how forms and styles of dance reflect people's social and political roles in different communities, times and places (A3.1), and the roles dance plays in their own lives and around the world (A3.2). They use dance words to compare dances (A2.2).

How to help at home:

Share where dance was part of your own childhood and family. The interview in the activity is a great conversation starter.
Watch short clips together of a minuet, a folk dance and breaking (look for videos made by the dance groups themselves), and compare their energy, time and relationships.
If you attend a powwow or cultural festival, follow posted guidelines and the announcer's directions about photos and joining in.

A note on the potlatch ban: this lesson mentions, simply, that Canadian law banned the potlatch from 1884 to 1951. Your child may have questions about fairness. A good answer: "The law was unfair. First Nations kept their cultures alive, and today these ceremonies are held proudly."

Common difficulties:

"Political" is a big word. Explain it as "about power and who makes the rules".
Thinking First Nations dances are only from the past. Stress that they are living traditions danced today.
Calling unfamiliar dances "weird". Model curiosity: "That's new to me. What do you notice about the energy?"