WACE Dance ATAR flashcards
WACE Dance ATAR · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Safe dance practice
- A set of behaviours protecting dancers from injury, including adequate warm-up, cool-down, hydration, correct alignment, appropriate footwear and a suitable floor and environment.
- Projection in performance
- The performer's communication of intention and energy to an audience through focus, eye line, clarity of movement and sustained commitment, rather than mere exaggeration of gestures.
- Musicality
- The dancer's responsiveness to the accompaniment, phrasing movement to metre, accent, tempo and dynamics, and using breath and stillness as part of the rhythmic design.
- Alignment
- The stacking of body segments so that weight is carried efficiently through the skeleton, supporting balance, control and safe execution of movement.
- Performance quality
- The expressive and technical standard of a performance, judged on accuracy, control, projection, musicality and consistency from the opening to the final moment.
- Stamina in dance
- The capacity to sustain technical control, alignment and expressive energy across a complete work without deterioration in the final sections.
- Spatial awareness in groups
- A dancer's attention to proximity, formations, pathways and unison with others, ensuring safe spacing and visual cohesion in ensemble sections.
- Rehearsal documentation
- Recorded evidence of the rehearsal process such as reflective logs, video review and goal setting, used to demonstrate improvement and justify performance marks.
- Dance technique components
- The trainable physical elements of performance: alignment, control, coordination, balance, stamina, extension and safe practice, each assessed as a distinct component.
- Focus in performance
- The direction and quality of a performer's attention, whether inward to the ensemble or outward to the audience, which clarifies intention and shapes audience interpretation.
- Choreographic process
- The sequence of stimulus selection, research, improvisation, selection, structuring, rehearsal, refinement and performance that generates and shapes a dance work.
- Motif
- A short movement phrase containing the seed of the whole work, which is repeated and manipulated to build unity and identity within the composition.
- Motif development
- Manipulating a motif through space, time, dynamics and relationships, using devices such as repetition, inversion, retrograde, augmentation and fragmentation rather than adding unrelated material.
- Ternary form
- An ABA structure in which an opening section returns after a contrasting middle section, giving the work balance and a sense of resolution.
- Rondo form
- A structure in which a principal section alternates with contrasting episodes, commonly ABACA, producing variety while maintaining unity through return.
- Canon
- A device in which the same movement phrase is performed by dancers starting at staggered times, creating overlapping lines and a layered visual texture.
- Retrograde
- A choreographic device in which a movement phrase is performed in reverse order, altering the audience's reading of time and direction.
- Augmentation
- A development device that enlarges a motif by extending durations, increasing the number of dancers or expanding the spatial range of the original phrase.
- Elements of dance
- Space, time, dynamics and relationships, the raw materials a choreographer manipulates to generate and vary movement vocabulary.
- Stimulus
- The starting point or inspiration for a composition, which must be evident in the movement choices rather than only stated in programme notes.
- Design concepts
- Choreographic choices about pathways, floor patterns, levels, formations, entrances, exits, costume, lighting and sound, each selected to serve the stated intent.
- Intent statement
- A concise declaration of stimulus, meaning, movement vocabulary and intended audience effect, allowing the composition to be judged against its own purpose.
- Unison
- A device in which two or more dancers perform identical movement simultaneously, producing clarity, impact and a strong sense of ensemble cohesion.
- Appreciation analysis
- The process of describing, analysing, interpreting and evaluating a dance work using explicit vocabulary of the elements of dance and design concepts.
- Context in appreciation
- Information about choreographer background, era, cultural origins, genre conventions and reception that explains why particular choreographic choices were made.
- Evaluation in dance writing
- A supported judgement about a work, grounded in specific observed evidence such as a repeated canon used to argue a theme of interdependence.
- Compare and contrast criteria
- Applying identical analytical criteria to two works so that differences can be attributed to choreographic choice rather than to uneven depth of analysis.
- Referencing dance works
- Accurate citation of title, choreographer and date, since misattributing movement to the wrong maker undermines the credibility of the response.
- Design element analysis
- Examining how costume, lighting, sound and staging contribute to mood, meaning and focus, and linking each choice back to the choreographic intent.
- Dynamics in appreciation
- The qualities of movement energy, weight and flow that shape expressive effect, described with precise terms rather than vague adjectives.
- Relationships in analysis
- How dancers connect through proximity, contact, grouping, lead and follow, and how these relationships communicate themes within the work.
- Repertoire study
- The comparative study of Australian and international dance works, analysed through the same framework whether viewed live or recorded.