The principles of dance refer to the ways in which the elements are constructed to create a choreographic work. They include:

• repetition. The repetition of like or similar movements or patterns in dance.
• contrast. The juxtaposition of movements with distinct differences, (e.g., high/low, curved/straight, sudden/strong, solo/group).
• pattern. A sequence of movements that can be repeated, varied, or developed in a dance. Folk dances are examples of pattern dances.
• narrative. A movement sequence(s) that carries meaning beyond the movement itself. "Sleeping Beauty" is an example of a narrative ballet.
• transformation. Making meaning of movement. Expressive gestures may be transformed into dance patterns. For example, choreographer Paula Ross' dance "Coming Together" uses notes from prisoners' journals and actions of rage and violence to create powerful dance patterns.

Elements of Drama

Drama is concerned with the representation of people in time and space, their actions, and the consequences of their actions. Dramatic art is a symbolic representation of experience. It seeks (as do all art forms) to uncover meaning and to help us make sense of experience.

This curriculum is concerned with teaching and learning through drama. Teachers must, therefore, be aware of and apply the elements of drama when structuring, living through, shaping, and refining dramatic work with their students.

The following elements of drama are those required in Fine Arts 11:

• focus. The concerns on which the dramatic activity is based. These might include the time, place, action, theme, idea, concept, or conflict being represented. Whatever the concerns or focus, they should be clear both to the participants and the audience (if there is one).
• tension. Tension in a dramatic activity that impels people to respond and take action. It can take the form of a conflict, a challenge, a surprise, a time restraint, or the suspense of not knowing. Tension works in a play to ensure the audience's desire to know what will happen.
• contrast. Contrast is the dynamic use of such opposites as movement/stillness, sound/silence, and light/darkness in any dramatic activity.
• symbol. A symbol is something that stands for or represents something else. Drama itself is the symbolic or metaphoric representation of human experience. Within dramatic activity, links can be made between the concrete experiences of those involved and abstract ideas and themes. Thus, an idea or object can hold several layers of both individual and collective meaning.

Expressive Elements

• rhythm. The groupings of longer and shorter sounds and silences over a regular pulse or beat. These beats are commonly grouped into a recurring pattern of twos, threes, fours, fives or more. The recurring pattern of beats is called metre.
• dynamics. The degree of loudness or softness of sounds.
• timbre. The quality or "colour" of sound. Timbre is determined by those characteristics of sound that help us distinguish one sound from another.
• tempo. The speed or pace of the music. The speed is determined by the number of beats in a given time frame. (Increasing the number of beats per given time frame increases the tempo.)
• melody. Pitch describes the highness or lowness of sounds. Melody is a combination of pitches and durations that make a musical statement much as a sentence does. Melodies may consist of one or more smaller sections (phrases) similar to the clauses in a sentence. Pitch direction describes the movement of pitch patterns or melodies, which may move upward, downward, or stay the same.
• texture. The combination and layering of different sounds in music. Composers create various textures by combining sounds, instruments, or voices to achieve expressive effects. The texture may be thick, thin, dense, or transparent. Harmony is one aspect of texture.
• harmony. Harmony occurs when two or more sounds are heard simultaneously.
• articulation. The way a note begins and ends.

• repetition. Musicians and composers use repetition to help the listener become familiar with the major ideas or themes of a musical work. The restatement of a particular melody, theme, or rhythm often draws the audience back to an idea or thought that the musician or composer wants to communicate. Repetition also serves to unify many compositions and to draw attention to ideas that are central to the work.
• contrast. A musician or composer uses variety within a musical composition to create interest. Variety is created by using or altering different elements in numerous ways. Variety is often created through the use of contrast, such as loud to soft dynamics, harsh to smooth timbres, and thick to thin textures. A composer might, for example, repeat a previously heard melody twice as fast (tempo change) or in a different key (tonality change).
• Pattern. The organization and overall structure of the composition or form.

