Dance Improvisation Prompts and Activities

Make your lesson planning easy and keep your students engaged with these 25 unique dance improvisation prompts and activities!

This ready-to-use guide is perfect for the busy dance teacher who wants to incorporate improvisation into their classes without having to do a lot of extra planning. Teachers who are new to improvisation will benefit from the detailed explanation of the learning objective and instructions for each activity, as they make introducing improvisation into your classes a breeze. Experienced improv teachers will be able to give their classes a breath of fresh air with new and innovative activities, and can benefit from the list of ways to adapt each exercise for multiple uses. The activities are accessible and fun for students who are new to or apprehensive of improv. They also challenge and inspire more experienced improvisers.

The 25 activities include solo and group explorations of space, time, energy, initiation, and level, as well as activities to foster personal expression, creativity, and teamwork. The activities can be adapted for use with students of most dance genres and skill levels, and are recommended for students age 8 and up. Each activity listing includes a description of the primary learning objective, instructions, ideas for adapting or changing the exercise, and discussion questions.