Years ago I had a student who was constantly falling down in class. On purpose. Every time I asked the pre-ballet class to do an arabesque, balancing on one leg with the other stretched out in a straight line behind them, this student tumbled to the ground. And then the other kids laughed. And she laughed. And I got frustrated. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

I was much newer to teaching then. I spent so much time and energy trying to gain control of the situation with very little success. If I were to teach that class today, my approach would be completely different. How?

I’d make falling part of the lesson plan.

When we think about the concept of Balance in dance, it might seem like the focus would be on making sure we don’t fall. This can really limit our thinking about movement since many dance forms, including modern and contemporary dance, utilize falling all the time. And you better believe highly trained classical dancers know just exactly how far they can shift their center of gravity before they “lose” their balance.

So really, it’s important to get deeply familiar with what will tip the scale and then using that to expand your movement. That’s why in concept based classes, Balance is introduced in 2 parts: On Balance and Off Balance.

If I could go back, I’d encourage the falling. From a classroom management standpoint, it would eliminate the “rebelliousness” of the falling. If it’s allowed, it might still get some giggles, but probably not every time, and the appeal might lose it’s luster after a while. And even if the falling was still super exciting for that particular student (or all of them), making a game out of falling and then standing up to find that balance again, before falling some more, would teach the class important lessons about how to control their bodies and how to release. Plus BOTH falling and finding balance are important for developing the vestibular system, which helps our brains understand where our body is in relationship to the space around it. And ALL kids benefit from vestibular activities, so finding ways to allow it often makes it easier for them to be calmer or more focused at other times in class or throughout the day.

Plus all kids crave attention - and they don’t always care if it’s positive or negative. So isn’t it better for everyone to be able to say “Wow! You tested the limits of your balance and you fell down. You got wobbly and tumbled to the ground. I wonder if next time you can fall because you WANT to, instead of because you HAVE to.” OR “I wonder how long you can stand tall on your tiptoes/on one leg/etc before you start to wobble.” It encourages the desired behavior while embracing all movement. At the end of that class, dancers are empowered to know they can choose to be on or off balance, and that there’s a time for both types of movement.

Beanbag Balance

Prop: beanbags

Song suggestion: 1968 by Bill Frisell

This is one of my favorite dance activities for balance. I’ve been using it for years and even had HUGE success with adults when it was part of our parent participation day.

There are two parts to this dance:

Part A: On Balance

Choose a body part. Place the beanbag on that body part and move while trying to keep the beanbag ON balance. If it falls off, pick it up and try again. Repeat with many parts. Ask dancers for suggestions. Some of my favorites include:

- Head (walking is great, galloping is an extra challenge)

- Arm (spinning is fun - if you start slow and then speed up, the beanbag stays on longer but if you start fast and whip around it goes flying off right away)

- Back (crawling keeps the beanbag level, a bear walk means trying to keep the beanbag on a tilted surface)

- Belly (while doing a crab walk)

- Foot (place the beanbag on your foot and lift your foot while keeping the beanbag balanced)

Part B: Off Balance

Choose a body part. Place the beanbag on that body part and find ways to move your body that make the beanbag fall OFF balance. When it falls off, make picking up the beanbag part of the dance. Repeat with many parts. Ask dancers for suggestions. Some of my favorites include:

- Head (tilting head in different directions to make the beanbag fall in front of/behind/beside you)

- Chest (tilting your torso back to get the beanbag balanced and then twisting or moving suddenly so your body tosses the beanbag away)

- Knee (lifting the leg up and hopping around and seeing how the beanbag bounces before falling to the ground)

- Shoulder (seeing how much you can travel through general space before the beanbag falls off)

Looking for even more concept based creative dance activities? Check out Read it and Leap: a collection of seasonally themed, story based dance activities that spark imagination, build a movement foundation and develop skills that you can plug into your class with less than 5 minutes of prep time.