In the final session based on Oscar Wilde's famous story the Swallow decide to stay with the Prince.
3. The Prince's friend
Diane Louise Jordan has the third and final session based on the famous story The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. In the final session the Swallow decides to stay with the Prince.
Resources
Download audio
Download the audio for this dance session as an mp3 file
Teacher's Notes
Guidance on using the dance sessions in this unit with your group (pdf)
Lesson summary
Warm-up: Winter Games. Bend and stretch to build an imaginary snowman. Scoop, mould, throw and dodge imaginary snowballs.
Sequence 1: The Little Match-girl. Use facial expression and gesture to show how cold and frightened you are. Mime the action of picking up the dropped matches from the snow-covered ground. Walk to a new space with slow, shivering steps and repeat the sequence.
Sequence 2: The Little Swallow. Clap, tap or stamp out a rhythmic pecking pattern to remove the Prince’s other sapphire eye. Then travel through the spaces with small, light steps; twisting and turning like the agile Swallow.
Sequence 3: Leaf after leaf of fine gold. This sequence repeats the rhythmic pecking patterns and light, agile travelling steps practised above, as the Little Swallow gives away all the fine gold leaf that covers the Happy Prince to the poor of the city.
Sequence 4: Snowballs and ice-skating. In pairs or small groups to develop a sequence combining the actions of happy, healthy children playing outside in the cold, winter weather – playing snowballs, building a snowman, and ice-skating together.
Sequence 5: The cold Little Swallow. Travel through the spaces with slow, shivering, tired steps to show the Little Swallow getting colder and weaker. Finally, sink down slowly onto the floor – like the Swallow collapsing and dying at the Prince’s feet.
Cool down: Slow, relaxed steps through the most beautiful garden imaginable – where the Little Swallow and the Happy Prince sing and play together for evermore.
Related units of KS1 Dance: Time to Move
The Pied Piper of Hamelin. collection
A three-part unit based on the traditional story, popularised by the poem by Robert Browning.
Pinocchio. collection
A three-part unit taking the famous story of Pinocchio as the inspiration for children's dances.
Alice in Wonderland. collection
Three dance sessions exploring the story Alice in Wonderland through dance.
