Creative learning activity
Choreograph a Story Dance
Every story has things that happen — first this, then that, then the end. Dancers can tell whole stories without ever saying a single word. Today you will pick a fairy tale you already know and turn 3 big things that happen into 3 big body movements. Put them in order and you have a dance that tells the whole story.
Materials and setup
- music source (phone or speaker)
- open floor space
- paper and pencil for planning
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Every story has things that happen — first this, then that, then the end. Dancers can tell whole stories without ever saying a single word. Today you will pick a fairy tale you already know and turn 3 big things that happen into 3 big body movements. Put them in order and you have a dance that tells the whole story.
Steps
- Pick a fairy tale you know well. 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' works great. Name 3 things that happen in order — for example: Goldilocks walks through the woods, she eats the porridge, she runs away when the bears come home.
- Make ONE big whole-body movement for each event. Walking in the woods could be slow tip-toe steps. Eating could be big scoops with your arms. Running away could be fast feet and wide eyes. Show the feeling with your face, not by saying it.
- Do the 3 moves in order, one after the other. Say the story out loud at first: 'Walking... eating... running!' Then try it again with just the movements and no words.
- Put on any music and do your 3-move dance from start to end. Freeze in a big pose at the very end so everyone knows the story is over.
Learning objectives
- Turn a familiar story into a sequence of 3 distinct body movements
- Practice showing feeling through the body rather than telling with words
- Perform a simple beginning-middle-end dance with a clear ending pose
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
A good story dance does more than just show what happens — it matches the SPEED of the story. Sneaking up on something is slow and quiet. Chasing something is fast and loud. Running away is the fastest of all. Real choreographers call this 'tempo,' and it is one of the first tools they learn to use. Today you will pick 5 events from a story and make each movement match the tempo of that moment.
Steps
- Pick a story with action in it — 'The Three Little Pigs,' 'Little Red Riding Hood,' or a bedtime story you love. List 5 events in order.
- For each event, decide: is this moment slow or fast? Sneaky or big? Write a one-word tempo next to each: slow, medium, fast.
- Invent one movement for each event that actually matches the tempo. A sneaky moment should be a slow crouching walk, not a jump. A chase should be fast-feet running in place, not a slow float.
- Link all 5 moves together and practice the full sequence 3 times. Each time, check: does my body speed match the story?
- Perform for someone in your family. Afterward, ask them: 'Which part looked the slowest? Which part looked the fastest?' See if their guesses match your plan.
Learning objectives
- Sequence 5 story events into a connected movement piece
- Match movement tempo (slow, medium, fast) to the energy of each story moment
- Receive audience feedback and compare it to choreographic intent
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Professional choreographers work with more than just speed. They think about LEVELS — is a movement high (reaching, jumping), medium (standing, walking), or low (crouching, on the floor)? They think about DIRECTION — forward, backward, sideways, turning in place. When you change levels or direction on purpose, the story becomes much easier to read from across the room. Today you will build a 6- or 7-event story dance using all three tools: tempo, levels, and direction.
Steps
- Choose a story with 6-7 clear events. It can be a fairy tale, a myth, a picture book, or a story you make up. Write the events as a numbered list.
- For each event, make 3 deliberate choices: tempo (slow/medium/fast), level (high/medium/low), and direction (forward, backward, sideways, turn). Write them next to each event.
- Invent a movement for each event that honors all 3 choices. Remember the rule: show the emotion through your body, do not tell the audience by speaking or mouthing words.
- Practice the full sequence 3 times. Between each run-through, fix one thing that didn't feel clear.
- Perform for a family audience. Give no title and no introduction. After the dance, ask them to guess the story from the movement alone. What parts did they read correctly? Which parts were confusing — and what could you change?
Learning objectives
- Apply three core choreographic tools — tempo, levels, and direction — as intentional choices
- Translate a 6-7 event narrative into a structured movement sequence with clear beginning, middle, and end
- Test choreographic clarity with family or a small trusted audience and refine based on feedback
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Choreographers and dance teachers use a framework called BEST — Body, Energy, Space, Time — to describe every choice a dancer makes. BODY is which parts are moving and how they shape the air. ENERGY is sharp or smooth, tense or relaxed. SPACE is where on the floor you are and which direction you face. TIME is tempo, rhythm, and timing with music. A great story dance uses all four on purpose. Today you will choreograph a 7-event story dance using BEST, perform it, and reflect on your own choices the way a real choreographer would.
Steps
- Choose a story with 7 sequential events. It can be a known story (myth, fable, novel scene) or one you write yourself. Write out the events as a clear timeline.
- For each event, make one intentional choice in each BEST category: Body (which parts lead the movement, what shape), Energy (sharp or smooth, strong or light), Space (level, direction, path across the floor), Time (tempo and rhythm). Record these in a 7-row, 4-column chart.
- Choreograph one distinct movement phrase per event using your chart as a plan. Critical rule: no mouthing words, no miming speech, no pointing to 'explain.' The emotion has to come through body and energy alone — show, don't tell.
- Practice the full piece at least 3 times. Film yourself once and watch it back. Mark one moment where the story reads clearly and one moment that feels vague. Revise the vague one.
- Perform for family, friends, or as a recording. Do not name the story beforehand. Ask viewers to describe what they saw in order.
- Write a one-paragraph 'choreographer's note' (5-8 sentences) that would go in a program. Explain: what story you told, one BEST choice you are most proud of, and one thing you would change in a second version.
- Reflect: Which moments landed the way you planned? Which did not? What did audience feedback teach you about the gap between intention and what is actually visible?
Learning objectives
- Apply the BEST framework (Body, Energy, Space, Time) as intentional choreographic choices across 7 distinct phrases
- Translate a complex narrative into a unified dance with a clear beginning, middle, and end — showing emotion through movement rather than telling
- Self-assess through film and audience feedback, and articulate artistic intent in a written choreographer's note
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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