NCEA Level 2 Dance flashcards

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

Motif

A short, memorable phrase of two to six movements that carries the identity of a dance and is repeated, varied, or developed through choreographic devices.

Choreographic device

A tool used to develop movement, such as repetition, canon, retrograde, augmentation, diminution, fragmentation, contrast, or accumulation, changing how a phrase is seen.

Canon

A device where dancers perform the same phrase starting at staggered times; strict canon keeps the interval identical, loose canon varies the entry spacing.

Retrograde

Performing a movement phrase backwards, from the last action to the first, which reverses the spatial pathway and often changes the phrase's dynamic feel.

Unison

Two or more dancers performing the same movement at the same time with the same timing, facing, and dynamic, creating a clear visual statement.

Ternary form

An ABA structure where an opening section returns after a contrasting middle section, giving the dance a sense of departure and return.

Rondo form

A structure in which a main section alternates with contrasting sections, commonly ABACA, so the audience repeatedly returns to familiar movement material.

Accumulation

A device where movements are added one at a time, each repetition including all previous actions, so the phrase grows in length and complexity.

Stimulus

The starting point for choreography, such as an image, text, sound, idea, or verb, which is explored and transformed into movement rather than literally acted out.

Formal elements of dance

The framework of body, space, time, energy, and relationships, used to describe and analyse how movement is organised and what effect it creates.

Safe dance practice

Warm-up, correct alignment, appropriate flooring, hydration, and cool-down, applied to reduce injury risk and support sustained, controlled performance.

Turnout

Outward rotation of the legs from the hip joint; it must come from the hips, because forcing it from the feet or knees strains joints and harms balance.

Spotting

A turning technique where the dancer fixes the eyes on one point, holds the head as long as possible, then whips it around first to keep orientation and reduce dizziness.

Plumb line alignment

A vertical line through ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, used as a check for balanced, efficient posture in standing and travelling movement.

Performance quality

The expressive dimension of performance, covering focus, projection, musicality, energy, commitment, and clarity of intention, assessed separately from technical accuracy.

Dynamic range

The variety of energy qualities a dancer uses, from sharp and percussive to sustained and suspended, which gives phrasing contrast and expressive interest.

Musicality

The ability to move in relation to the music's pulse, accents, and phrasing, including deliberate choices to move on or against the beat.

Ensemble awareness

Peripheral vision, consistent spacing, shared timing, and safe proximity, allowing a group to move as one while avoiding collisions.

Cool-down

Gentle movement followed by static stretches held roughly twenty to thirty seconds, which lowers heart rate and reduces muscle soreness after performance.

Phrasing

The shaping of movement into a beginning, development, and ending, often matched to breath or musical structure so the dance reads as sentences rather than isolated steps.

Describe before interpret

An analysis rule requiring the movement action, space, time, and energy to be named first, so any meaning claimed is supported by observable evidence.

Choreographic intention

What the choreographer set out to communicate or explore; it is inferred from programme notes, interviews, and movement choices, not from audience reaction alone.

Audience interpretation

The meaning a viewer constructs from movement, staging, and context; it may differ from the choreographer's intention because each viewer brings different experience.

Production elements

The non-movement components of a dance work: lighting, costume, sound, set, and staging, each of which shapes how the movement is perceived.

Transition

The linking passage between phrases or sections, which can be smooth, abrupt, or deliberately awkward to control the pace and mood of the work.

Climax

The point of greatest intensity or tension in a dance, usually created by accumulation of energy, spatial compression, or a sudden change in dynamic.

Effective-because statement

An evaluative sentence that names a specific movement or production choice, then explains its effect on the audience, replacing vague judgements such as good or bad.

Dance context

The social, cultural, historical, political, and technological circumstances surrounding a dance, which shape its form, purpose, and reception.

Ritual dance function

Dance performed for ceremony, community bonding, or spiritual purpose, typically using repetition, group participation, and traditional costumes rather than audience spectacle.

Cultural appreciation

Engaging with a dance form while crediting its source community, learning its context, and involving that community, distinguishing it from appropriation.

Screendance

Dance made for the camera, where framing, editing, and close-up direct the viewer's attention in ways live performance cannot control.

Viewing protocol

A response method of watching once for overall impression, again for specific movement evidence, and recording observations before forming an interpretation.