Search the California Content Standards

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. Demonstrate technical dance skills (e.g., alignment, coordination, balance, core support) and movement characteristics when replicating and recalling patterns and sequences of locomotor and non-locomotor movements. b. Execute techniques that extend movement range, build strength, and develop endurance. Explain the relationship between execution of technique, safe body-use, and healthful nutrition. c. Coordinate phrases and timing with other dancers by cueing off each other and responding to stimuli cues (e.g., music, text, or lighting). Reflect on feedback from others to inform personal dance performance goals.

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. Make static and dynamic shapes with positive and negative space. Perform three-dimensional movement sequences alone and with others, establishing relationships with intentionality and focus. b. Dance to a variety of rhythms generated from internal and external sources. Perform movement phrases that show the ability to respond to changes in time. c. Analyze and refine phrases by incorporating a greater range of energy and dynamic changes to heighten the effect of their intent.

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: 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 two dances with contrasting themes. Discuss feelings and ideas evoked by each. Describe how the themes and movements relate to points of view and experiences. b. Choose a topic, concept, or content from another discipline of study and research how other art forms have expressed the topic. Create a dance study that expresses the idea. Explain how the dance study expressed the idea and discuss how this learning process is similar to, or different from, other learning situations.

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):
Describe how the movement characteristics and qualities of a dance in a specific genre or style communicate the ideas and perspectives of the culture, historical period, or community from which the genre or style originated.

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).