The Khmer Apsara dance is a traditional Cambodian dance form characterized by graceful movements, intricate hand gestures, and elaborate costumes. It is often performed during religious ceremonies and cultural events in Cambodia. The dance represents celestial maidens, known as Apsaras, from Hindu and Buddhist mythology and is deeply rooted in Cambodian culture and history. Through its elegant and symbolic movements, the Khmer Apsara dance preserves the country's rich heritage and artistic traditions.
Objectives
Motor: Students will be able to perform the planting and leaves hand motion in the apsara dance with proper form, when verbally prompted by the instructor, during the activity portion of class in ¾ trials observed by the instructor.
Cognitive: Students will be able to identify the correct hand motion when shown an image with no caption, when verbally prompted during the check for understanding portion in ¾ trials observed by the instructor.
Affective: At the end of the activity, students will tell two classmate their favorite hand motion to perform during the end of the activity, when verbally prompted by the instructor
Skill Focus: Dance, Rhythm
Equipment
Media device(Lap top, projector, tablet, speaker, etc.)
Visual cue cards
Open space
Song or tempo of 80-120 BPM
Activity Description
The instructor will introduce the activity for today’s class session which students will learn about and perform the Khmer Apsara dance. Students will start off by practicing the eight essential hand motions in the Apsara dance. A projector/media device or visual cue card will be essential for this portion of the activity.
Planting: Palm facing down, hand bent downward, index finger pointer forward flexed up, thumb, ring ringer, middle finger, and pinky contacting each other forming a zero
Young Leaves: Palm facing up, hand bent upward, thumb and index finger touching while flexed, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky flexed outward
Growing: Palm faced down, hand flexed up, index finger pointing up, thumb and pinky tip contacting, ring and middle finger curled
Leaves: Palm faced down, hand flexed up, all finger flexed
Fruit: Palm facing down, hand bent upward, ring finger, middle finger flexed forward, index finger tip and thumb contacting forming a circle
Falling fruit: Both arm in front of body, arms crossed forming an X, both palm facing downward, hand flexed upward, all fingers touching flexed while thumb is flexed inward
Flowering: Hand 1(Palm facing up, hand bent upward, all fingers flexed), Hand 2(Planting hand form, hand on top of hand 1)
Ripe fruit: Both hand in the leaves hand motion but side by side one another
The instructor may practice each hand motions into sections based on class performance and understanding. Once students are confident in the hand motion the instructor ways utilize their lower body while performing the hand motion. This can be done utilizing the slide locomotor skill(Body faced sideways, feet pointed forward, step to the side with leading foot, opposite following). Once students are confident in the movement, appropriate music can be utilized to perform the dance. During this part the instructor chose various hand motions for students to perform.
