Key Stage: 2

Description

PAYU Price Code link:  Price Code M

BBC School Radio Broadcast - 3 episodes

Dance programme for KS2 pupils.

Episode length - 20 minutes

A three part unit that explores six wonders of the world - not just architectural structures of the ancient human world but wonders of the natural world too. It's a whistle-stop tour, moving westwards around the globe, starting in the Far East.

For more episode information please click on the "BBC School Radio" image.

1 - From the Great Wall of China to the Taj Mahal

The first programme visits Asia - starting at the Great Wall of China where partners synchronise strong but exhausted building movements before linking up with other pairs to create their own class wall. Then the content moves on to the North of India where the serene beauty and symmetry of the Taj Mahal are recreated in controlled group shapes and balances, ending in an evocation of Indian folk-dance.

2 - From the Pyramids of Giza to the Colosseum

The second programme explores themes from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome. The dark, mysterious passages of the Great Pyramid of Giza are explored between group sequences inspired by hieroglyphs and stylised Egyptian wall paintings. Then the massive circular form of the Colosseum in Rome provides a setting for partners to perform a carefully choreographed, slow-motion combat sequence inspired by the gladiatorial games.

3 - From Machu Picchu to the Great Barrier Reef

Programme 3 crosses the Atlantic further west to the mountains of Peru where, at the mysterious Machu Picchu, we reconstruct an Inca astronomical Temple of the Sun amidst rock-outcrops and follow a folk-dance trail to the summit of Huaynu Picchu. Finally, our westward journey continues to the coast of Australia where we explore steps and pathways influenced by aboriginal dances, and create sequences inspired by the natural underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. This is a journey of the imagination, so it will be valuable to provide classroom and research opportunities for children to see images of the six settings and to discover relevant evidence for themselves, using books, video and the internet. Finding out about the cultural, historical and environmental backgrounds for each location will add greatly to the rich mix and quality of movement.

 Notes taken from BBC School Radio website.

Click on the topics below and then click ‘search’ to find other related resources.