Brain Dance Chopstick Activity

I learned a wonderful brain dance, teamwork activity from our Brain Dance artist-in-residence, Kerri Lynn Nichols.  This is a good beginning of the year movement exploration activity. 

·      Partner students up.  Each set of students receives one plastic chopstick.  I purchased mine on Amazon.com

·      It is the task of the students to keep the chopstick held between the two students’ palms, with one end resting on each student’s hands.  Nothing else touches the chopstick.

·      When the music begins, students must move to the music as a team, while keeping the chopstick upheld between their hands.  To be successful, without dropping it, they will need to move slowly.  Thus, I often partner this with slow music from David Chappelle's Music for Creative Dance.

·      This task is more difficult for students then the simple directions state.  It is good for engaging the brain and developing teamwork.

·      Advanced Option – One student closes their eyes while the other student moves just their hands around while still maintaining the chopstick between them.  The student with their eyes open then moves their partner around ‘general space’ being careful not to run them into anything in the room.