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by Jim Cain, Ph.D.
I was recently asked to provide an evening dance program for a summer
camp staff-training weekend. Personally, I remember the joy of dancing
at summer camp under the evening stars, so I said yes. After a bit of
discussion about the program, I discovered that during the previous summer,
a summer camp board member had visited the camp and witnessed a rather
unsuccessful evening dance program in progress. Most campers were somewhere
outside the dance hall; few if any were dancing; the lights were out;
and there was little leadership and no social interaction. In short,
the board decided on a policy of “no more evening dances!” until
the camp staff could create a program that truly delivered an engaging
and socially interactive, community-building event.
For nearly thirty years, I’ve had the opportunity to assist camping
programs with recreation, games, evening programs, and challenge and
adventure activities. My favorite of all is the dance — and here
are a few ideas to help your evening music and dance program be successful.
Evening programs in general, and summer camp programs specifically,
have the unique opportunity to build community and help campers feel
a part of the whole. Few things, however, are more threatening to a young
camper than feeling awkward dancing. To avoid this situation, I specifically
sequence an evening dance program to maximize the comfort level of the
participants and create an atmosphere of fun and involvement.
The Start of the Program
Begin the evening dance program with some general musical activities,
and save the actual dancing for later in the program. Name games, activities
with and without partners, small group games, and activities with the
entire camp are good places to start.
Next, introduce musical activities that don’t actually involve
any dancing. Singing is a good choice, especially those songs with some
movement as well, but here are a few more activity ideas:
- Name that Tune. Visit your
local library or music store and collect music from television programs,
game shows, and movies. Then play a few seconds from each tune and
let the audience, working in small groups, try to identify as many
tunes as possible. CDs are a good choice for this activity. Then, replay
the music in the same order, and let groups shout out their answers.
- Music Around the World. For
an international theme, try collecting music from different countries,
and again play a short segment of each selection. Small groups are
asked to guess which country or what style of music each selection
represents.
- Sing a Song about _______! With
the entire camp split into small groups of about eight to ten campers,
select a single word, such as “blue.” Groups are then given
two minutes to brainstorm as many songs as they can with the word “blue” somewhere
in the lyrics, and then be prepared to sing this line of the song.
Groups take turns, singing one song per round. As the activity continues,
any group that runs out of songs or repeats a song previously sung
by another group are out for this round. Next round, try another word,
such as other colors, camp themes, holidays, animals, or countries.
- What Are We Singing? Provide
each small group with a song title and lyrics. Each camper selects
one word from the opening line of the song and with the rest of the
group sings this word at the same time. So, for the song “I Love
the Mountains,” several campers would all sing their word from
the first line, “I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills,” in
one, mashed chord of words. The object for the rest of the audience
is to guess what the song title is.
Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum
This next level introduces music, but still provides some security for
young campers by providing structure and the unity of a group. I call
this activity, Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum. Collect a series
of different music segments (popular songs from various artists, music
styles, and locations, but especially music with a definite beat). Different
Drum begins with each group counting off, and each camper remembering
his or her number. Camper number one has the opportunity to lead the
very first song. If it is a marching band number, they can march — or
use any other movement that is safe and appropriate for the physical
ability of the rest of the group members. Song segments are typically
only about thirty seconds long. The next song belongs to camper number
two. The unique thing about this activity is that everyone in the group
has the opportunity to lead, even if only for a short time.
Hint: For younger groups, the first leader can be a counselor
to demonstrate how to lead the group.
Another large group activity that can be performed with a variety of
music is a grand march — where campers join hands in a large circle
and one counselor begins to lead this long line in a series of spirals,
twists, and circles, until they are again in a large circle.
Dances without Partners
There are a variety of musical activities and dance styles that don’t
require partners — line dancing, step dancing, jump roping, tinikling,
and limbo dancing. In many cases, some of the older line dances can be
taught using recent songs from current artists.
Tinikling (rhythmic dancing between two poles), limbo dancing (passing
below a slowly lowered stick), and jump roping (double dutch, multiple
ropes) are all forms of dance that can be used during refreshments or
break periods and still engage many campers at one time. These and several
other styles of ethnic dances can also be used during a cultural appreciation
program or “around the world” event.
