NYSTCE Dance cheat sheet

Alignment principle: bony landmarks stack (ear over shoulder, shoulder over hip, hip over ankle) so postural tone, not gripping, maintains balance; alignment errors are corrected proximally before distally.

Turnout originates at the hip joint through external rotation of the femur; forcing turnout from the feet or knees stresses the knee's collateral and meniscal structures and is a leading cause of dance injury.

Balance is controlled by three systems: visual (eyes), vestibular (inner ear), and somatosensory (proprioceptors in muscles, tendons, joints, and plantar surfaces); removing vision isolates vestibular and somatosensory reliance.

Breathing rule for extension and elevation: inhale on preparation and lengthening, exhale on exertion; breath-holding (Valsalva) raises blood pressure and reduces coordination.

Warm-up physiology: 5-15 minutes of low-intensity movement raises muscle temperature and heart rate, increasing blood flow and connective-tissue elasticity; static stretching before class does not improve power output.

Safe stretching rule: dynamic, active stretching before activity; static stretching (held 15-60 seconds to the point of tension, not pain) after activity when tissue is warm.

Spotting in turns keeps the head level and the gaze fixed on one point as long as possible, then whips the head around first; this reduces dizziness by limiting vestibular disturbance.

Injury red flags: sharp joint pain, locking, giving way, or pain that persists past 24-48 hours warrant stopping and evaluation; delayed-onset muscle soreness peaks 24-72 hours after unaccustomed work and is not injury.

Performance quality terms: projection (energy reaching the audience), focus (where the dancer's gaze and intention go), musicality (phrasing against or with the beat), and dynamic contrast.

Elements of dance: body, action, space, time, and energy (the BASTE framework); every composition can be analyzed by varying these elements.

Laban movement analysis categories: Body (what moves), Effort (how - weight, time, space, flow), Shape (forms the body makes), Space (where - levels, directions, pathways), and Relationship.

Effort factors pair into states and drives: weight+time (strong/sustained), space+flow; the four effort factors are weight (strong/light), time (quick/sustained), space (direct/indirect), and flow (bound/free).

Choreographic devices: repetition, retrograde, inversion, augmentation, diminution, fragmentation, canon, accumulation, unison, and theme and variation.

Form structures: AB (binary), ABA (ternary), rondo, theme and variation, narrative, and chance; AB form requires a clear contrast between the two sections.

Improvisation prompts should specify one variable at a time (e.g., only change level) so dancers can explore deeply without cognitive overload.

Contact improvisation uses shared weight, rolling point of contact, and momentum exchange; a core safety rule is to keep the spine's weight supported and never lift without consent.

Composition assessment criteria: clarity of intent, use of space and dynamics, musical relationship, structural coherence, and originality - not technical difficulty alone.

Romantic ballet (early-mid 1800s): pointe work, tutus, and supernatural themes; La Sylphide (1832, Taglioni) and Giselle (1841) are landmark works.

Classical ballet's Russian era: Petipa and Ivanov created The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty; the Imperial Russian Ballet is the ancestor of today's Mariinsky.

Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909-1929) reshaped ballet via Nijinsky, Fokine, Massine, and Balanchine, with scores by Stravinsky and designs by Picasso and Bakst.

Modern dance pioneers: Isadora Duncan (free, natural movement), Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn (Denishawn), Martha Graham (contraction and release), Doris Humphrey (fall and recovery), and Lester Horton (Horton technique).

Postmodern dance (1960s-70s, Judson Dance Theater): everyday movement, pedestrian tasks, chance procedures, and site-specific work; Yvonne Rainer's No Manifesto (1965) rejected spectacle and virtuosity.

Africanist aesthetic in dance (per Brenda Dixon Gottschild): polycentrism, polyrhythm, high-affect juxtaposition, and the aesthetic of coolness; these shaped jazz, tap, and hip-hop.

Cultural context rule: dances are analyzed within their own communities' values and functions (ritual, social, theatrical) rather than judged by ballet's aesthetic standards.

Analysis vocabulary: genre, style, function (ceremonial, social, theatrical), accompaniment, costume, and audience relationship; a critique separates description, interpretation, and evaluation.

National Core Arts Standards (dance) organize learning into four artistic processes: Creating, Performing, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting - five processes total, each with anchor standards.

Motor-learning progression: demonstration → guided practice → independent practice → performance; feedback should be specific, immediate, and corrective rather than general praise.

Classroom management in a movement space: establish entrance/exit routines, a stop signal (e.g., freeze on a clap), spatial boundaries, and safety rules before movement begins.

Differentiation in dance: vary task complexity (level, tempo, body part), provide choice in response mode, and use peer coaching; the goal is access to the same standard, not a different standard.

Assessment types: formative (ongoing, informs instruction) and summative (end of unit, judges achievement); performance assessment uses rubrics with 3-4 criteria and clear level descriptors.

Rubric design rule: criteria should be observable behaviors (e.g., 'maintains alignment through a turn') rather than vague traits ('good dancer'), and descriptors should be parallel across levels.

Injury prevention in the studio: appropriate flooring (sprung or marley over concrete, never bare concrete), adequate warm-up, hydration, and pacing of repetitive rehearsal.

Inclusive practice: adaptive dance (e.g., seated or wheelchair dance), clear verbal and visual cues, and sensory considerations (lighting, music volume) support diverse learners.

Curriculum sequencing: foundational movement concepts (space, time, energy) precede genre-specific technique; composition and responding strands should be integrated, not taught only after technique.