Teacher toolkit
This section provides a set of classroom questions and a brief description of the drama practices with examples of how they can be used in the classroom:
Classroom questions – Comparison study
These questions can be used with junior, primary and wharekura students.
View the DVD of Māui – One man against the gods and compare the story of Māui and Tama-nui-te-rā as told in the dramaturgy exercise to the portrayal on the DVD. Comment on these questions:
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In Māui – One man against the gods the characters of Makea-Tutara (Māui’s father) and Tama-nui-ki-te-rangi (Māui’s great uncle or ancient tupuna) and Tama-nui-te-rā were all combined.
- Why do you think the writers of the performance did this?
- Did you like or dislike this aspect?
- Why did you like or dislike this aspect?
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Have you read any books and then watched the film/movie afterwards?
- What was the name of the book/film?
- What were the differences between the book and the film?
- Did you like/dislike the changes or differences? Why?
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The stories/ legends of Māui are told in a very episodic format. We have one great adventure followed by another with very little information about what is happening to Māui in his personal growth between these major events in his life.
- Think back on stories you have been told about Māui and reflect on whether or not you learnt much about Māui and his personal growth.
- Do you feel the show showed Māui’s growth and development of character and personality throughout the show?
- What changes in personality did Māui go through in the show?
- What can we learn for ourselves from Māui’s actions and personality?
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View the DVD or see the production of Māui – One man against the gods.
- Do you think the show was episodic, or did it provide a fuller picture of Māui’s growth, personality and life story?
- For example, his connections with Hine, Rā, Taranga and his brothers.
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How many legends do you know pertaining to Māui and his adventures?
- How many were explored in the show?
- Do you feel the right legends were explored? Say why? Why not?
- What others would you have chosen?
- How would you have linked them in with the rest of the show’s story?
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Did the visual staging of trapping Tama-nui-te-rā in the production compare with your own imagination when reading/listening to this story in the past?
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What other additions to the story in this production have been added to help connect the characters in the show?
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How many times is Hinenuitepō seen in the production, and compare that to how many times she appears in the legends of Māui? Why do you think she is encountered by Māui many more times?
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Dramaturgy
The term ‘dramaturgy’ refers to the process of analysing or dissecting the content of a story.
In order to understand and work with a story it helps to divide the story into scenes and beats:
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Scenes are distinguished from one another through a significant change of location, time-frame or dramatic development.
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Beats are the smallest possible units of dramatic action.
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Metaphor (derived from the Greek metaphor carrying across) refers to a figurative use of speech whereby an image is used to convey an underlying meaning that is not explicit in the image. For example: “I see dark clouds on the horizon”, stands for, “I think something terrible is going to happen.”
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Voice and rhythm work
There is a voice in each of us that contains all the voices of the world: of beauty and of beast, of man and of woman. To activate this voice the totality of being will be engaged: physically, vocally and spiritually. When working with the voice, follow these steps:
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warm up the body
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warm up the voice.
Offer exercises that cover a variety of objectives:
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exploration of different sounds
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shaping sounds in a specific way
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rhythm and improvisation games
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songs and composition.
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Physical warm up
Class example:
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Swing the right arm in a relaxed way / flutter hands at moment of suspension, above the head / swing arm all the way around in rotation: slow then fast.
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Repeat with left arm.
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Circle both arms round alternatively: forward / backwards (as if doing free-style or backstroke).
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Circle both arms around at the same time: forward / backwards. Swing arms in opposite directions (as if walking firmly) / build the swing so that the arms eventually rotate in opposite directions.
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Swing legs one at a time: forward – backward and in front, across.
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Vocal warm up
Class example:
The Shake is an exercise that will balance energy with relaxation. It is an excellent exercise to warm up the voice and develop vocal resonance.
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Participants will form a circle and are asked to make eye contact and flutter (flirt) the eyelids.
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First they rotate the shoulders forwards / backwards alternately and then, at the same time.
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Lift shoulders and drop them, allowing the breath to escape with a sound (repeat several times).
