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Participatory Dances6 minutes

Movement Songs for Carnival: Responding to Calls with Gestures

By Bernhard De LucaUpdated

In short
  • Pair each recurring call in the carnival song with one simple, clearly visible gesture.
  • Show the call and movement yourself first, then have the group respond with both together.
  • Leave enough space between your call and the response so the children don’t sing at the same time as you.
  • Keep the gestures the same each time and include children who only want to do the movements.

Answer a call together

On udansa, you can find people to join you for children's dance circles and courses where children turn musical cues into movement. That gives your next circle more gestures to try together.

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Answer a call together

At a noisy carnival party, long explanations quickly get lost amid the music and voices. A visible invitation to respond also reaches children who don't know the lyrics yet or would rather watch at first.

What you need for the call round

  • A short chorus with recurring calls and pauses for responses
  • Two clearly distinguishable gestures without changing direction
  • One person visible to everyone to lead
  • Hands free and faces unobstructed
  • For music played from a device: an easily accessible volume control

The response needs a gap in the music

Call and response means one voice starts and the others take over afterward. A song whose vocals continue without a break leaves no room for this. If you call out additional phrases over it, the children hear the recording and you at the same time. So use a suitable gap in the chorus or sing the short call yourself, at first without any recording. The group needs to be able to hear your voice clearly.

To get started right away, you can use your own little call-and-response round: You sing “Helau!”, the children answer “Helau!” and wave once. Then you sing “Hooray!”, the children answer “Hooray!” and open both hands in front of their chests. This is an example you choose yourself for practice, not a fixed song lyric. A short, consistent melody is enough. You can adapt the words to the carnival call your group uses.

The gesture goes with the call, not with every individual word in a long song. This keeps the connection between them easy to follow. For now, let the feet stay still: The principle of coordinating arms and legs separately first helps here too. You can also find the musical idea of answering one another in the sound games in tap dance for children, where the feet do most of the answering.

A familiar sound can signal the next cue before a child has mastered the words associated with it.
A familiar sound can signal the next cue before a child has mastered the words associated with it.

In Seven Steps from Call to Group Response

  1. Set the response space

    Speak or sing your short call, then leave an equally long space. If you're using a recording, use an existing response pause; if there isn't one, start without a device. Your call and the group's response should be clearly audible one after the other.

  2. Pair two calls with gestures

    For example, decide that “Helau!” gets a single wave, and “Hooray!” gets two open hands in front of the chest. Perform each gesture comfortably in place. The movements should remain distinguishable even when a child makes them small.

  3. Demonstrate the pairing slowly

    Say: “For Helau, we wave; for Hurra, we open our hands.” Show each call with its gesture separately and let the children imitate you right away. Only start the sung round once they can clearly tell the two signals apart.

  4. Help the children give the first response

    Sing “Helau!” and demonstrate the wave at the same time. Invite the children to respond with your palm open, and wave along when they say “Helau!” Wait until their response is finished instead of calling out the second greeting over them.

  5. Add the second call

    Now introduce “Hooray!” in the same way, then connect both call-and-response pairs. Repeat the round in the same order. If the group hesitates during the transition, briefly cue the next gesture before the call, without adding an extra movement.

  6. Gradually withdraw your demonstration

    In another round, leave out your cueing gesture and give only the audible cue and the invitation to respond. You’ll know it’s working when the children start the matching gesture on their own. If they’re unsure, join in again without explaining it all over again.

  7. End the final round clearly

    Announce before the next call: “This is the last round.” Let both responses ring out fully, then lower your hands. This way, everyone ends the song together, without any children still waiting for another cue.

Children's Dance Classes with Music and Gestures

In children's dance, you and your child can discover more ways to respond to music through sound and movement.

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This keeps the assignment easy to understand

That's right

  • If a call is forgotten, show the same gesture again
  • Speak the call words clearly, without shouting
  • Include silent gesture responses just as much as sung ones
  • If a child is late, wait for the next response

Not like this

  • When you forget a call, immediately invent a new gesture
  • Replace unclear calls with ever-increasing volume
  • Ask a child to sing along loudly
  • Stop the whole round because of a late cue

Your checklist for the calling round

Before You Begin

Preparation

After the first round

Introduction

After the last response

Closing

Frequently asked questions

  1. First, lengthen the pause, then visibly invite them to respond. Practice a call-and-response pair without music, pointing to yourself during your call and then openly toward the group. Once the changeover is clear, return to the sung call and gradually make the cue gestures smaller.

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