Dance Workshop

When we decided to do some dancing together to help strengthen our classroom community, build up our resistance to pain, and explore the connection between music, dance, and social cohesion, I wasn't sure what to do, but it didn't take me too long to decide on something iconic.

This song and dance are deeply embedded in American culture. A quickYouTube search pulls up dozens of Thriller flash mobs, dance instructions, discussions, and parodies. Since there is such a cultural weight to this song, it seemed perfect for building community with a group that already had similar literacy with the song. However, the dance is a bit complicated, and we only have an hour to learn it, so I chose a simplified version. It was meant for children I think, but its still fun and uses several moves from the original.

Here is the explanation of the moves with the counts

Alright, Let's start dancing!



In the comments section, answer the following question: What did this experience, or similar ones, elucidate about the connection between social bonding, dancing, and music? What does each element add to the experience?