There are three aspects to the elements and principles of visual arts: visual elements, principles of design, and image development strategies. Together, they represent a conceptual hierarchy. Image development strategies refers to the complete process required to create a work of art or image. This process includes, but is not limited to, the application of the principles of design. The principles of design refer to how artists use the visual elements to create images. The visual elements are the things artists actually use to create images. These three areas are defined as follows:

Visual Elements
(the things artists use to create images)

• line. Line is the path of a moving dot or point. A point is extended in some manner to determine a line. Line is used to symbolize direction, imply movement, outline forms, suggest mood, and determine the boundaries of shapes. The quality of line can vary according to the tool and method used, the amount of pressure used, and the way a line relates to other elements. The following are some examples of words used to describe line: jagged/smooth, thick/thin, weak/strong, curved, straight, implied, wavy, and diagonal.
• shape. Shape describes a two-dimensional area that is defined in some way. Shapes may be open or closed, positive or negative, and free-form or geometric. The following are some examples of words used to describe shape: solid, organic, repeated, symbolic, proportional.
• form. Form occurs when a three-dimensional quality has been achieved in a shape. Form may be implied by the use of tone or shadow, or it may be three-dimensional. The following are some examples of words used to describe form: founded, squared, angular, textural, volume, mass.
• texture. Texture refers to surface quality. Texture can be real or simulated. Actual texture can be both seen and touched. Simulated texture cannot be interpreted by touch; it must be seen. The following are some examples of words used to describe texture: shiny, smooth, rough, course, gritty, granular.
• colour. More correctly, hue. Hue is what is usually meant when we say colour. Hue is the colour itself and refers to the naming words we use to identify specific wavelengths of light such as red, yellow, orange, and so on. A colour wheel can explain the origins and relationships that hues possess. Colour may be descriptive, decorative, and symbolic. Colour has both value and intensity. The following are some words used to describe colour: bright, pastel, warm, cool, in harmony, discordant.
• value. Value or tone refers to the degree of light and dark in colour. An image, however, can exist without colour (i.e., in tone only). The following are some examples of words used to describe tone: dark, dull, gloomy, pure, stark, strong, weak.
• space. The volume (three-dimensional) or area (two-dimensional) around or between objects (negative space or ground) is as real as the space occupied by the object itself (positive space or figure) and an equal consideration in any image. Space can be real, illusory, positive, negative, open, or crowded.

(how artists use the visual elements defined above to create an image)

• balance. Balance refers to the equilibrium of various elements and involves a sense of order. Order may be achieved in a variety of ways. It may be symmetrical or asymmetrical, formal or informal, or rigid or random. An imbalance can create a feeling of awkwardness or discomfort. It can also be used to create an exciting visual response.
• contrast. Contrast involves opposition. It results from the juxtaposition of qualities that are unlike one another. High contrast can be used to emphasize, dramatize, add variety, and surprise. Low contrast can be used to soothe, settle, harmonize, and comfort.
• emphasis. Emphasis refers to the focal point or centre of interest in an image. Emphasis implies both dominance and subordination and can be used to call attention to specific areas within a work.
• movement. Movement is achieved by manipulating the elements to imply motion, to move the viewer's eye in a dedicated direction as he or she looks at an image. Movement may be implied through recognizable images in action and may also be implied through abstract, non-representational marks such as diagonal lines, broken edges, and gradation of tones.
• pattern. Pattern involves the repetition of similar motifs on a surface, which creates rhythm. Pattern can be used to organize or unify an object and/or to create visual enrichment. Pattern can be created in an organized way or in random fashion.
• unity. Unity describes a sense of oneness within an image, where all qualities work together in a cohesive relationship. Unity can be used to produce feelings of harmony, completeness, and order. Depending on the purpose of the image, lack of unity can be used to imply disharmony, incompleteness, disorder, and dissonance.

Artists strive for images that rise above the ordinary, that are compelling, and that communicate effectively. Image development strategies are the methods, techniques, and pictorial devices that artists use to create such images.

Sources for image development include:

• working from memory
• working from the imagination or feelings
• direct observation of source material

• simplification. removing details in an image to various degrees
• elaboration. extending, expanding, or complicating an image
• magnification. reformulizing an object on a much larger scale
• minification. the reformulizing an object on a much smaller scale
• exaggeration. emphasis of aspects of an image to make the meaning or emotional impact more powerful
• distortion. the deformation of the whole or part of an image
• point of view. a vantage point for viewing an object. Multiple viewpoints could be used simultaneously in the same image
• fragmentation. splitting or breaking up objects and images
• multiplication. repetition of an element, object, or image
• juxtaposition. combining images to create new relationships.
• metamorphosis. depicting images or forms in progressive states of change

Table of Contents

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Curriculum Branch © 1995 Copyright

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator

Revised: April 1995

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