Senior Showcase Piece (1): Concept, Structure and Roles

First session of the group piece that closes out high school PE: students set the theme, structure and roles. It pulls together Laban, Viewpoints, unison, canon and contrast.

How to play

1. Groups of six or seven brainstorm a theme that represents them as they finish high school and pick one in a single sentence (8 min).
2. Structure: they draw a 3-minute timeline with a beginning, a middle built on contrast, and an ending, marking which tool they'll use in each part (unison, canon, accumulation, dialogue, transitions…) (10 min).
3. Roles: they assign director, rehearsal lead, music lead, lighting and space lead, and documentation lead; everyone dances (4 min).
4. First material: they create and set the first 30 seconds of the piece (18 min).
5. Each group turns in its project sheet with theme, structure, roles and tasks for next session (5 min).

Rules

• Every group member appears onstage at some point.
• Nothing in the piece may ridicule people or groups.
• Acrobatic elements are limited to what was practiced safely in class.

Variations

Adaptations

• Blind or low-vision students: the group builds the piece with sound and touch cues, and the student can take on music direction.
• Limited mobility: the piece is built around their way of moving as a core element, not an add-on.
• Students with stage anxiety: choose a group section and a technical role with real weight.

Learning goals

• Design the structure of a group composition.
• Share out roles and responsibilities.
• Apply composition tools learned across the course.

Equipment for a class of 25

• paper sheets: 30
• markers: 10
• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Hand out a template with the timeline already drawn; it saves a lot of time. Groups often spend 30 minutes talking: cap the theme talk at 8 minutes and get them moving early.

More main activities for High School