Dancing Poetry

Description

Learn choreography set to the first three stanzas of “The Tiniest Man in the Washing Machine” by Canadian poet Dennis Lee. (Poem used with permission of HarperCollins Children’s Books.)

Materials

• A moderate amount of personal space.
• A copy of the poem “The Tiniest Man in the Washing Machine” from Garbage Delight by Dennis Lee.

Activity Notes

• Students will learn how to interpret and express written language using movements. They will use the elements of dance, with focus on space and time, to retell the events of the poem.

Artist Notes

• Use your own movements to interpret the remaining stanzas of the poem.
• Can you include facial expressions to match the events of the poem?
• Can you create your own character inspired by Dennis Lee’s poem “The Tiniest Man in the Washing Machine” using your own written and movement ideas?