About this unit
On this page: What is Bollywood dance? | Acknowledgments
This is a unit for the performing and visual arts, level 4, for years 7–10. It is based around the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi. The unit incorporates contemporary Bollywood-style dance and drama into a 4-scene play, which can be recorded or performed for an audience.
Duration: 30 hours
- In this unit the students research the life and work of the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.
- They create a dance drama that depicts, in four scenes, aspects of Indian culture and selected incidents in the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The students also research Indian art and architecture in preparation for the design and creation of the visual components including props, backdrops, masks and costumes.
- At the end of the unit the students present their work in front of an audience.
- A case study has been included to give you an insight into the teaching and learning sequence of this unit.
Note: Depending upon the number of students involved, they may be divided into two groups, one with a dance focus and the other with a visual arts focus.
What is Bollywood dance?
Bollywood dance, currently all the rage in England as well as India, is an exhilarating blend of east and west dance styles that takes in elements of jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and classical Indian dance.
Since the 1950s, the Bollywood film industry of Bombay (Mumbai) has mushroomed into a global phenomenon, producing over 800 films a year and rivaling Hollywood in output and scale.
Many Bollywood films glorify the ideas of love and romance. They feature tightly choreographed fantasy song and dance sequences. These provide the vehicle for the dashing hero and beautiful heroine to declare their love without fear of family disapproval or breaking social taboos. Bollywood dance, with its combination of styles, is fun and accessible for all ages.
Acknowledgments
This unit has been written by Jan Bolwell, dance consultant, with thanks to the students and teachers from Maidstone Intermediate School, Upper Hutt, New Zealand, in particular, Annette McCrae and Kerry Sherrard on whose work this resource was based.
Video clips in this resource are from Stage Challenge, 2004, TV3. The Stage Challenge events are produced in New Zealand by the Stage Challenge Foundation, a non-profit company. Stage Challenge is the registered trade mark of Global Rock Challenge Holdings Pty Ltd.
The music in the video clips is not the music used in the Stage Challenge performance, due to copyright considerations. Thanks to composers Carlton McRae and Michael Paterson for permission to use the song 'Rishikesh' in the video clips.