Dancing Towards Fairness: Movement Inspired by Alvin Ailey

10. Reduced Inequalities
Dance/Movement
Grades 5-8
30-60 Minutes

Materials Needed

  • • Spacious dance studio or open classroom
  • • Whiteboard or projector
  • • Markers, pens
  • • Notebooks or paper
  • • Audio player and speakers
  • • Feeling/Concept Movement Cards

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

You can find an introduction to Goal 10, as well as the Targets & Indicators, Objectives, and Action Planning Resources on the Goal overview page.

See Goal 10 Overview
Goal 10 icon

Introduce Global Goal 10 and Alvin Ailey as choreographer who used dance to show feelings about fairness and celebrate diverse communities.

1

Body Contract and Expand Warm Up

Students explore contraction (pulling inward) and expansion (stretching outward) to show different feelings like exclusion vs. inclusion.
1

Explore Ailey's Movement Concepts

Practice contraction/release with breath, grounded movement (strong connection to floor), and expressive reaching gestures.
1

Feeling/Concept Movement Cards

Groups sort cards into Fairness/Inclusion vs. Challenges/Unfairness, choose one card, brainstorm Ailey-inspired movements.
1

Create Equality Dances

Groups create short dance pieces (1-2 min) using Ailey movements to tell story about chosen feeling/concept from Global Goal 10.
1

Share and Discuss

Groups perform dances, discuss feelings/ideas about fairness/equality, effective movements, and messages conveyed.
1
How did Alvin Ailey's style deepen your understanding of Global Goal 10?
2
How can dance be a tool for social justice?
  • Participation
  • Understanding through movement symbolism
  • Effective Ailey technique application
  • Ensemble collaboration
  • Reflection

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Previous Lesson
My Equality Journal: Writing Stories of Fairness
Next Lesson
The Silly & The Serious: A Satirical Look at Fairness

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