Drama in Motion

This month, fourth grade students are learning to tell a story not just with words, but through movement. As they begin preparing for their upcoming class performance of The Ballad of Mulan, an anonymous Chinese poem dating back to the fifth or sixth century CE, they’re exploring how dance can express emotion, character, and narrative.

Drama teacher Adam Crescenzi teamed up with ELC teacher Di Yang, a trained Chinese folk dancer, to teach and choreograph two traditional Chinese folk dances, one for each fourth grade section, and to guide students through the learning process. Over the next few months, students will practice these dances to accompany their February performance of the poem. They’ll also share their work during Fay’s Lunar New Year Festival celebration that same month.

To start, students read and discussed a translation of The Ballad of Mulan, exploring how the tale of a young woman who takes her father’s place in battle has evolved through different interpretations over the centuries. “In some versions, Mulan has a mystical grandfather who teaches her the ways of war; in others, there is a love story; and in some, she returns home only to find that her father has passed away,” explained Adam. This prompted students to discuss how stories evolve and reflect the cultures and values of those who tell them. Having directed Mulan in the past, Adam was eager to make the theater curriculum more inclusive by featuring a non-Western story. Discovering that Di could bring her expertise in Chinese folk dance to the project made it an even richer, interdisciplinary experience, blending literature, drama, and cultural tradition in a meaningful way. During the winter term, students will practice the poem and stage it. The classes will tell the story collaboratively like a Greek chorus. As there are several Chinese speakers in the class, Adam also hopes they will perform key moments from the poem in Chinese.

Fourth graders have been hard at work rehearsing two dances, a lively battle dance and a graceful fan dance, under the guidance of Adam and Di. In class, they’re learning to move in unison, using clear, expressive gestures to help tell the story through movement. No matter their level of dance experience, students are embracing the challenge and enjoying the opportunity to try something new together.