Dance & Music Flashcards
7 cards from real BM or BMus Bachelor of Music practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Dance & Music flashcards as text
Which Romantic-era ballet, premiering in 1841, established the archetype of the 'white ballet' (ballet blanc) and featured supernatural female spirits called Wilis?
Answer: Giselle
Giselle (1841), with music by Adolphe Adam, is the quintessential Romantic ballet featuring the Wilis—vengeful spirits of jilted brides—and white tutus.
The Charleston, a popular American social dance of the 1920s, is most closely identified with which musical style?
Answer: Jazz
The Charleston is associated with 1920s jazz, particularly the syncopated rhythms and energy of the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene.
In musical theater, which term describes a song that simultaneously advances plot AND reveals character, and is considered the highest form of the form?
Answer: Integrated song (I want / action song)
The 'integrated song' (or 'I want' / action song) serves double duty—pushing the story forward while deepening our understanding of a character's psychology.
The concept of 'Gesamtkunstwerk' (total art work), which deeply influenced ballet and music-theater, was formulated by which composer?
Answer: Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner coined Gesamtkunstwerk to describe the ideal unification of music, drama, poetry, dance, and visual art in his opera-dramas.
Which percussion instrument is central to Irish step dancing accompaniment and produces sound by striking its skin head and frame simultaneously?
Answer: Bodhrán
The bodhrán is the traditional Irish frame drum played with a tipper (beater), producing the driving rhythmic accompaniment for reels and jigs.
In the context of music for dance, what does the term 'anacrusis' (or pickup) affect most directly in dance choreography?
Answer: The preparation or 'breath' before a movement phrase
An anacrusis (upbeat or pickup) corresponds to the preparatory motion or breath a dancer takes before executing the main movement on the strong beat.
Hip-hop dance culture, which emerged in the South Bronx in the early 1970s, developed alongside which foundational musical practice?
Answer: DJing and breakbeats
B-boying/breaking developed alongside DJs like Kool Herc who isolated and looped the percussion 'breakbeats' from funk and soul records.