Search the California Content Standards

Enduring Understanding: Choreographers use a variety of sources as inspiration and transform concepts and ideas into movement for artistic expression.
Essential Question(s): Where do choreographers get ideas for dances?
Process Component(s): Explore

Performance Standard(s):
a. Identify ideas for choreography generated from a variety of stimuli (e.g., music/sound, text, objects, images, notation, observed dance, experiences). b. Develop a movement problem and manipulate the elements of dance as tools to find a solution.

Enduring Understanding: The elements of dance, dance structures, and choreographic devices serve as both a foundation and a departure point for choreographers.
Essential Question(s): What influences choice-making in creating choreography?
Process Component(s): Plan

Performance Standard(s):
a. Manipulate or modify choreographic devices to expand movement possibilities and create a variety of movement patterns and structures. Discuss movement choices. b. Develop a dance study that expresses and communicates a main idea. Discuss the reasons and effectiveness of the movement choices.

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):
Revise movement based on peer feedback and self-reflection to improve communication of artistic intent in a short dance study. Explain and document choices made in the process.

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: 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: 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. Consider how to establish a formal performance space from an informal setting (e.g., gymnasium or grassy area). b. Identify, explore, and experiment with a variety of production elements to heighten the artistic intent and audience experience.

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 patterns of movement in dance works that create a style or theme. b. Demonstrate and explain how dance styles differ within a genre or within a 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):
Relate movements, ideas, and context to decipher meaning in a 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):
Define and discuss the characteristics that make a dance artistic and apply those characteristics to dances observed or performed in a specific genre, style, or cultural movement practice. Use basic 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. Relate the main idea or content in a dance to other experiences. Explain how the main idea of a dance is similar to or different from one’s own experiences, relationships, ideas or perspectives. b. Develop and research a question relating to a topic of study in school using multiple sources of references. Select key aspects about the topic and choreograph movements that communicate the information. Discuss what was learned from creating the dance and describe how the topic might be communicated using another form of expression.