Warm Up

10 minutes

Welcome

• Begin seated in a circle. Introduce yourself, welcome each dancer, begin to learn each participants’ name and use them throughout the activity.

Scripture – John 8:12

• “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
• Think about this scripture as we dance today and we’ll talk about it more after we move a bit.

Follow the Pathway

• Dancers line up and each choose a pathway card and an action card (included at the end of the lesson). Dancer in front leads. When it is their turn to lead, the dancer reveals the action to do but keeps the pathway a secret. Dancers try to follow and copy the pathway of the leader around the room according to the pathway indicated on the card. 
• Following dancers try to guess the pathway after they have moved it (describe or draw). Change leaders so each dancer gets a turn. 
• For bigger groups, have two leaders and groups following; for smaller groups, dancers can choose new pathway and action cards to repeat the activity.

Discuss – What made a pathway clear or unclear to follow?

Explore Concept

20 minutes

Mirroring Air Pathways

• We just practiced floor pathways (the pathways we can make on the floor); now let’s explore air pathways.
• Partner up and mirror. Move slowly so that dancers can easily follow the air pathways of moving body parts.
• Switch leaders. 

Discuss – Did they prefer leading or following? What was challenging about each?

Words Game

• Dancers write a word they’ve heard or we’ve talked about since being together that day. If there are many participants, each write one word; if there are few participants, each write several words. Place words folded in a bowl.
• As a group or on teams, dancers take turns choosing a word, rolling the body part die (included at the end of the lesson) and spelling that word with that body part. Observing dancers try to guess the word by watching closely for the air pathway of the given body part.

Discuss – How was this experience similar to or different from the floor pathways following warm up?

Create

10 minutes

Name Dance

• Dancers create their own dance by making the pathways in their name. Emphasize the pathway part, as if they are drawing their name with different body parts in the air or on the floor (not making their bodies the shape of the letter).
• Perform Name Dances for each other.

Cool Down

5 minutes

Stretch and Discuss Connections

• Gather and sit in a circle. Encourage dancers to stretch while discussing the questions or lead them in a stretch while discussing together. Here are some question ideas:

• How did moving today relate to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
• What new insights did exploring pathways bring?
• Reread the scripture – John 8:12
  • “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

• What is challenging about following Christ today? How can we overcome those challenges and stay true to Him?