Family Activity Victory Dance 2019

Dance is any movement that tells a story, illuminates a thought or communicates a feeling. At Victory Dance this summer, see artists move and groove to tell stories of community, love, challenges and celebrations. In this Family Activity, find rhythms, explore how music makes us move and choreograph a fun family dance!

At Home

The tempo and tone of a tune makes a dance come to life. In this activity, listen to the sounds that surround you everyday to see what makes you groove!

Step One: Wherever you are, take a second to listen. Think:

• Is there music playing? What kind of music is it?
• Is there a lot of noise or is it almost silent?
• Can I hear an engine running, a train squeaking, a bird calling or something else?
• Is someone singing, talking or laughing?

Step Two: Pick something that you hear and try to listen to only that. Now try to find the rhythm and tap out the beat on your body. Think:

• Is it fast?
• Slow?
• Is it repetitive or does it change?

Step Three: Listen to the tone of the sound. Think of an expression that represents how the sound makes you feel. Think:

• Does it make me happy?
• Does it scare me?
• Does it make me curious?
• Does it make me want to move my body?

Step Four: You found the rhythm of the music by tapping it out on your body once—let’s see where else you can find the beat. Can you find it:

• In your shoulders?
• In your hips?
• In your feet?
• In your neck?
• In your fingers?
• In your chin?
• In your nose?

On the Way

On your way to The New Victory Theater, let the music move you! Many of the pieces you will see are influenced by the music accompanying the movement. In this activity, watch the video below and try to guess which musical tracks are paired with each dance. The following video has dances from all three weeks of Victory Dance. If you want to see all of these pieces, make sure to come to all three performances!

After the Show

Now that you have seen the show, answer these questions with your family or friends:

• How did watching these dances make you feel? Did you feel different things during different dances?
• Was there a particular dance that moved you? Why did you connect with it?
• How did the costumes add to the dances on stage?
• How did the music make you feel about the dances? Why do you think the choreographer chose the music for their dance? What music would you choose to choreograph a dance to?

A dance can be inspired by anything—a feeling, a story, a picture, a sound. Often, choreographers create dances by putting lots of smaller movement sequences together to create a full piece. Sometimes, they call this a “moment” or, more often, a “phrase.” In this activity, create your own dance phrase and take your first steps towards choreographing a full routine!

Step One: With your family or friends, choose three words to describe one of the dances you saw. Was it colorful? Happy? Emotional? Confusing? Wild?

Step Two: Find a space where you can move. Work together to create a gesture for your first word. This can be a simple pose, or a big interpretive movement—get creative! Explore how this word makes your body move until you all agree on a gesture. Repeat this gesture together three times to make sure you remember it!

Step Three: Repeat Step Two for the next two words.

Step Four: Put it all together! Try moving through your three gestures in sequence—1, 2, 3. Then, repeat the sequence, trying to connect each one to the next. Congratulations, you’ve just created a dance phrase!

Step Five: Put on some music and continue your dance. Perform it together as a group or break into solos! Gather more of your family and friends to put on a performance for them. Share it on Instagram and tag us at @NewVictoryTheater.

And Beyond

• Check out these dance classes for kids across the five boroughs!
• Keep your eyes on these New York City dance venues to learn about their upcoming programming:
  • The Joyce Theater
  • American Ballet Theater
  • Dance Theater of Harlem
• Want to get your grownup groove on? Take a class at Steps or Broadway Dance Center!

Learn more about the 2019 Victory Dance artists!

Program A

Caleb Teicher & Company

American Ballet Theatre

Preeti Vasudevan

BalletNext

Program B

Ty Defoe

Brian Brooks Moving Company

Elisa Monte Dance

The Chase Brock Experience

Program C

Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks

Passion Fruit Dance Company

Trisha Brown Dance Company

A.I.M