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Jazz Dance Technique and Lesson Plan for Beginner Students

Type:

Blog

Category:

Dance Teachers

I have found that each class needs to have a natural progression. Each time the students learn one step it should go towards being part of a building block. It is highly recommended to keep track of what is taught for several reasons.

1. You know what is being taught and what your class has learned each week. This is especially important if you are teaching several classes a week.

 2. You can keep a running agenda of what you have taught. This is a great help if one of your classes needs a sub. The easiest way to keep a record is to enter the information in an attendance book. It is a good idea to keep the same information in your personal binder.

3. By the time you need to start to choreograph for your year end show you will have a good record of what your students have learnt and what they are still having trouble with.

4. Your studio director will love the fact that you are tracking your student's results. These results will also motivate the students.

5. You will have a plan set for the entire year and you will always have fresh technique to give your students.

Below is a sample of technique that we give our first year junior students, typically ages 7-9, during the course of the year. You can change or alter to suit your class. This in no way will effect or infringe on your style or choreography. Just spend 10 to 15 minutes each class reviewing the technique then when they are ready you can add something new. Beginner and recreational students are always a challenge to teach because they need constant repetition that can become very tedious at times. These classes can zap your energy and motivation if you don't have a set plan to follow. Below is a simple plan with a natural progression that you can follow. Of course you may have other technique you may want to add to the list below. The key is to add it to the list and track the students progress.

Try to add at least two new techniques a month and by March they will be ready to dazzle you with their newfound knowledge and it will be easy to create a routine that they can master with ease!

Jazz Dance Level I Technique: Highlight when it is being taught. It is best to teach it in the order given. Circle each number when the class has mastered the step.1&2 should be focused on in each class. Work on developing stretch in each class.

1. Basic arm position. 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Focus on resistance and placement

 2. Isolation work. Head, shoulder, ribcage & hip. A basic understanding of how each part works separately.

3. 3 step turn. Start with just 3 steps, clap then add a turn.

 4. Pivot turn. Step right Pivot left then repeat to make a full turn. 5. Basic spotting technique. Stand facing mirror slowly with small steps turn right 4x focusing front and using whipping motion to complete spot, then reverse.

 6. Pas de bourree. Stay low in plie, knees bent, arms extended in a long second. Start with the rhythm then add the pattern

7. Pirouette en dehors. Stand in lunge, knees bent on ball of back foot, push off back foot into pass with releve and then go back to the starting position. Repeat 3x then turn, step forward and reverse.

8. Simple grand battement. Holding onto the barre one foot at a time step kick step kick straight down the barre.

9. Simple standing leaps. In place, jump from one foot to the other. Then forward and back and side to side.

10. Running grand jetes. Prepare with one foot back, 4 runs into continuous leaps across the floor.

 11. Simple assembles. 3 walks, brush through first, assemble feet together in the air, land on 2 feet. Reverse.

12. Pas de bouree turning. 3 facing front, then on the last one turn en dehors staying low, arms in demi 2nd.

CLICK ON THE FILE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS LESSON PLAN THAT YOU CAN PRINT OUT

Beginner Jazz Lesson Plan.pdf

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Author

Steve Sirico

Steve Sirico

Steve is co-founder of Dance Teacher Web the number one online resource for dance teachers and studio owners worldwide.He is Co-Director of the very successful D'Valda and Sirico Dance and Music Center in Fairfield, CT for the past thirty plus years. His students have gone on to very successful careers in dance, music and theater. Originally from Norwalk, Ct, Steve excelled in track and football. He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin on a sports scholarship. Deciding to switch and make his career in the world of dance, he studied initially with Mikki Williams and then in New York with Charles Kelley and Frank Hatchett. He has appeared in a number of theatre productions such as Damn Yankees, Guys and Dolls and Mame in New York and around the country and in industrials and television shows. He was contracted to appear as the lead dancer in the Valerie Peters Special a television show filmed in Tampa, Florida. After meeting Angela DValda during the filming they formed the Adagio act of DValda & Sirico appearing in theatres, clubs and on television shows such as David Letterman, Star Search and the Jerry Lewis Telethon. In 1982 they were contracted to Europe and appeared in a variety of shows in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Italy before going to London, England where they appeared as Guest Artists for Wayne Sleep (formerly of the Royal Ballet) in his show Dash at the Dominium Theatre. Author of his Jazz Dance syllabus and co-author of a Partner syllabus both of which are used for teacher training by Dance Educators of America, He has also co-authored two books one for dance teachers and one for studio owners in the "It's Your Turn" Book series. He is available for master classes, private business consulting and teacher training development

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