Search the California Content Standards

Enduring Understanding: Choreographers analyze, evaluate, refine, and document their work to communicate meaning
Essential Question(s): How do choreographers use self-reflection, feedback from others, and documentation to improve the quality of their work?
Process Component(s): Revise

Performance Standard(s):
a. Evaluate possible revisions of dance compositions and, if necessary, consider revisions of artistic criteria based on self-reflection and feedback of others. Explain reasons for choices and how they clarify artistic intent. b. Investigate and use a recognized system to document dance sequences (e.g., writing, a form of notation symbols, or using media technologies).

Enduring Understanding: Space, time, and energy are basic elements of dance.
Essential Question(s): How do dancers work with space, time and energy to communicate artistic expression?
Process Component(s): Express

Performance Standard(s):
a. Expand movement vocabulary of floor and air pattern designs. Incorporate and modify differently designed shapes and movements from a variety of dance genres and styles for the purpose of expanding movement vocabulary. b. Vary durational approach in dance phrasing by using timing accents and variations within a phrase to add interest kinesthetically, rhythmically, and visually. c. Compare and contrast movement characteristics from a variety of dance genres or styles. Discuss specific characteristics using dance terminology and descriptive language to describe them. Determine and demonstrate what dancers must do to perform them clearly.

Enduring Understanding: Dancers use the mind-body connection and develop the body as an instrument for artistry and artistic expression.
Essential Question(s): What must a dancer do to prepare the mind and body for artistic expression?
Process Component(s): Embody

Performance Standard(s):
a. Apply body-use strategies to accommodate physical maturational development to technical dance skills (e.g., functional alignment, coordination, balance, core support, kinesthetic awareness, clarity of movement, weight shifts, and flexibility/range of motion). b. Utilize healthful practices and sound nutrition in dance activities and everyday life. Discuss benefits of practices and how choices enhance performance. c. Collaborate with peers to practice and refine dances. Develop group performance expectations through observation and analyses (e.g., view live or recorded professional dancers and collaboratively develop group performance expectations based on information gained from observations).

Enduring Understanding: Dance performance is an interaction between performer, production elements, and audience that heightens and amplifies artistic expression.
Essential Question(s): How does a dancer heighten artistry in a public performance?
Process Component(s): Present

Performance Standard(s):
a. Recommend changes to and adapt movements to performance area. Use performance etiquette and performance practices during class, rehearsal and performance. Maintain journal documenting these efforts. After the performance, accept notes from choreographer and apply corrections to future performances. b. Produce dance in a variety of venues or for different audiences and, using production terminology, explain how the production elements are handled in different situations.

Enduring Understanding: Dance is perceived and analyzed to comprehend its meaning.
Essential Question(s): How is a dance understood?
Process Component(s): Analyze

Performance Standard(s):
a. Compare, contrast, and discuss patterns of movement and their relationships in a dance. b. Compare and contrast how the elements of dance are used in a variety of genres, styles, or cultural movement practices. Use genre-specific dance terminology.

Enduring Understanding: Dance is interpreted by considering intent, meaning, and artistic expression as communicated through the use of the body, elements of dance, dance technique, dance structure, and context.
Essential Question(s): How is dance interpreted?
Process Component(s): Interpret

Performance Standard(s):
Compare the meaning of different dances. Explain how the artistic expression of each dance is achieved through the elements of dance, use of body, dance technique, dance structure, and context. Use genre-specific dance terminology.

Enduring Understanding: Criteria for evaluating dance vary across genres, styles, and cultures
Essential Question(s): What criteria are used to evaluate dance?
Process Component(s): Critique

Performance Standard(s):
Compare artistic intent, content and context from dances to examine the characteristics of genre, style, or cultural movement practice. Based on the comparison, refine artistic criteria using genre-specific dance terminology.

Enduring Understanding: As dance is experienced, all personal experiences, knowledge, and contexts are integrated and synthesized to interpret meaning.
Essential Question(s): How does dance deepen our understanding of ourselves, other knowledge, and events around us?
Process Component(s): Synthesize

Performance Standard(s):
a. Compare and contrast the movement characteristics or qualities found in a variety of dance genres. Discuss how the movement characteristics or qualities differ from one’s own movement characteristics or qualities and how different perspectives are communicated. b. Research the historical development of a dance genre or style. Use knowledge gained from the research to create a dance study that evokes the essence of the style or genre. Share the study with peers as part of a lecture demonstration that tells the story of the historical journey of the chosen genre or style. Document the process of research and application.

Enduring Understanding: Dance literacy includes deep knowledge and perspectives about societal, cultural, historical, and community contexts.
Essential Question(s): How does knowing about societal, cultural, historical and community experiences expand dance literacy?
Process Component(s): Relate

Performance Standard(s):
Compare, contrast, and discuss dances performed by people in various localities or communities. Formulate possible reasons why similarities and differences developed in relation to the ideas and perspectives important to each.

Enduring Understanding: Dance literacy includes deep knowledge and perspectives about societal, cultural, historical, and community contexts.
Essential Question(s): How does knowing about societal, cultural, historical and community experiences expand dance literacy?
Process Component(s): Relate

Performance Standard(s):
Analyze and discuss, how dances from a variety of cultures, societies, historical periods, or communities reveal the ideas and perspectives of the people.