NYSTCE Dance flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Turnout

External rotation of the femur at the hip joint that positions the legs and feet outward; it must originate at the hip, not be forced from the knees or feet, to avoid injury.

Spotting

Technique in turns where the dancer fixes the gaze on one point, holds it as long as possible, then whips the head around first; it reduces dizziness by limiting vestibular disturbance.

Alignment

Arrangement of the body's bony landmarks in vertical stack, such as ear over shoulder and hip over ankle, maintained by postural tone rather than muscular gripping.

Dynamic stretching

Controlled movement through a joint's full range, such as leg swings or lunges, performed before activity to raise tissue temperature and prepare the neuromuscular system.

Static stretching

Holding a position at the point of tension, not pain, typically 15-60 seconds; most useful after activity when tissues are warm and it will not reduce power output.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness

Muscle tenderness and stiffness peaking 24-72 hours after unaccustomed exercise; it is a normal training response, not an injury, and resolves with light movement and rest.

Projection

The quality of a performer's energy and focus that carries intention and presence outward to an audience, even in a large theater.

Elements of dance

The framework of body, action, space, time, and energy (BASTE) used to describe, create, and analyze all movement; each element can be varied for compositional effect.

Laban effort factors

Four qualities of movement: weight (strong/light), time (quick/sustained), space (direct/indirect), and flow (bound/free); their combinations produce expressive movement states.

Retrograde

A choreographic device in which a movement phrase is performed backward, reversing the order of the movements rather than simply moving the dancer backward in space.

Canon

A compositional device in which the same movement phrase is performed by dancers in staggered succession, creating a rippling or overlapping effect.

ABA form

A ternary structure in which an opening section is followed by a contrasting section, then a return to the opening material, giving the work a sense of departure and return.

Accumulation

A device in which a phrase grows by adding one new movement at a time while repeating all previous movements, building complexity through sequence.

Contact improvisation

A duet form based on shared weight, rolling points of contact, and momentum exchange; safety requires supported spines and consent before lifts or weight-bearing.

Improvisation constraint

A rule that limits choices, such as changing only level or tempo, so dancers explore one variable deeply and generate material rather than defaulting to habit.

Choreographic intent

The maker's purpose or idea communicated through movement choices; clarity of intent is a primary criterion for judging a composition's success.

Romantic ballet

Early nineteenth-century ballet style featuring pointe work, tutus, and supernatural themes, exemplified by La Sylphide (1832) and Giselle (1841).

Ballets Russes

Diaghilev's Paris-based company (1909-1929) that transformed ballet through collaborations with Nijinsky, Fokine, Balanchine, Stravinsky, Picasso, and Bakst.

Martha Graham

American modern dance pioneer whose technique centers on contraction and release of the torso and whose works explore myth, psychology, and American themes.

Doris Humphrey

Modern dance pioneer whose technique is built on fall and recovery, the arc between losing and regaining balance, and whose choreography used group forms and musical structures.

Isadora Duncan

Early twentieth-century dancer who rejected ballet's codified technique in favor of free, natural, barefoot movement inspired by nature and Greek ideals.

Judson Dance Theater

1960s New York collective of postmodern choreographers who used pedestrian movement, chance procedures, and site-specific work, rejecting virtuosity and spectacle.

No Manifesto

Yvonne Rainer's 1965 statement rejecting spectacle, virtuosity, and theatrical illusion in dance, a defining text of the postmodern Judson movement.

Africanist aesthetic

A framework describing polycentrism, polyrhythm, high-affect juxtaposition, and coolness as aesthetic values shaping jazz, tap, hip-hop, and other African diasporic dance forms.

Dance critique structure

A written analysis separating description (what happens), interpretation (what it means), and evaluation (how well it succeeds), with evidence for each claim.

National Core Arts Standards

K-12 dance standards organized into five artistic processes: Creating, Performing, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting, each with anchor standards and grade-level expectations.

Formative assessment

Ongoing checks during instruction, such as observation or exit tickets, that inform immediate teaching adjustments rather than assigning a final grade.

Summative assessment

Evaluation at the end of a unit or course that judges achievement against standards, often through performance tasks scored with a rubric.

Performance rubric

A scoring guide with observable criteria and leveled descriptors, such as alignment or musicality, used to judge dance performance consistently across students.

Differentiation

Adjusting task complexity, pacing, or response mode so all students reach the same standard; it changes the path, not the goal.

Stop signal

A pre-taught cue, such as a clap or word, that halts all movement instantly; it is a core safety routine in a dance studio.

Adaptive dance

Modifying movement tasks, equipment, or space so dancers with disabilities can participate fully, such as seated choreography or wheelchair-based partnering.