Dance & Tradition

Start with the lead-in questions on slide one. Ask students when they last danced and whether they think they’re any good at it. These questions work well in pairs or small groups because everyone has an opinion, even reluctant talkers. The picture matching activity that follows gets students naming dance styles they recognize, which is a nice way to check vocabulary before you move into the main topic. Push students past one-word answers when they can, since everyone tends to name the same two or three styles at first.

Before the video, spend time on the vocabulary matching task. Words like choreography, folk dance and dedicate your life to something come up constantly once the video starts, so students need them ready. The speaking activity about what makes a good dancer works well here too. Have students rank strength, flexibility, confidence and the other qualities, then defend their top three choices to a partner.

Play the video Georgian Dancers Push Their Physical Limits for Tradition once for general understanding, then again for the fill in the blank comprehension task. The numbers and details come fast, so a second viewing usually helps. The true or false statements that follow work well as a quick check before moving to discussion questions about tradition, injury and dedication. Georgian dance is a good example because it mixes ballet, folk and modern movement in one performance.

Finish with the rephrasing practice, which forces students to actually use words like injury and fighting skills instead of just recognizing them. The final speaking task, comparing professional dancing to dancing as a hobby, makes a good wrap-up because it pulls together training, money, travel and free time in one conversation. Assign the homework review as a way to keep the topic going after class.