Bollywood
Student Learning Materials and Activities
This video was produced to document a public workshop during Confluence: A festival of India in Australia. This festival celebrates the cultural contributions of the Indian community to Australian life. The workshop at Sydney Opera House was in the style of a flash mob led by choreographer Gilles Chuyen. This flash mob workshop provides a performance that celebrates different cultures coming together. In the Bollywood films, dancers begin the performance by coming together and joining the dance space and this has contributed to the inspiration for public flash mob performances.
The Bollywood workshop
Responding
Bollywood dance is a type of dance that has come from Bollywood films. Bollywood is the name given to the Indian film industry, a play on the word Hollywood and Bombay now known as Mumbai in India. Bollywood dance is known for its colourful and energetic interpretation of stories through song and dance. The elaborate dance sequences and sound tracks have developed from a fusion of traditional Indian classical and folk dances and elements of Jazz, Hip-Hop, Arabic and Latin Forms.
Have you seen Bollywood dance in your community?
The purpose of dance is not always to tell a specific story, sometimes its purpose is to create a mood.
How did the music and dance in the video make you feel?
What actions or shapes can you see in Bollywood dance?
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How is this dance different to The Bollywood Workshop?
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What dance elements did you see in this performance?
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What story does this dance tell us?
Navigating Space
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Let's explore the element of space.
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Before we move we need to warm up!
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Play Simon Says to move around your dance square.
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Make up your own dance actions to move around your dance square.
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Can you remember some of the dance moves from the Bollywood videos?