Hello! My name is Miral Kotb, and I love dancing and creating cool things with computers. I even made something called iLuminate, which uses light suits to make amazing shows. Did you know that computer science is all about being creative? It’s like having a magic wand to bring your ideas to life!
Today, we’re going to have some fun with computer science by making our own dance party! We’ve got some awesome music and dancers ready for you. You’ll use blocks of code to pick dancers, change their moves, and make them dance to the music. It’s like being the director of your own show!
When you start, you’ll see your screen is divided into three parts. On the left, there’s the play space where your dancers will show up. In the middle, you’ll find the toolbox with blocks of code that you’ll use. On the right is the workspace, where you can drag the blocks from the toolbox to create your program. Instructions for each step will be at the top of the screen, and if you need help, just click the light bulb for a hint!
Let’s make a dancer! Find the red block in the toolbox and drag it under the orange “setup” block. This block will create a dancer that’s a cat named “my_first_dancer.” You can change the name to anything you like by clicking on it. You can also move your dancer around in the play space.
Above the play space, there’s a menu where you can pick a song. There are lots of songs to choose from, so find one you love! Below the play space is the run button. When you press it, your dancers will start moving, and the music will play.
[Music]
Give it a try! If you ever feel stuck, just get up and dance around. Soon, you’ll have your very own dance party. So, what kind of dance party will you create?
Dance and Code Exploration: Create a simple dance routine at home using your favorite song. Think about the steps you want to include and write them down. Now, imagine you are coding these steps for a robot. What commands would you use to make the robot dance just like you? Share your dance routine and coding commands with a friend or family member and see if they can follow along!
Light Suit Design: Miral Kotb uses light suits in her shows. Design your own light suit using paper and colored pencils. Think about where you would place the lights and what colors you would use. Once you have your design, explain how you think the lights could be controlled using computer code. What patterns or effects would you create?
Music and Movement Observation: Listen to a piece of music and close your eyes. Imagine how you would move to the music. Now, watch a video of a dance performance. How do the dancers move to the music? Write down three movements you observed and think about how you could use coding blocks to recreate those movements in a dance party program.
**Hour of Code | Dance Party: Warm Up**
Hi! My name is Miral Kotb, and I’m a dancer, software developer, and creator of iLuminate. Computer science relates to creativity in numerous ways—it’s truly immeasurable. Once you have the ability to write software, you can bring your ideas to life in countless ways. I do this with light suits. The possibilities are really endless once you have the tools to write software.
Over the next hour, you’re going to get started with computer science by programming your own dance party! We’ve assembled some hit music and a team of great dancers for you to work with. You’ll be using blocks of code to choose different dancers, change their dance moves, make them respond to the music, and create an interactive experience.
You’ll notice that your screen is split into three main parts. On the left is the play space, where your dancers will appear. The middle area is the toolbox, where new blocks of code will be available as you progress through the lessons. The space on the right is the workspace, where you can drag blocks out of the toolbox and into the workspace to build your program. The instructions for each level will be displayed at the top of the screen. If you need a hint, just click the light bulb.
To start off, let’s create a new dancer using this red block. First, drag it out of the toolbox and snap it under the orange “setup” block. This dancer is a cat, and its name is “my_first_dancer.” You can change the name to whatever you like by clicking here. You can also adjust where the dancer appears in your play space.
Above the play space, there’s a menu for selecting music. There are many songs to choose from, so have fun finding your favorites! Below the play space is the run button. When you press run, you’ll see the dancers from your program appear in the play space, and the music will play.
[Music]
Try it yourself! And if you’re feeling stuck, it’s okay! Just get up and get moving, and before you know it, you’ll have created your own dance party. So, what will you create?
