Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Call and Response

A1.3 A2.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the choreographic form call and response.
  • I can create a call and answer it with a response in several different ways.
  • I can tell call and response apart from canon and unison.
  • I can explain how the elements of dance make a call and response dance interesting.

Words to know

choreographic form
The way the parts of a dance are organized, like ABA, narrative, canon, or call and response.
choreographer
The person who creates and arranges a dance.
call and response
A choreographic form where one dancer or group performs a movement (the call) and another dancer or group answers it with a movement (the response).
canon
A form where dancers do the same phrase but start at different times, so the movements overlap, like a round in music.
unison
Everyone doing the same movement at the same time.
echo
A response that copies the call exactly.
contrast
A response that is clearly different from the call (for example, high answers low, fast answers slow).

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 3 you built dances with patterns like ABA, and in Grade 4 you told stories in narrative form. These are choreographic forms: ways to organize a dance.

This year's new form is call and response. It's like a conversation: one dancer "asks" with movement, and another dancer "answers".

What is call and response?

In call and response, one dancer or group performs a short movement phrase: the call. Then another dancer or group performs an answer: the response. They take turns.

You already know call and response from music and everyday life: a leader sings a line and the group sings back, or a coach shouts "Who are we?" and the team shouts their name. Call and response is an important part of many musical and dance traditions around the world, including many African and African-diasporic traditions, and you can hear it at sporting events, in camp songs, and in hip hop when a performer calls "Say ho!" and the crowd answers.

A campfire burns in a stone ring surrounded by log benches beside a lake at sunset.
Camp songs around a fire often use call and response: a leader sings a line and the group answers. Dancers can take turns asking and answering in the same way. AI-generated image

Ways to respond

A response doesn't have to copy the call. Here are some ways to answer:

  • Echo: copy the call exactly.
  • Change one element: do the same moves but at a different level, faster or slower, bigger or smaller, or with different energy.
  • Contrast: answer with something clearly opposite: high answers low, sharp answers smooth, still answers busy.
  • Continue: finish the "sentence" the call started, like a question and its answer.

You can also change who calls and responds: a teacher calls and the class responds; one dancer calls and a group responds; two partners take turns.

Round 1: EchoMaya callsDad respondsRound 2: Change timeMaya callsDad respondsRound 3: ContrastMaya callsDad respondssame arm wave4 quick jabstwice as slowlow, heavy stampshigh,lighttiptoes
Three rounds of Maya and her dad's thunderstorm dance. An echo copies the call; a response can change one element (here, time); a contrast answers with the opposite level and energy.
Call andresponseCanonUnisoncallcallresponseresponsephrasesame phrase, latersame moves, same timesame moves, same timeABABAB
Time goes from left to right. In call and response, A and B take turns. In canon, B starts the same phrase later and the two overlap. In unison, A and B move together the whole time.

Call and response, canon and unison

These three forms are easy to mix up:

  • Call and response: dancers take turns. The response comes after the call, and it can be different.
  • Canon: everyone does the same phrase, but dancers start at different times, so the movements overlap, like a round in music.
  • Unison: everyone does the same moves at the same time.

Choreographers often mix them. A dance might begin with call and response, build into a canon, and end in unison.

Worked example

Example: Let's build a call and response dance

Maya (A) and her dad (B) build a call and response dance about a thunderstorm, in 4 rounds of 8 counts each.

  1. Round 1, echo: Maya calls with a slow, rolling arm wave at a high level (clouds). Dad echoes it exactly.
  2. Round 2, change one element (time): Maya calls with 4 quick, sharp jabs (lightning). Dad answers with the same jabs, twice as slow.
  3. Round 3, contrast: Maya calls with heavy, strong stamps at a low level (thunder). Dad answers with light, quick tiptoes at a high level (raindrops). That's a contrast.
  4. Round 4, together: they finish by doing the raindrop tiptoes in unison, slowing down until they freeze.

Each round uses a different kind of response, so the dance stays interesting. The elements (level, time, energy) create the conversation. The unison ending shows the storm calming down.

