Gym Jam

Dance isn’t just an art form—it can also be a workout! Use the basics of dance and acrobatics to get your class moving and energized in a lesson in physical education.


Begin by teaching your class a few basic movements, such as a grapevine, a pivot, a spin or a jump. Write down these terms as you explore each movement to create a “movement vocabulary bank” for the whole class to reference.


Then, you can add to this word bank by sourcing different dance movements from your students. These can be silly, like the running man; pedestrian, like running in place; or more technical, like toprock.


After you have created a vocabulary of movements, split your class into small groups and assign each group a song. Have each group choreograph a combination to their song using the movement bank as inspiriation.


When you reconvene, ask each group to teach their dance moves to the rest of the class. Then, turn each dance into a workout by having your students repeat movements, speed up or slow down, do it in pairs or even try to do it backwards!


Throughout the rest of the year, use your students’ dances as a way to start the day and warm up your bodies, or to get your blood flowing after sitting down for a lesson. Once everyone has the moves down, perform your dance workout for another class!

To support this unit, use the The Way You Move Activity.


*For clarification on these steps or to find more moves to inspire your class’s movement, Youtube channels like Howcast provide a wide array of dance tutorial videos.