Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Growth as a dancer requires perseverance, resilience, and risk taking
making an informed choice to do something where unexpected outcomes are acceptable and serve as learning opportunities
.
Dancers collaborate through critical reflection, creative co-operation, and the exchange of ideas.
Dance technique and performance skills are embodied and developed in a variety of genres or styles.
Dancers create, perform, and respond
requires dance literacy, which is the ability to read, write, notate, or otherwise communicate using dance language, vocabulary, and/or symbols
to dance as an art form.
Aesthetic experiences
emotional, cognitive, or sensory responses to works of art
have the power to transform the way we see, think, and feel.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
elements of dance
body, space, time, dynamics, relationships
- body: the primary instrument of expression in dance; what the body is doing (e.g., whole- or partial-body action; types of movement, such as locomotor and non-locomotor)
- space: where the body is moving (e.g., place, level, direction, pathway, size/reach, shape)
- time: how the body moves in relation to time (e.g., beat/underlying pulse, tempo, rhythmic patterns)
- dynamics: how energy is expended and directed through the body in relation to time (quick/sustained), weight (strong/light), space (direct/indirect), and flow (free/bounded)
- relationships: with whom or what the body is moving; movement happens in a variety of relationships (e.g., pairs, groups, objects, environments)
technical skills specific to a technique
examples in modern dance: suspend, fall, breath, weight, oppositional pull, swing, contraction, spiral; examples in hip hop: grooving, isolations, rhythm, foot patterns, body rolls, freestyle; examples in ballet: positions of the feet and arms, turnout of the legs, barre and centre work, including plié, tendu, fondu, rond de jambe
, genre, or style for example, classical, contemporary, culturally specific
anatomically and developmentally sound movement principles
including but not limited to mobility, stability, alignment, weight transfer, flexibility, strength, balance, coordination
kinesthetic and spatial awareness
bones, muscles, and joints
safety protocols
procedures to prevent harm or injury to self and others, including, for example, environment, biomechanics, clothing, and footwear
rehearsal and performance skills
the technical, expressive, and cognitive skills necessary for learning, refining, and performing movement:
- Technical skill is the ability to reproduce movement accurately in relation to movement principles, elements of dance, and style.
- Expressive skills include but are not limited to projection, focus, confidence, musicality, spatial awareness, facial expression, sensitivity to other dancers, dynamics, and embodiment of the elements of dance to communicate the style or choreographic intent.
- Cognitive skills include but are not limited to preparedness, commitment, concentration, trust, co-operation, collaboration, application of feedback, willingness to explore, capacity to improve, movement acquisition, and memory.
dance notation
the codified, symbolic representation of dance movement and form
the role of dancers, choreographers, and audiences in a variety of contexts
contributions of key dance innovators in specific genres, contexts, periods, and cultures
local and intercultural performers
traditional and contemporary First Peoples worldviews and cross-cultural perspectives communicated through movement and dance
history and theory of a dance technique, genre, or style
ethics of cultural appropriation
use of a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, song, or drama, shared without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn
and plagiarism
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Explore and create
Demonstrate kinesthetic awareness
the body’s ability to coordinate motion and its awareness of where it is in time and space
of dance elements and techniques
Explore specific or a variety of genres or styles from historical and contemporary cultures
Develop an articulate and expressive body through anatomically and developmentally sound movement principles
Explore the interplay of movement, sound, image, and form used to convey meaning in dance
Express a range of meanings, intents, and emotions
Select dance elements and technical skills to intentionally create a particular mood, meaning, or purpose
Experiment with dance elements, principles, techniques, vocabulary, and symbols to create innovative movement phrases
Perform movement phrases in large-group, small-group, and solo contexts
Consider audience and venue while composing, rehearsing, and performing
Reason and reflect
Describe, analyze, interpret, and respond
through activities ranging from reflection to action
using dance-specific language
Refine dance concepts and technical skills
Reflect on rehearsal and performance experiences
Observe, generate, and apply constructive feedback
Demonstrate awareness of personal and social responsibility toward self, others, audience, and place
any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives on the world.
Reflect on the influences of social, cultural, historical, political, and personal context on dance
Communicate and document
Use technical vocabulary to describe, document, and respond to dance experiences and performances
Communicate and interpret ideas and emotions through the language of dance
Use dance to communicate and respond to local issues
Express cultural identity, perspectives, values, and emotions through dance
Connect and expand
Demonstrate personal and social responsibility associated with creating, performing, and responding to dance, including movement, music, thematic, and costume choices
Explore First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
First Nations, Métis and Inuit, gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
, and local cultural knowledge to gain understanding through movement and dance
Explore educational, personal, and professional opportunities in dance or related fields
Make connections through dance with local, regional, and national issues and communities