Dance Lessons Dance Performance and Choreography

Question 1

What are the four basic elements of dance identified in most dance education frameworks (often called BASTE or similar)?

Accepted Answer

Body, Action, Space, Time (and Energy/Dynamics)

Answer

Barre, Allegro, Stretch, Turn, Expression

Answer

Ballet, Aerobics, Swing, Tap, Expression

Answer

Beginning, Advanced, Student, Teacher, Evaluation

Question 2

What is 'stage geography' and why must dancers learn it?

Accepted Answer

The standardized naming system for areas of a performance stage (upstage, downstage, stage left, stage right) used to communicate blocking

Answer

A map to the theatre

Answer

The history of famous theatres

Answer

How lighting designers map lighting zones

Question 3

What is 'choreographic intent' and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

The central idea, message, or feeling that a choreographer wants to communicate through a dance work

Answer

The choreographer's planned rehearsal schedule

Answer

The count sheet for a competition routine

Answer

The choreographer's biography

Question 4

In dance, what is the difference between 'unison' and 'canon'?

Accepted Answer

Unison means all dancers move simultaneously; canon means dancers perform the same movement at staggered start times

Answer

They are the same thing

Answer

Unison is for soloists; canon is for groups

Answer

Unison is slow; canon is fast

Question 5

What is 'spatial awareness' in dance and why is it critical for group performance?

Accepted Answer

A dancer's consciousness of their position relative to other dancers, the stage space, and the audience

Answer

Awareness of stage lighting

Answer

Awareness of the music's space between notes

Answer

Knowing the size of the rehearsal space

Question 6

What does 'motif development' mean as a choreographic technique?

Accepted Answer

Taking a core movement idea and varying, repeating, developing, and transforming it throughout a work

Answer

Counting musical motifs

Answer

Choosing the music motif for a piece

Answer

Writing the program notes for a concert