Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Dance offers unique aesthetic experiences
emotional, cognitive, or sensory responses to works of art
that explore identity, history, culture, and community.
The skills and processes of dance education are transferable to a variety of contexts.
Acquiring technical and creative proficiency in dance requires perseverance, resilience, and risk taking.
Artistic ability in dance
requires dance literacy, which is the ability to read, write, notate, or otherwise communicate using dance language, vocabulary, and/or symbols
is fully realized through a holistic relationship between body and mind.
Purposeful artistic choices by the dancer and choreographer enhance movement, meaning, and intent.
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)
skills specific to a technique, genre, or style
- 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
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
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.
choreographic forms and structures
the shape or structure of a dance; the orderly arrangement of thematic material (e.g., AB, ABA, rondo, canon, theme and variation, call and response, narrative)
choreographic devices
methods applied to change or develop movement (e.g., level, dynamics, retrograde, repetition, body part)
dance notation and vocabulary
the formal and informal written systems of symbols, shapes, and lines that represent body position and movement
dance forms
structures associated with specific genres, including but not limited to ballet, jazz, and social dance
contributions of key dance innovators from a variety of genres, cultures, and periods
local, national, global, and intercultural performers, movements, and genres
traditional and contemporary First Peoples worldviews and cross-cultural perspectives communicated through movement and dance
history and theory of dance genres, including their role in historical and contemporary societies
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
safety protocols
to prevent harm or injury to self and others, including, for example, environment, biomechanics, clothing, and footwear
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Explore and create
Explore, create, and perform movement motifs, phrases, and dance compositions in large-group, small-group, and solo contexts
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 in a variety of genres or styles
Develop and refine an articulate and expressive body
Express meaning, intent, and emotion in response to a variety of stimuli
Experiment with dance elements, principles, and techniques to create innovative movement phrases
sequences of movement ordered to convey specific meaning or intent
Purposefully select choreographic devices to expand technical and expressive possibilities
Select and combine dance elements to intentionally convey a particular mood, meaning, or purpose
Select and sequence movement phrases into choreographic forms and structures to express meaning or intent in dance compositions
Demonstrate innovation by improvising and taking creative risks
making an informed choice to do something where unexpected outcomes are acceptable and serve as learning opportunities
Consider audience and venue when composing, rehearsing, and performing
Reason and reflect
Analyze and assess dance techniques and works using the language of dance
vocabulary, terminology, symbols, and non-verbal methods of communication that convey expression or meaning in dance
Use the rehearsal process to refine technical, critical, and creative capacities
Give, receive, and apply constructive feedback
Demonstrate respect for 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.
Demonstrate leadership skills in co-operative and collaborative contexts to find solutions to challenges
Communicate and document
Document
involves activities that help students reflect on and demonstrate their learning (e.g., writing an essay or article, journaling, taking pictures, storyboarding, making video clips or audio-recordings, constructing new works, compiling a portfolio)
and respond involves activities ranging from reflection to action
critically to dance experiences, compositions, and performances
Perform exercises, steps, combinations, and dance works
Use dance to communicate about and respond to global issues
Express cultural identity, perspectives, and values through individual and group movement compositions
Connect and expand
Demonstrate personal and social responsibility associated with creating, performing, and responding to dance, including movement, music, thematic, and costume choices
Create dance works
dance experiences, activities, compositions, and performances
to demonstrate an understanding of personal, social, cultural, or historical context
Explore educational, personal, and professional opportunities in dance or related fields
for example, artistic production, financial management, marketing, design
Explore First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
First Nations, Métis, Inuit, gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
, and local cultural knowledge to gain understanding through movement and dance
Consider personal safety, injury prevention, and physical health when planning, rehearsing, and performing choreography