Catesby Onstage

Lesson Overview

Early American naturalists were both artists and scientists; they studied the movement of animals in their natural habitats to better understand their behavior and to document the diversity of life around them.  They kept journals, took notes and often made several different images of the same animals.  Because of their work, we know much more about animal behavior and how it relates to their habitat.  We also have volumes of beautiful drawings that seek to capture the animal’s essence.  
Choreographers use the same processes as artists and scientists.  They study their topic and often take notes on what to include in their choreography.  They improvise, edit, and rehearse their work to help communicate their idea to an audience in ways that can be entertaining, informative, and memorable.  
In this unit, the students will recreate the processes choreographers use to create dances.  Focusing on South Carolina habitat, the students will study animals that are native to South Carolina and discuss how their physical characteristics have been adapted for survival in their habitat.  Using print media, video resources, and the drawings of Mark Catesby, the student will gather data about how an animal moves and how that relates to the world in which they live.  The student will summarize their findings in brief descriptions of the animal’s physical characteristics, and sequence the movement and text into a storytelling dance.