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Then move the shoulders in a rotation like the movement of a washing machine. Develop this movement until it resembles the shimmering of a fish caught by its tail: impulse – release in succession.
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Allow the voice to make sounds as a result of the movement.
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Let the sound first be on one’s natural pitch, and then encourage the participants to explore the full range of their voices by moving up and down in pitch.
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Introduce the “lip buzz” and the “tongue flutter”, first on natural pitch, then whilst moving the voice up and down in scale.
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Finally, mix the shake, the “lip buzz” and the “tongue flutter”.
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Call and response variations
Class example:
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Participants form a circle.
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Each participant will, in turn, physicalise and vocalize their name.
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The others will copy as precisely as possible the proposed sounds and movements.
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Encourage variety in volume, rhythm and duration of the proposals and quality of the sounds.
Variation: Same as above, but this time everyone will keep their eyes closed at all times.
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Listen carefully to the proposed sounds and imagine the movement that goes with it.
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Again the participants will copy sounds and execute the imagined movement after each proposal. In general the quality of listening improves and people tend to feel more adventurous in their proposals when they know that no one can see them. Variation: Same as above, but instead of using one’s own name, ask that the participants create consonants – vowel formations.
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The proposals can range from very simple to extremely complex.
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Make sure that each time at least one vowel and at least one consonant are used. Also ensure that the participants physicalise as they vocalize.
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Play with eyes open / closed.
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Rhythm games
Class example:
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Participants are in a circle formation, stepping from side to side to establish a collective beat.
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Encourage participants to make rhythmic sounds to fill up the space between the beats. Allow time for this to develop and concentrate on maintaining a steady beat.
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Maintain the beat but ask participants to internalize the sounds (=imagine making sounds without actually making them).
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The leader will clap 3 x on the beat and ask for the clap to go round the circle, each person making one clap exactly on the beat. If the clap is too late or too early, one has to “die” dramatically and resurrect quickly in order to get the clap right on the beat during the next round.
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Feet maintain the beat, hands clap “off beat”.
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Allocate half the circle to clap “on beat” and half “off beat”. Call out “change!” for everyone to change from what they were doing to what they were not doing.
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Introduce the triple beat, first vocally and physically: paapaapaa (chest moves up and down three times between each beat).
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Introduce six-let (tadatatadata): practice in ‘call and response’ manner.
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Clap 4 x “on beat” / 4 x “off beat” / 4 x “triplet” / 4 x “six-let” / back to 4 x “on beat” / etc.
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3 / 4 / 5 beat formation game
Class example:
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Ask participants to make a “3-step”. This is the waltz rhythm: one two three / one two three / one two three / and so on.
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The first step is in front; the second and third steps are side steps.
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Once this rhythm is established in steps, the participants are asked to clap on every first beat.
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After awhile the clap is replaced by a sound, for example the “Ah” vowel.
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Then the participants are given the freedom to clap whenever they fancy, but looking for connections with the others.
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Come back to four cycles with the “Ah” on the first step to finish.
Variation: Ask participants to make a “4-step”.
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One two three four / one two three four / and so on. The first step is in front; the second, third and fourth steps are side steps.
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Once this rhythm is established in steps, the participants are asked to clap on every first beat.
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After awhile the clap is replaced by a sound, for example the “Aa” vowel.
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Then the participants are given the freedom to clap whenever they fancy, but looking for connections with the others.
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Come back to four cycles with the “Aa” on the first step to finish.
Variation: Follow the same process with a “5-step”. This time the sound could be a high pitched “Hi”.
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Divide the group in half: one half is a three-step (“Ah” sound) / the other half is a four-step (“Aa” sound). Only make sounds on the first beat of each formation. Listen how the rhythms combine.
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Divide the group in to three: one is a three-step (“Ah” sound) / one is a four-step (“Aa” sound) / one is a 5-step (“Hi” sound). Only make sounds on the first beat of each formation. Listen to how the rhythms combine and sense when the three groups are about to make their sounds together.
