Chance Choreography: Shuffling Dance Phrases with Cards

Inspired by chance procedures in contemporary dance, each group creates four short phrases and lets playing cards decide their order, facing, and speed. Students work on dance composition, memory, and adapting to unexpected results.

How to play

1. Form groups of 4. Each person creates an 8-count phrase with one traveling move, one turn, and one level change (4 minutes).
2. Each member teaches their phrase to the group, so everyone dancing together knows phrases A, B, C, and D (5 minutes).
3. Draw: deal cards 1 to 4 face down; the number sets the order of the phrases. The suit of a second card sets each phrase's facing: diamonds front, hearts right, spades back, clubs left (3 minutes).
4. A third card per phrase sets the speed: even means normal tempo, odd means slow motion. The group lays out the resulting score on the floor with the cards (3 minutes).
5. The group rehearses the resulting dance to music and fixes any transitions that turned out awkward (5 minutes).
6. Each group performs its version for another group, then reshuffles and dances a second version. The audience discusses which version works better and why (6 minutes).

Rules

• Accept the result of the draw; only the transitions can be adjusted.
• Before dancing each new facing, check that there is open space around you.
• Every group member must be able to do every phrase: no risky jumps or spins.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: create phrases with arms, torso, and wheelchair travel, and change facing by turning the chair.
• Shy students: the student can run the draw and write down the score in the first round before dancing.
• Fitness level: a student who needs it can do every phrase in slow motion.

Learning goals

• Compose a dance using chance procedures.
• Memorize and recombine movement phrases in different orders and facings.
• Think critically about how changing the structure changes the meaning of a dance.

Equipment for a class of 25

• deck of cards: 6
• music
• portable speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Groups tend to cheat the draw when the result is uncomfortable; remind them that solving it is the whole challenge. Keeping phrases to 8 counts makes rehearsal quick.

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