Grade 9 - Creation and Composition

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• create movement in response to a range of stimuli
• identify and use dance as metaphor or analogy
• distinguish among choreographic forms
• transform a given dance sequence
• choreograph dances for a variety of environments and purposes
• apply the creative process to revise and refine dance

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Creation and Composition in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Compare and contrast the elements of movement with the elements of music, literature, visual arts, and other art forms. Selecting one element, use it as the inspiration to create a dance sequence, compose or select music accompaniment, and design a set and lighting. Students may also choose to incorporate poetry reading, storytelling, or other creative elements. They present this work in a location that is consistent with the chosen element. Discuss how use of accompaniment and settings affect the meaning of the dance.
• Sing or listen to a song that has a verse and a chorus, then design a movement sequence for the verse (A) and a sequence for the chorus (B), and present the two together. Discuss how form in music can relate to form in dance and vice versa.
• Identify examples of metaphor or analogy in dances viewed, then create a movement sequence to represent a given idea or emotion. Discuss differences in the way the same idea can be portrayed.
• View books, charts, and so on, with photos of techniques and positions in a particular genre. Students practise positions, create their own, and use transitions to incorporate them into a short sequence. They create a sequence of positions only and use this "shapes sequence" at the beginning or end of a piece of choreography.
• Select and sing, or listen to, a musical example of call and response (e.g., African), then create a dance sequence appropriate for this musical form.
• Improvise to music suitable to the given genre (e.g., jazz, percussion, funk, rap, blues). Using groupings for shadowing, echoing, and flocking, students take turns inventing and leading progressions (travelling steps) across the floor.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Observe students as they create movement sequences within a variety of parameters. Focus your notes and feedback on key elements. For example:

• movement sequence from a specific genre (look for use of elements that are appropriate and characterize the genre)
• AB form (look for two clear sections with contrast or relationship between themes)
• response to a structured problem (look for creative use of the elements represented in the genre, a solution to the problem, and ability to articulate the process used to reach the solution)
• representation of a given idea or emotion (look for broad perspective of the idea or emotion, uniqueness of the approach, ability to articulate the creative process used, and appropriate use of elements of movement)

Ask students to keep portfolios or collections that include a section for creation and composition. Their collection should include representations and comments on a variety of assigned or optional dance tasks. For example, each student might be required to include a record of:

• a transformation
• an improvisation
• evidence of understanding of at least four different choreographic forms
• identification or use of a metaphor or analogy in dance
• revision of a dance
• a summary (self-assessment) that explains how a sequence created by the student demonstrates use of the creative process

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• Creative Dance for All Ages
• Form Without Formula: A Concise Guide to the Choreographic Process
• Movement Improvisation: In the Words of a Teacher and Her Students
• The Young Dancer

• Dance at Court
• The Making of a Dancer
• The Power of Dance

• Dance Education Initiative
• Teaching Beginning Dance Improvisation

• Contrast and Continuum: Music for Creative Dance, Volume I
• Contrast and Continuum: Music for Creative Dance, Volume II

Table of Contents

Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Curriculum Branch © 1995 Copyright

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Dance

Revised: January 25, 1999

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