Variation: Include introducing:
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the 1-step, 2-step, 6-step, and so on, or
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making up your own clusters of beat-formations. For example: 2 x 2-step, 2 x 3-step, 1 x 7-step / 2 x 2, 2 x 3, 1 x 7 / and so on.
Song:
Finish your session with the teaching or singing of a song together (Refer to Ngā Toi Exemplars – Puoro for examples.)
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Creating soundscapes using ‘low-tech’ composition processes
Soundscapes can be created in a varied of ways.
‘Low tech’ is the name given when using a range of instruments that are not ‘high-tech’, that is, classical or electronic.
Low-tech can refer to found sounds, including environmental (natural) sounds such as stones, instruments that can be made by students, such as harakeke flower-stalks (koorari), bamboo garden stakes, film container shakers, and things like metal car-parts or manufactured instruments, of the usual ‘school’ type: tambourines, drums, woodblocks, triangles. Many taonga puoro could also be referred to as ‘low-tech’ instruments (tumutumu).
When creating a soundscape using ‘low-tech’ instruments, students can explore materials for their sound potential and explore different sounds to create satisfying and musically interesting compositions.
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Muscle and bone
Butoh is a Japanese movement theatre form that came about in the 1950s as a reaction against the restriction and formality of classical (Japanese) theatre and dance.
Butoh rejects style and form in favour of rich, dark imagery. Highly vigorous movement work is alternated with extremely slow movement in which the performers journey to a very deep place inside themselves. The Japanese butoh master, Min Tanaka, has developed a system of work that he calls ‘Body Weather Laboratory’. In this he compares the ever-changing state of our bodies with the ever-changing state of the weather.
Muscle and bones is part of his Body Weather Laboratory. It is an aerobic exercise that involves people moving up and down the studio in different ways. During the movement strong rhythmic music is played. Sometimes people move in two lines, sometimes they move randomly.
Class example:
Music: South African Rhythm Riot (compilation tape)
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Step 1 Warm up: In pairs rub each other’s back, kneed the muscles, roll the shoulders backwards, roll the muscles of the arms vigorously from the shoulder down to the hands. Back to back, take each other’s weight gently. Swing arms in different ways. Swing legs in different ways.
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Step 2 Walk up and down the studio (forward / backwards)
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Step 3 Kick legs in front (forward / backwards)
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Step 4 Kick legs across in front (forward / backwards)
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Step 5 Kick legs sidewards (forward / backwards)
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Step 6 Combination: kick in front / across / sidewards (forward / backwards)
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Step 7 Heel – heel / toe – toe (forwards / backwards)
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Step 8 Hands up / down / facing front / facing back
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Step 9 Combine heel – toe with hands up down front back sequence.
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Step 10 Triplets side ways: jump right – ball change / jump left – ball change
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Step 11 Diamond shapes (forward / backwards)
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Step 12 Side waves: arms move side ways in waves / waves travel through spine
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Step 13 Reach right in front then left behind / step forward with left leg / reach left in front then right behind / step forward with right leg / etc.
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Step 14 Same as above but backwards: reach right behind then left in front / step backwards with left leg / reach left behind then right in front / step backwards with right leg /etc.
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Step 15 Ordinary walk (forward / backwards)
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Step 16 Stretch leg, back, arm and shoulder muscles
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Variation One can include taiaha moves, kapa haka foot movement other styles of movement or invent new moves.
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Choreographic devices
Class example:
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Moving as one – students work in pairs and then in threes or small groups.
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One student leads boy creating slow movement with their body.
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The rest of the group follows the movement of the leader as near as they possibly can.
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They take turns at leading by passing on the leadership to another member of the group.
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Encourage the students who are leading to create movement that links to the context – Māui me te Rā, by choosing a beat and coming up with movement that will depict the mood of that beat.
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Canon – the movement is introduced by one of the group and repeated exactly by the rest of the students in the group in turn.
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