BC Education - Dance 11 and 12

Choreography 11: Creation and Composition

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:

Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

improvise within a given structure, using the elements of movement as stimulus for exploration
create compositions for a variety of purposes:
- to respond to or represent a range of stimuli
- for a given genre or style
- to emphasize given elements of movement
- for various performance group sizes
apply one or more of the principles of design to create dances in narrative and pattern choreographic forms
refine dance sequences to clarify and enhance the choreography
articulate own choreographic intent
select or create stagecraft elements for a chosen choreography
identify a variety of ways to record choreography

Suggested Instructional Strategies

Collect articles of clothing and simple props that represent various occupations in the community (e.g., hard hats, aprons, briefcases, stethoscopes). Have each student select a "costume" and create a sequence based on a character who would wear that costume. Bring the class together to discuss students' choices: Did they stereotype their characters according to gender? To ability? Provide time for students to refine their sequences, if desired, and to combine the sequences as a group dance representing careers in the community.
Review the terminology for choreographic form and the principles of design. Form groups and ask each group to create two dances: one in a narrative form and one in a pattern form. Discuss the creative possibilities and challenges of each.
Set up a Gallery Walk with videos showing several examples of choreography. For each video, ask students to consider the question: What defines powerful choreography in this video? As a class, discuss the various responses, and use these to establish criteria for assessing students' own choreographic efforts and for defining choreographic intent .
Provide opportunities for each student to select or design stagecraft elements for another student's composition. Have partners share their ideas and reach a consensus on how they will incorporate them into their compositions.
Demonstrate, or encourage students to research and share, various methods of recording choreography (e.g., video, computer animation, computer notation, invented notation, standard notation, flip books). Have students develop short movement sequences, then attempt to teach them to other students only by speaking. As a class, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Encourage students to visit choreography web sites to discover how dance is represented on the Internet.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

When students create movement sequences appropriate to a given style or genre, note the extent to which they:
- use the steps of the creative process (exploration, selection, combination, refinement, reflection)
- use the elements of movement appropriately
- effectively respond to a range of stimuli for a given genre or style
- clearly articulate reasons for the decisions and choices they make
- develop effective structures
Provide opportunities for students to videotape their dances as they progress over time. Have them use the videos to critique their own work, and encourage them to invite others to provide feedback. Criteria for viewing may include:
- demonstrates variety and creativity
- provides clear evidence of principles of design
- choreography contains essential components put together in a dynamic way
- makes effective connections between music and movement
- is engaging to watch
Encourage students to keep work-in-progress journals, documenting the various stages of development in their choreographic works. Invite them to include in their journals self-assessments on a variety of assigned or optional choreographic tasks. Individual entries might include annotated sketches or diagrams, peer or teacher feedback and comments, and student reflections. Consider providing prompts for students' responses such as:
- What was my intent?
- How did the format suit the intent?
- How did the choreography create a mood or communicate an idea or feeling?
- What evidence is there that I have used all the steps in the creative process ?
- Did the selection of music and the use of stagecraft contribute significantly to the intention or vision?
- Was there anything jarring or distracting?
- What would I revise and refine?