Choreographing Global Flyways: Interdisciplinary Middle School Dance and Science Learning

Climate change is a contemporary global crisis that necessitates pedagogical innovation for the middle school dance classroom. This article describes an integrated design for a dance and science unit. Building on students’ kinesthetic abilities, teachers are able to create a unit comprising a series of lessons on bird migrations effected by climate change, culminating in a final performance. Students engage in research on climate change and its effects on global bird migrations and view past performances reflecting avian formations from Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's Swan Lake (1895) to non-Western influences on dance. Yoga poses such as Swan, Eagle, and Pigeon evolve into dance phrases. The teacher facilitates students’ selection of a musical soundtrack for the choreography of an ensemble performance with props and upcycled costumes. An assessment of the dance and science unit is performed through a continuous feedback loop during practice and through a final group interview after the performance.