Hint: Encourage counselors to learn the dances prior to camp
and then spread out during the dance to teach small groups the difficult
steps.
Mixers
After some solo dancing, introduce some partnered dancing using mixers.
These dances quickly change partners and keep campers active and moving.
The Jiffy Mixer, Down on the Corner, and Oh, Susanna are great for groups
of any size. The World of Fun recordings have even more.
Hat mixer
One of my favorite mixers, which works to a variety of music, is the hat mixer.
Two lines of campers form an “alley” — boys in one line,
girls in the other. At one end of the alley are three chairs, with a large
hat at the center chair. The music begins. The first boy sits in the middle
chair and places the hat on his head. The first two girls take the seats
on either side. The boy places the hat on one girl’s head, and then
dances with the other. The girl with the hat moves to the middle chair, and
the next two boys sit on either side. The dancers move to the bottom of the
alley, and then join their respective sides again. For those who are not
immediately chosen, they have the next opportunity to choose their own partner.
Hint: For very large groups (more than 100 campers), try having
three or four different locations in the same room with the alley and
chairs setup. When couples are finished dancing at the end of the line,
they can join any of the other lines.
The tunnel
For those situations when a camper remarks, “but you never play MY KIND
of music!” here is a modern mixer that works very well. Partners face
each other, join hands, and form a long “tunnel.” The music begins,
and these couples dance. A few (about eight) campers enter the tunnel, one
at a time. When they find a person with whom they would like to dance, they
simply back in front of this person’s partner and bump him or her out
of the line. The displaced camper then moves to the top of the tunnel and has
the opportunity to find a new partner on the next round. This activity works
with all kinds of music, so here is your chance to try a few minutes of even
the most unusual music, and keep everyone dancing.
Other Musical Activities
Don’t forget to plan some activities or music for the break portion
of the program. Classical dance tunes like Surfin’ USA by the Beach
Boys (campers can stand on benches or wooden planks like surf boards),
Shout from the Animal House Soundtrack, and other party tracks are popular.
Or, find the CDs that baseball and other sporting events play between
innings to get the crowd up and moving.
There are also a variety of ways to make music without CD players. Jug
bands can be formed using a variety of percussion instruments. Sportime
sells “boomwhackers,” which are tuned plastic tubes that
play different tones. Perhaps your camp craft program can include some
musical instruments in its daily program (shakers from film canisters
and rice, pipe chimes from electrical conduit, and other instruments
made from recycled materials). Finally, consider using live music (a
local band or DJ) or organizing a camp band to perform for the evening
dance program.
Hint: For those programs without easy access to electrical power,
or musical amplification, there are several “singing games” like “A
Bear Went over the Mountain” and a variety of “play party” games,
that are the early versions of modern mixer and social dances. And all
they require are dancers who will sing!
Dancing with Partners
While square dancing is popular at some camps, this is not the case
everywhere. The World of Fun recordings have several square dances, but
here are ideas for other forms of partner dances.
Ethnic dancing
Nearly every location has ethnic dance groups or social clubs that can be invited
to your camp to teach their style of music and dance. Scottish dancers, contra
and square dancing groups, military reenactment groups (such as the Civil
War or colonial periods), ballroom dancers, and modern dance troupes are
some possibilities. Plus, these groups often provide some educational content
with their dances, such as historical facts, food events that add to the
evening events, traditional costumes, and more.
Athletics
There are a variety of athletic dance styles, including tap, jazz, aerobics,
tae-bo, cardio kickboxing, and other forms of music-related dance. Some of
these forms use partners for stretching and balance.
Conclusion of the Dance
Don’t feel compelled to end the dance evening with “slow
dances.” But, if you choose to include some slower dancing music,
consider the “snow ball” approach. Every time a counselor
yells “snow ball,” dancers must find a new partner. This
makes even the slow dances a type of mixer.
Music can also be used to set the final mood of the evening. If you
wish campers to be in a quiet mood for an end of the day program after
the dance, use music that will set the tone.
Originally published in the 2002 May/June
issue of Camping Magazine.
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