Dance 7
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:

create movement in response to the expressive elements of music and sound
create movement sequences using pattern and narrative choreographic forms, individually and with others
apply the creative process to revise dance compositions
transform given dance sequences

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

Suggested Instructional Strategies

As a class, explore various ways the expressive elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, tempo, timbre, articulation, dynamics) can be used to inspire movement. Play a selection of music. Ask one student to improvise movement while the rest of the class follows. The leader changes movement in response to variations in the music. Provide opportunities for each student to lead the improvisation. Conclude by discussing how the expressive elements of music affect movement.
Teach the first half of a set dance. Ask students to suggest the various patterns that have been established. Have them work in groups to create the second half of the dance and perform their versions for the rest of the class. Then teach the original ending. Discuss:
- How were the versions similar?
- How were they different?
- What might account for these differences?
- Did the groups use what they knew about the patterns in the first half to create the second half? Provide opportunities for students to revise, refine, and notate their dances.
Brainstorm with the class a list of images for a given theme (e.g., "The Environment": recycling bins, salmon fishing, tree planting). Have pairs of students each create a tableau to represent one of these images, and then invite the pairs to present their tableaux to the class. Then ask the class to develop a rondo form (AB AC AD and so on) using the tableaux. Have the class discuss and choose one tableau to act as the A part. The class performs the A part, followed by one pair demonstrating its tableau, then the class repeats the A section before going on to the next pair's tableau, and so on.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

When students add their own choreography to portions of a set dance, look for evidence that they have:

used the patterns they learned in the first half to create the second half
effectively used elements of movement in combination
made connections between the set dance and their own choreography
used movement to communicate their ideas

When students create tableaux based on a classroom theme, have them illustrate their sequences using storyboards. Each storyboard should consist of several drawings that depict elements of the theme and the movements used to interpret it. Collect the storyboards and note the extent to which students accurately represent their interpretations of the theme.
When students have created dance sequences, pose questions to encourage reflection and to gain insight into the creative processes students are using. Possible questions include:
- What possibilities did you explore?
- How did your movements make connections to the sound and music?
- What criteria did you use to select, combine, and refine your sequences?
- What revisions did you make? Why?
- What do you want the audience to notice about your work?
Have students videotape their dance creations and compositions. Ask them to include summaries that explain how their sequences demonstrate the use of the creative process. Invite students to use sketches or diagrams. Have them:
- list the criteria they used to select, combine, and refine their sequences
- summarize their strengths and weaknesses
- identify two things they learned and one revision they made Ask students to include their observations in their portfolios.