Creating Latin Fusion Routines using basic steps for a variety of Popular and Traditional  Dances is FUN and your students will enjoy performing the dances.
 
For the best results individualize and differentiate instruction.

For dance teams with basic knowledge of jazz, ballet, modern, create a routine that capitalizes on their dance skills and sprinkle the routine with cultural steps

For dance teams with knowledge of cultural dances but without formal instruction create routines using the students knowledge of the cultural dance and sprinkle the routine with  jazz  steps, ballet technique, and modern manipulation of the movements.

For dance teams without knowledge of Latino cultural music select main stream music with the Latino dance rhythms. The music used in Dancing with the Starts is a perfect example.

For dance teams with knowledge of the Latino culture but without knowledge of ballet, modern, and jazz allow the students to have input in the planning stages to develop buy in to the project. One way is by allowing students to select the music. Create comfort, security and trust by giving to the students opportunities for input in the decision making process. A stretched mind does not return to the size it was before. Stretch and release.
 

Each group is unique. As a teacher you will need to determine how far you can stretch your team. Open the door slowly allowing the least amount of resistance. Less resistance means less force. You will end the day energized instead of tired. Your students will look forward to dance classes and will learn more. 

        Inspires mood

        changes in accents, tempo, instrumentation are most helpful

         supports movement 

        Choreographic development (able to easily create a routine outline --differentiate parts sound like
       turns,leaps, fast footwork, floor work or solo etc.)

       The typical dance teacher has more than enough knowledge to choreograph a cultural based routine.

        Listen the music

        Define musical sections.

         Make a musical map noting the time on CD, the number of counts in section.

        Study ballroom instructional videos, Ballroom competition videos, Dancing with the Stars, Bailando
        Por un Sueño, movies, quinceañera videos, etc.  

        Make a list of steps

            The steps the teacher would like students to include in the routine
            The steps the students would like to include into the routine
            Steps that have been found on DVD's, movies, TV shows etc.

         Explore the steps
       
            Make combinations of basic steps
            improvise making stationary steps travel
            explore adding turns, levels, and  jumps
            pile the steps, (instead of doing a step 8 times in 16 cts. Do four variations of the same step.)      

        Outline

            Divide the music into sections.
            Go through the list of steps, ideas and variations your students have compiled and decide the best  
            home for each step.
            Divide the team into groups of five students.
            Assign each group a section of the music and the corresponding steps.
            Perform and critique.
            Revise
            Look for divine accidents--mistakes that look good.
            Make subtle changes, accenting, building motifs, breaking unison

In 1990, I found myself in an urban school in Dallas, Texas. Having swept seven regional and three national contests, as well as placed in the overall high point awards in thirteen consecutive national finals, I thought I was a good teacher. My students in the barrio, were not impressed-- I immediately saw the need to develop new teaching strategies.  In my hour of need I remembered what, Dr. Anne Schley Duggan had repeatedly said, "You have to start with what they know and lead them to what you would like for them to learn."

Over the years, I developed projects using the dances the students knew how to do socially.  I learned cumbia, Tejano, rock en español, sonidero, vallenato, reggaeton, Durangense, bachata, and  the new urban cumbia. The steps to social dances all over the world are simple. This simplicity opened the door for me to ask questions like: How can we make the routine more exciting? How can we change it so it is not so repetitive? How can we make the steps look different? What floor patterns might we use to allow the dancers to travel  so they are not in the same place for the whole routine? This in turn opened the door for modern dance and choreographic principles.  Preparing to perform the dances then led the students to immediately appreciated the value of ballet technique. So by giving the students what they wanted, I was able to give them what the state required without any resistance thus eliminating the need for the use of  force.  

This process of selecting the music, making a dance, finding solutions to problems and finally performing the projects empowered my students. The dance program at Molina High School became the most popular elective on campus.

As my relationship grew with the students, the next challenge was to entice my students with Latin cultural projects of dances that were not part of their immediate culture. So we  choreographed routines using samba, salsa, rumba, tango, and  cha-cha-cha, rumba flamenca.. We used music they found appealing. Using  music by popular groups such as 98 Degrees, Debla Morgan, Santana, DLG, and Gotan (nuevo tango).

Confident as dancers the students began to explore ballet, modern, jazz and perform to perform swing, disco, blues, and tap.      

The history of the dances provided an easy beginning into interdisciplinary instruction. A list of the best projects prepared by Molina Students Interdisciplinary.
 

Latin Fusion for High School Drill and Dance Teams demonstrates how you can create an award winning routine using the Modules demonstrated by Liz Gallego, choreographer and selected dancers from the Texas Woman's University International Dance Company .

Buy Now