Drama: warming-up

Arts and culture

Grade 4

Creating, interpreting and performing

Module 21

Drama: warming up

Drama

Before we start with our drama classes, you will have to be relaxed and warmed up. Ready? Good!

Activity 1

To perform relaxation and breathing exercises: the warm-up [lo 1.3]

• Your educator will guide you through the following exercises and explain why you are doing them.

Relaxation 1:

• Stand with your feet apart.
• Reach upwards with your fingertips, palms facing and fingers splayed.
• Try to touch the ceiling.
• Imagine there is a wire attached to each fingertip and to the crown of your head.
• You are being drawn up on to your toes towards the ceiling by the wires.
• Feel the body elongate.
• Hold this position for ten counts.
• Imagine that the wires are suddenly cut.
• Your hands, wrists, arms, head and shoulders will drop.
• Let your arms hang loosely at your sides.
• Let your head hang down.
• Notice how easy and comfortable the muscles feel after the release of the tension.
• Allow the head and arms to hang for a moment.
• Then stand up straight.

Relaxation 2:

• Stand with your feet apart.
• Thrust your splayed fingertips and the crown of your head rhythmically at the ceiling.
• After five thrusts, hold the position. Strain upwards for a further count of ten.
• Let the whole body above the waist relax. Slump forward.
• The trunk, arms, hands and head must hang down in a relaxed easy manner.
• Allow the arms to dangle loosely until they come to a halt of their own accord.
• Hang limp for a few moments.
• Adjust your legs.
• Slowly stand up straight.

Posture 1:

• Stand with your heels a few inches away from the wall.
• Rest your back against the wall.
• Allow arms to hang loosely.
• Feel that the head is poised, with your chin level.
• Bend your knees and allow your body to lower itself.
• Feel the spinal area in the lumbar region straighten and contact the wall.
• Slide up and down the wall a few times.
• Feel your spine straightening as you lower your body.

Posture 2:

• Stand up straight, with feet apart.
• Reach out sideways with your hands as far as possible.
• Splay your fingers, palms to the ground, thumbs pointing forwards.
• Turn the palms upwards so that the thumbs are pointing to the back.

• Feel the shoulders rolled back as you twist your hands round as far as you can.
• Continue to stretch outwards.
• Slowly lower your arms and try to touch your thighs with the backs of the fingers.
• Feel the lower part of the chest expand as the arms lower.
• Do not poke your head forward.
• This is a good corrective exercise for rounded shoulders.

Breathing:

• Lie on the floor with your arms slightly away from your body – hands loose.
• Draw your knees up until the soles of your feet are flat on the floor.
• Place your hands gently on the lower side of the ribs.
• Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Become aware of the movement your rib-cage is making.
• Pant like a dog – in and out, rapidly.
• Become aware of the power you can exert over your breath if you wish.
• Breathe in through your nose to a count of five – hold for a moment – allow it to flow out silently from a wide open jaw for a count of five.
• All movements must be in the lower part of the chest.

Warm-up 1: Red, Blue, Yellow

• Sit on a chair in a circle with a space between each chair.
• Your educator will give each of you in the circle a colour – alternating red and blue.
• The purpose of this exercise is precise movement, with no fuss and in complete SILENCE.
• On the order ‘RED’, all the reds must rise and find another chair.
• On the order ‘BLUE’, all the blues have to find another chair.
• On the order ‘YELLOW’, everyone finds another chair.
• Vary the movement from slow motion to fast reaction .
• No contact may be made.

Warm-up 2:

• The whole group should jog about in a space.
• Your educator will have a whistle.
• When the educator blows the whistle, everyone must freeze.
• The educator will point to a ‘victim’.
• The ‘victim’ instantly acquires his own extraordinary movement routine and leaps into action.
• All in the group are affected in the same way.
• After 10 seconds, the educator will blow the whistle again.
• Everyone freezes.
• Another ‘victim’ is pointed out.

Assessment

LEARNING OUTCOME 1: CREATING, INTERPRETING AND PRESENTING The learner will be able to create, interpret and present work in each of the art forms.

Assessment standard

We know this when the learner:

1.3 performs simple teacher-directed relaxation and breathing exercises when warming up and cooling down.