Over the summer I highlighted several visual art books I use in dance classes as springboards. My students love looking at beautiful "coffee table" books with the artwork of Dale Chihuly, Andy Goldsworthy, and more.
To add to our unit this spring about Alvin Ailey, I just purchased the photography book Ailey Ascending: A Portrait in Motion. Many major dance companies have published large size coffee table books – Ailey, Mark Morris, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, etc. Whenever possible, I recommend purchasing and collecting these books.
Whether you actively reference a book in a class or have books on hand for students to browse in your studio, I find that teens still love looking at these kinds of books. I selectively display a few by my classroom's door, and I love seeing which of my student sits down and starts to explore. Invite the students in.
Seek out dance specific books, but also consider coffee table/folio books at your library to use in dance classes – art, geography, photography, graphic art, and more. I love having a few books on hand at a time so that I can do group work, with each group having one book to explore. Another teaching tip – give the students Post-It Notes so they can "mark" the images they are exploring.
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