Search the California Content Standards

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. Integrate static and dynamic shapes as well as floor and air pathways into dance sequences. Establish relationships with other dancers with intentionality and focus. Convert inward focus to outward focus. b. Respond in movement to even and uneven rhythm in both metric and kinesthetic phrasing. Recognize and respond to tempo changes as they occur in dance and music. c. Contrast bound and free flowing movements. Initiate movements from a variety of points of the body. Analyze the relationship between initiation and energy.

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. Recall and execute a series of dance phrases using technical dance skills (e.g., alignment, coordination, balance, core support, clarity of movement). b. Demonstrate safe body-use practices during technical exercises and movement combinations. Discuss how these practices, along with healthful eating habits, promote strength, flexibility, endurance and injury prevention. c. Collaborate with peer ensemble members to repeat sequences, synchronize actions, and refine spatial relationships to improve performance quality. Apply feedback from others to establish personal performance goals.

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. Demonstrate the ability to adapt dance to alternative performance venues by modifying spacing and movements to the performance space. b. Identify, explore, and select production elements that heighten and intensify the artistic intent of a dance and are adaptable for various performance spaces.

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. Find meaning or artistic intent from the patterns of movement in a dance work. b. Describe, using basic dance terminology, the qualities and characteristics of style used in a dance from one’s own cultural movement practice. Compare them to the qualities and characteristics of style found in a different dance genre, style, or cultural movement practice.

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):
Interpret meaning in a dance based on its movements. Explain how the movements communicate the main idea of the dance using basic 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):
Demonstrate and discuss the characteristics of dance that make a dance artistic and meaningful. Relate them to the elements of dance in genres, styles, or cultural movement practices. Use basic dance terminology to describe characteristics of the dance.

Enduring Understanding: 4.1 Performers’ interest in and knowledge of musical works, understanding of their own technical skill, and the context for a performance influence the selection of repertoire.
Essential Question(s): How do performers select repertoire?
Process Component(s): Select

Performance Standard(s):
Demonstrate and explain how the selection of music to perform is influenced by personal interest, knowledge, and context, as well as their personal and others’ technical skill.

Enduring Understanding: 4.2 Analyzing creators’ context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
Essential Question(s): How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?
Process Component(s): Analyze

Performance Standard(s):
a. Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance. b. When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation. c. Explain how context (such as personal, social, cultural, and historical) informs performances.

Enduring Understanding: 4.3 Performers make interpretive decisions based on their understanding of context and expressive intent.
Essential Question(s): How do performers interpret musical works?
Process Component(s): Interpret

Performance Standard(s):
Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation/ style).

Enduring Understanding: To express their musical ideas, musicians analyze, evaluate, and refine their performance over time through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria.
Essential Question(s): How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?
Process Component(s): Rehearse, Evaluate, and Refine

Performance Standard(s):
a. Apply teacher provided and established criteria and feedback to evaluate the accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances. b. Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities to address challenges and show improvement over time.