Breaking Barriers: A Dancing Game for Gender Equality

Begin by having students pair up and face each other, ensuring enough space for movement.
Explain the concept of mirroring, where one person initiates movements and the other reflects them as accurately as possible. Show example if necessary.
Mirroring Example
Emphasize the importance of focus, observation, and nonverbal communication.
You can set a calm and focused tone with soft background music or simply guide students to take a few deep breaths before starting.
Song Examples:

• "Moonlight Sonata" by Ludwig van Beethoven
• "Pachelbel's Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel
• "Weightless" by Marconi Union
• "Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish
• "Cranes in the Sky" Instrumental by Solange
• "Slow Dancing in the Dark" Instrumental by Joji
• "Liability" by Lorde
• "Youth" by Daughter
• "River" by Leon Bridges

Encourage the leaders to start with simple, slow, and deliberate movements, gradually increasing complexity as they gain confidence. This allows the followers to observe and respond effectively.
Suggest exploring different parts of the body and movement qualities:

• Body Parts: Head, arms, torso, legs, facial expressions.
• Movement Qualities: Smooth, sharp, flowing, staccato, sustained, percussive.

Encourage leaders to infuse their movements with emotions, and followers to try and capture those emotions in their mirroring.
After a few minutes, have partners switch roles, allowing everyone to experience both leading and following.
Encourage students to observe how their experience changes when they switch roles.
Feel free to introduce variations like mirroring with eyes closed or adding a slight delay in the mirroring to increase the challenge and focus on intuition.
When finished, open a discussion about the experience, asking questions like:

• How did it feel to lead? How did it feel to follow? Was one role more challenging than the other?
• How did you communicate with your partner without words? What cues did you pay attention to?
• Did you feel a sense of connection with your partner during the mirroring exercise? How did it feel to try to understand and express their movements and emotions?
• What were some of the challenges you faced? What moments felt particularly successful or rewarding?

Transition to re-introducing Global Goal 5 by explaining how the mirroring exercise related to understanding and empathizing with others, a crucial aspect of achieving gender equality.
If needed, present the Global Goal: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."
Explain Global Goal 5's importance by discussing how gender equality benefits everyone, creating a fairer and more just world where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. [Content includes discussion prompts about gender equality]

Set Up
- Create multiple obstacle courses using cones or floor markers, each representing a different Global Goal 5 Target (as many or as few as you wish.)
- Designate specific obstacles within each course to represent challenges related to that Target.
Examples include obstacles for Targets 5.1-5.6, 5.a-5.c with specific setup instructions.
Divide the class into groups, ideally 3-4 students per group.
Explain the game:
- Each group will rotate through all the obstacle courses, experiencing the challenges associated with different targets.
- One person from each group will navigate a course at a time, embodying a character affected by the Target's challenge.
- The rest of the group will act as guides and supporters, offering verbal encouragement and helping their teammate brainstorm movements or actions to overcome each obstacle.
- Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers, and encourage creativity and expression in movement.
- If obstacle's are moved/broken during a students "run", students will be responsible to "reset" them.
[Variation] Blindfolded Trust: Have one person in each group blindfolded, representing the vulnerability faced by women and girls. The other group members must guide the blindfolded person through the obstacle using only verbal communication.
Open a discussion, with questions like:

• How did it feel to be blindfolded and reliant on others?
• How did it feel to guide someone and ensure their safety?
• How does this relate to the importance of support and allyship in achieving gender equality?