Schools Learn Agricultural History Through Dance

A school which took part in a special dance and education project run by DanceEast has been commissioned by the leading dance organisation to write a teachers' resource pack for dance so that other schools can benefit.

All Saints CEVAP School in Laxfield was one of five Suffolk schools and a youth group to take part in the highly successful 'Soil Dances' dance and heritage project in 2006, which celebrated the agricultural heritage of Suffolk.

During the year long Heritage Lottery funded project, youngsters creatively interpreted the farming process through dance, exploring different themes including ploughing, sowing and crop growth. The resulting film, directed by Suffolk County Council's Advisory Teacher for Dance Michael Platt and professional film director Peter Anderson, was shot on location in Suffolk fields, farms and factories including Muntons the malt manufacturers in Stowmarket, and the Museum of East Anglian Life. Following the programme's success, DanceEast commissioned All Saints teacher Elaine Elliott, in partnership with Michael Platt, to produce a comprehensive resource based on Soil Dances. Ideal for teachers with and without dance experience, the pack contains all the tools required to build interesting and effective dance classes whilst meeting the criteria of the Key Stage Two National Curriculum for dance.

Assis Carreiro, Director, of DanceEast, says: "Soil Dances helped more than 120 young people in Suffolk learn about their agricultural heritage and the history of their local area through dance and film. We hope that the new resource pack will help other schools and groups benefit from a similar experience."

The resource pack's easy to follow topics include traditional Suffolk Step Dancing and the shapes, patterns and textures found in landscapes, making it particularly applicable to schools in rural areas. A complete work book with step by step guidelines on running the project is included in the pack along with a DVD of the original film and a CD with a selection of tracks from the film score by local composer Ian David Smith. Youngsters can enjoy the film on its own or it can be used to illustrate teaching points which are referenced in the work book. Areas covered in the guide include warm up and cool down exercises, observation points and possible learning outcomes such as art, poetry, music, farming, geography and history as well as dance.

The Soil Dances Resource Pack costs £35.00, including postage and packing. To find out more about the programme, please call DanceEast on 01473 295230. -- www.danceeast.co.uk