A Case of the Sillies

Use this activity to have a vibrant, silly dance party in your classroom!

1. Begin by inviting students to come together in a seated circle and tell them, “Today is ‘Silly Freeze Dance’ day!”
2. Next, lead students in a brief, non-verbal stretch or physical warm-up to instrumental music of your choice.
3. Then, begin to lead a “Silly Dance” game by stepping into the center of the circle, being sure to hold your students’ attention by moving with conviction.
4. Begin doing a simple dance move and choose one student to become your silly dance partner. Using eye contact and movement only, give them permission to move with you while staying in their spot in the circle. Dance in unison with your partner for a few seconds and then find an ending to your dance together. Note: For students whose culture(s) consider direct eye contact to be rude or disrespectful, offer other modes of indicating connection and non-verbal cues.
5. Next, find another partner and repeat. After a few silly dance pairings, add a freeze-pose into your movements so that, when you freeze, everyone freezes in that same pose.
6. Now that the rules of this silly dance game have been established, it’s time to go wild. Have students choose an article of clothing to put on differently (e.g. wear their winter coat backwards or inside out).
7. Now, repeat Steps 1 through 5 and give everyone the opportunity to go wild!

Reflection Questions:

• What was it like to dance together?
• What was it like to be silly and play together?
• What parts of this activity were your favorite?
• What did you find challenging about this activity?