I offer dance sequences within basic theater projects: movement experience to provide various possibilities for the children to immerge into the topic  and to gain body awareness.

the dance is part of a scene about the rainfall periods in tropic areas.

1. alltogether we choose a music that fits to the topic,

or we ask others to play music for the dance sequence (or we make the decision for music later)

2. free exploration time with the chosen music, or in a silent sequence, or by trying out umbrella-sounds:

e.g. 5 - 10 min to find out the most exciting things about dancing with an umbrella, presentation

3. we think on different types of ground materials and conditions in a jungle, which produce different ways of walking, sidling, pruncing, ...
all participants try out; presenting the most interesting finds

4. finding out duos:

2 children walk across the stage, by using favourite, unused, ... ways to walk, jump, bounce, ...

my experience is that children are talented finding out most fitting, fascinating, exciting movement qualities and characters

5.we try out different ways of being hidden behind the umbrella in different levels,

also while walking: only 1 part of the body may be seen,

building duos

(another possible picture to give: every tiny part of the body that can be seen shines bright red - so attention!)

6. I bring with me a  possible idea of a course of action, of what should take part during the dance on stage.

With the children I try out a possible course of action that I have thought up before class, e.g.:

all from off the stage to the center, together in the middle part of the stage in a circle,

then bring the stretched umbrella straight up,

then spin apart to all areas of the stage, and be off the stage,

on stage along a given line stretch the umbrella while jumping, do a turn, and go off the stage on the other side  (2 times),

build a line in the front of the stage with stretched umbrellas, begin to turn around by squating, and find the center of the stage: build a tent out of the umbrellas, so that no one can be seen

7. we bring the sum of the best ideas into an order,

we do several turns of the whole sequence with music to gain a feeling for lengths, for movement character, and we fill these different parts with pictures to make it easier to remember as well as to dance impressively