Dance: Grade 8

Creating

Performing

Responding

Connecting

Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Refine and complete artistic work.

Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Interpret meaning in artistic work.

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

Relate and synthesize knowledge and personal experiences to inspire and inform artistic work.

Investigate ways that artistic work is influenced by societal, cultural, and historical context and, in turn, how artistic ideas shape cultures past, present, and future.

Choreographers are inspired by a variety of sources to convey concepts and ideas through movement for artistic expression.

The elements of dance, dance structures, and choreographic structures serve as both a foundation and a departure point for choreographers.

Choreographers analyze, evaluate, refine, and document their work to communicate meaning.

Space, time, and energy are basic elements of dance.

Dancers use the body-mind principles and develop the body as an instrument for artistry and artistic expression.

Dance performance is an interaction between performers, production elements, and audience that heightens and amplifies artistic expression.

Dance is perceived and analyzed to comprehend its compositional structure.

Meaningful interpretations of dance consider artistic intent, style, genre, the elements of dance, technique, structure, and context.

Criteria for evaluating dance vary across genres, styles, and cultures.

Personal experiences, knowledge, and contexts are integrated and synthesized to interpret and create dance.

Societal, cultural, historical, and community contexts both influence and are influenced by dance.

Evaluate and implement movement from a variety of stimuli (e.g. music/sound, dance exemplars, literary forms, notation, natural phenomena, personal experiences/recall, world news, or social issues) to develop dance content for an original dance study or dance.

Identify and select personal preferences and elements of dance to create an original dance study or dance work. Use genre-specific dance terminology to articulate and justify choices made in movement development to communicate artistic intent.

Collaborate to select and apply a variety of choreographic devices (e.g. retrograde, inversion) and dance structures (e.g. rondo, narrative, ABA) to choreograph an original dance study or dance with a clear artistic intent. Research how different professional choreographers approach their creative process and apply some of these ideas. Use genre-specific dance terminology to articulate the group process for making movement, sound and structural choices.

Define and apply artistic criteria to choreograph a dance that communicates personal or cultural meaning. Discuss how the criteria clarify or intensify the meaning of the dance.

Collaborate to design production elements (e.g. music/sound, props, costumes, lights, set, video) that intensify and heighten the artistry of a dance performed on a stage, in different venues, or for various audiences. Explain reasoning for choices using production terminology. Research the methodology employed by diverse professional choreographers when working with production and non-production partners during the creation and presentation of a dance.

Revise choreography independently or collaboratively, based on artistic criteria, self-reflection, and peer or teacher feedback. Articulate rationale for choices and revisions, and explain how they clarify and enhance artistic intent.

Experiment with aspects of a recognized system of documentation to record a section of a dance by using words, symbols, or media technologies.

Sculpt the body in space and design body shapes in relation to other dancers, objects, and the environment. Use focus of eyes during complex floor and air patterns or direct and indirect pathways.

Analyze and select metric, kinetic, and breath phrasing and apply appropriately to dance phrases. Perform dance phrases of different lengths that use various tempi within the same section. Use different tempi in different body parts simultaneously.

Direct energy and dynamics in such a way that movement is textured. Incorporate energy, dynamics, and musicality in technique classes and performances to enhance and project movements.

Embody technical dance skills (e.g. functional alignment, coordination, balance, core support, kinesthetic awareness, clarity of movement, weight shifts, flexibility/range of motion) to replicate, recall, and execute spatial designs and musical or rhythmical dance phrases. Deepen application and understanding of somatic strategies and their use in dance.

Record and evaluate personal practices in dance activities and everyday life having to do with health, nutrition, and injury prevention. Discuss choices made, the effects experienced, and methods for improvement.

Collaborate with peers to discover strategies for achieving performance accuracy, clarity, and expressiveness. Articulate personal performance goals, and practice to achieve them. Document personal improvement over time (e.g. journaling, portfolio, or timeline).

Demonstrate commitment, dependability, responsibility, and cooperation when preparing for performances. Document the process and progress in writing and in other media, and create a plan for ongoing improvement. Use performance etiquette and performance practices during class, rehearsal, and performance. Post-performance, receive, record, and reflect upon notes from the choreographer, and apply corrections to future performances.

Explore, devise, and select solutions to adapt to interaction with production elements (e.g. music/sound, props, costumes, sets, lighting) to enhance performance of a dance. Evaluate the effects of various dancer interactions with production elements to intensify and heighten artistic performance of a work, using dance and production terminology. Experiment with diverse ways of incorporating these elements into performance, tailoring choices to different venues and audiences.

Compare, contrast, and analyze recurring patterns of movement, formations, dynamics, key motifs, choreographic devices, and their relationships in advance. Debate how the dance's structure relates to its effect, citing evidence in support.

Examine the hallmarks of a variety of styles, genres, and cultural movement practices, identifying their movement characteristics by analyzing the use of the elements. Use terminology specific to the dance form or practice.

Select a dance and explain how meaning is communicated through relationships between the elements of dance, use of body, dance technique, and context. Cite evidence in the dance to support your interpretation, using genre-specific dance terminology.

Apply artistic criteria to determine what makes an effective performance. Consider content, context, genre, style, or cultural movement practice to comprehend artistic expression. Use genre-specific dance terminology.

Investigate and describe connections between different dance works and/or genres that are relevant to the development of one's personal perspectives.

Investigate two contrasting topics, using a variety of research methods. Identify and organize ideas to create representative movement phrases. Create a dance study exploring the contrasting ideas. Discuss how the research informed the choreographic process and deepens understanding of the topics.

Analyze and discuss how dance works or practices from a variety of cultures, societies, historical periods, or communities both reveal and affect the ideas and perspectives of the people. Present documentation of analysis in movement, orally, in writing, and/or via media technology.