Worked example

Example: Let's describe a call and response dance with dance words

Jordan watched a group dance. One dancer did a sharp, twisting jump. The group answered with the same twist, but low and slow. Then the dancer did a smooth turn, and the group answered with a sharp, fast turn. How can Jordan describe it?

  1. Form: it is call and response: one dancer calls, the group responds after.
  2. Response type: the group changed elements: in the first round they changed level (low) and time (slow); in the second, they changed energy (smooth to sharp) and time (fast).
  3. Message: "It looked like a conversation where the group was teasing or challenging the leader."

"The dance used call and response. The group responded by changing level, time and energy, which made it look like a playful argument between the leader and the group."

Tips for great calls and responses

  • Keep calls short: 4 or 8 counts.
  • Make your call clear so your partner can see it. Start and end in a still shape.
  • Leave a tiny pause between the call and the response so the audience sees the "turn-taking".
  • Look at your partner when they call. Watching closely is part of dancing together.
Just for fun

Coach: "Who are we?" Team: "Who are we?" Coach: "No, no! That was an echo. I wanted a response!" 📣

Hands-on activity

Call and response kitchen party

You need: a family member (or two), some music with a steady beat, and a clear space.

  1. Stand facing each other. Agree on who is A (caller) and B (responder).
  2. A makes up a 4-count call. B echoes it.
  3. A calls again. This time B responds by changing one element (level, speed, size or energy).
  4. A calls again. B answers with a contrast.
  5. Switch roles and do it again.
  6. Put your favourite three rounds together and finish in unison. Perform it for someone else in your home.
  7. Ask your audience: "Which response surprised you? What element changed?"

Your turn

1

What is call and response in dance?

2

Name three ways to respond to a call.

3

Your partner calls with a big, high reach. Answer with a contrast.

4

How is canon different from call and response?

5

What is unison?

6

In Maya's thunderstorm dance, what element did Dad change in round 2?

More practice: warm-up

1

What do we call the first movement in call and response?

2

What is an echo response?

3

Name one place outside dance where you hear call and response.

4

Who creates and arranges a dance?

5

Clap a 4-beat rhythm and have someone clap it back. What form did you just make?

More practice: on your own

1

A dancer calls with 8 counts of slow, smooth swaying. Describe a response that changes only energy.

2

Watch: A does a phrase. B starts the same phrase 4 counts later while A is still dancing. Is this call and response or canon? Explain.

3

Why might a choreographer end a call and response dance in unison?

4

Why is a short call (4 or 8 counts) easier to respond to than a long one?

5

Describe a call and response between one leader and a group for a dance about geese flying south in fall.

Challenge

1

Plan a 4-round call and response dance about a conversation between the sun and the moon. Use a different kind of response in each round.

2

Explain how a dance could use all three forms: call and response, canon and unison.

3

A response that always echoes exactly can become boring to watch. Explain why, and suggest a fix using the elements of dance.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

In call and response, the dancers ___.

2.

A response that copies the call exactly is called ___.

3.

A dancer calls with a high, sharp jump. Which response is a contrast?

4.

Dancers perform the same phrase, starting one after another so it overlaps. This is ___.

5.

Which element changes if the response is the same movement but twice as slow?

6.

How long should a call usually be when you are learning?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students use the choreographic form call and response in a variety of ways when creating dance pieces (A1.3), and identify the elements of dance used and how they communicate a message (A2.2).

How to help at home:

  • Play "call and response" anywhere: clapping patterns at the dinner table, silly walks down the hallway.
  • Be the responder and try different kinds of responses yourself: echo, change one element, contrast. Ask your child to name what you did.
  • Watch a dance or music video and look for turn-taking between a leader and a group.

Safety: keep calls within your space and away from furniture; avoid jumps on slippery floors.

Common difficulties:

  • Confusing canon and call and response. Ask: "Are we taking turns (call and response) or doing the same thing, overlapping (canon)?"
  • Responses that are always echoes. Challenge your child to change one element each round.
  • Calls that are too long to remember. Keep them to 4 or 8 counts.