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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Describe movements in traditional Russian folk dance.  
• Perform the Russian folk dance Troika to music
• Research and gather information about Russia.
• Create original dance movements that communicate ideas from research.
• Perform a 32-count movement sequence that visually communicates an aspect of life in Russia.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

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Videos

Websites

Teacher Background

Teachers should review the and Russian history and culture prior to teaching the lesson. 

Student Prerequisites 

Students may have some general knowledge of Russian culture and dance movements.

Accessibility Notes

Modify and adapt movements and handouts as needed. Allow extra time and space for dance movements.

Engage

1. Play the video . Engage students in a discussion about music. Ask students: How does the music feel? What do you think the song represents? What type of story could be told with the mood/tone of the music?

2. Introduce the class to the genre of folk dancing. Folk dance is a form of traditional dance performed by a particular group of people. Explain that even though they are often performed for an audience, folk dances were originally intended for community participation. Tell students that the steps completed in folk dances often represent aspects of life in a community from which the dance originates. For example, in the Russian folk dance Troika, three dancers represent horses pulling a type of sleigh called a troika in Russian.

3. Show students the video. Create an “I Notice” and “I Wonder” t-chart. Have students analyze the movements and discuss the relationship between the music and choreography. 

4. Distribute the . Have students work in pairs or small groups to research and gather information about the Troika folk dance, Russian culture, the arts, and designate certain groups to focus on one of the following topics: land, climate, people, way of life, recreation, etc.

Build

1. Tell students they will learn the Troika folk dance. Break students into groups of three and distribute the to students. Review each of the sections before rehearsing the dance.  

2. Teach students the Troika dance while listening to music. Students should be in groups of three and should form a group circle, with one group of three behind another in a counterclockwise circle. The dance has three sections: 16 counts, 16 counts, and 32 counts.

3. Perform the dance as a class. Have a follow-up discussion with students about the dance and how it relates to storytelling.

Apply

1. Create an original folk dance. Have students reference their and what they learned from the Troika to brainstorm a list of ideas about Russia that could be communicated through movement.

2. Share the handout to review basic locomotor and non-locomotor movements. Demonstrate for students how to create a sequence of movements to represent a detail from the research they gathered. For each idea, have students think of a representative movement or gesture. To help students with movement possibilities, review and model the locomotor movements (walk, run, hop, jump, leap, skip, gallop, slide) and non-locomotor movements (bend, stretch, push, pull, swing, bounce, twist, shake).

3. Have the class select the three ideas they would most like to represent in their folk dance. Remaining in groups of three, but working as an entire class, the students should improvise and suggest movements that communicate the first idea using a 16-count sequence. Students can reference the for structure recommendations. 

4. Have students create a movement sequence for the first two ideas. The class should decide on the most appropriate movements for the first idea and then practice the 16-count sequence as a group, with music. This will be section one of the new folk dance. Revise the sequence as necessary and practice section one again. Use the same procedure to develop the second idea into section two of the dance. Practice sections one and two together.

5. Have students create a movement sequence for the third idea. Students should already be in groups of three. Tell them that each group will choreograph their own 32-count movement sequence that communicates the third idea in the list.

6. Allow time for students to choreograph and practice their 32-count sequence. Provide feedback to each group and the class.

Reflect 

1. Perform the 32-count sequence for an audience. Evaluate students with the . 

Extend 

1. Adapt or extend the lesson by introducing different types of folk dance.

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The Alexandria Folk Dance Troupe of Egypt

Rozsafa Folk Ensemble

Hughes Schools Performing Arts Bolivian Folk Dance Company