Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Growth as a dancer requires perseverance, resilience, and risk taking.
Dancers collaborate through critical reflection, creative co-operation, and the exchange of ideas.
Dancers can refine their technique and skills with experience in a variety of genres or through specialization.
Dance is an art form that combines the language of dance
requires dance literacy, which is the ability to read, write, notate, or otherwise communicate using dance language, vocabulary, and/or symbols
with the ability to create and perform.
Aesthetic experiences
emotional, cognitive, or sensory responses to works of art
have the power to transform our perspective.
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, 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
kinesthetic and spatial awareness
the systems of the human body
body conditioning
exercises or practices that focus on cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility
somatic approaches
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
contributions of key dance innovators in specific genres, contexts, periods, and cultures
local, national, and 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 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
Refine an articulate and expressive body through the application of anatomically and developmentally sound movement principles
Demonstrate the relationship between body conditioning and somatic approaches
body-mind approaches that foster internal awareness and body connectivity
on technical and expressive skills
Express a range of meanings, intents, and emotions
Select, combine, and manipulate dance elements and technical skills to intentionally convey a particular mood, meaning, or purpose
Improvise to enhance technical concepts
Perform simple and complex movement phrases in large-group, small-group, and solo contexts
Consider audience and venue when composing, rehearsing, and performing
Reason and reflect
Describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate dance techniques and artistic works using dance-specific language
Refine dance concepts, technical skills, and performance
Reflect on rehearsal and performance experiences
Identify and apply constructive feedback to refine ideas and inspire innovation
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 critically to dance experiences and performances
Communicate meaning and emotion with intention
Use dance to communicate about and respond to local, regional, and national 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, 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
for example, artistic production, financial management, marketing, design
Make connections through dance with local, national, and global issues and communities'
Consider personal safety, injury prevention, and physical health when engaged in technical study, rehearsal, and performance