NZ Scholarship Dance flashcards

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

Choreographic intent

The stated or inferred purpose of a dance work - what the choreographer wants an audience to feel, think or question. It is distinct from the work's actual effect on a given audience.

Motif and development

A motif is a short, recurring movement phrase carrying the work's core idea. Development alters it through changes in space, timing, dynamic, body part or number of dancers while retaining recognisable identity.

Canon

A structuring device in which dancers perform the same movement phrase starting at staggered times, creating overlapping imitation. It builds density and can suggest unity, echo or disconnection depending on spacing.

Laban effort qualities

Four factors describing movement dynamics: weight (strong/light), time (sustained/quick), space (direct/indirect) and flow (bound/free). Combinations produce qualities such as punch, float, glide or wring.

Elements of dance

The analytical framework of body, space, time, energy/dynamics and relationships. Effective analysis names specific body parts, spatial pathways, rhythmic choices and dynamic shifts rather than using general adjectives.

Rondo form

A choreographic structure where a principal A section returns between contrasting episodes (ABACA). Identifying recurring returns of A distinguishes rondo from theme-and-variation or episodic form.

Theme and variation

A form in which a core movement theme is restated in altered versions - changed tempo, level, dynamic or grouping. Each variation retains recognisable links to the original theme.

Improvisation score

A set of constraints guiding spontaneous movement, such as limited body parts, spatial boundaries, contact rules or timed tasks. Scores generate raw material that is later selected and set.

Contact improvisation

A duet form built on shared weight, rolling point of contact and momentum rather than set shapes. It develops listening, counterbalance and safe weight-transfer skills and is often used as devising material.

Choreographic collaboration

A working relationship where dancers, composers or designers contribute decisions shaping the work. Analysis should show how a specific collaborator's choice changed the work's meaning or structure.

Diegetic sound

Sound whose source exists within the world of the dance, such as a performer's voice, footsteps or an onstage musician. It differs from non-diegetic recorded score imposed from outside the stage world.

Contrapuntal music relationship

A choreographic choice where movement deliberately runs independent of the score's pulse or phrasing, creating tension or counterpoint. It contrasts with literal movement that matches each beat.

Site-specific choreography

Dance made for and performed in a particular non-theatre location, using its architecture, surfaces and sightlines. The site shapes pathways, audience proximity and meaning rather than serving as backdrop.

Dance film framing

Camera choices - wide, mid or close shot - determine how much spatial context and bodily detail an audience sees. Editing rhythm and viewpoint create a reading unavailable to a live audience.

Projection and focus

Projection is the outward extension of energy to the audience; focus is where a dancer directs gaze and attention. Together they guide audience attention within an ensemble or solo.

Musicality

The dancer's responsiveness to phrasing, accent and silence in the score, expressed through timing of movement initiation and completion. It is distinct from simply moving in time with the beat.

Safe dance practice

Warm-up, cool-down, hydration, load management and anatomically aligned technique that reduce injury risk. Alignment principles include neutral pelvis, stacked joints and a lengthened spine.

Counterbalance

A partnering technique where two dancers lean away from each other, using shared weight to create a stable equilibrium. It requires trust, core control and clear communication of timing.

Douglas Wright

A major New Zealand choreographer known for theatrical, expressionist contemporary work exploring mortality, desire and memory. His works are frequently analysed for strong imagery and emotional intensity.

Black Grace

Auckland contemporary company founded by Neil Ieremia, blending Pacific movement vocabularies with contemporary technique, often through a strong male ensemble. Its work engages Pacific identity and urban New Zealand life.

Atamira Dance Company

A New Zealand Māori contemporary dance company presenting work by Māori choreographers. Its repertoire engages tikanga, whenua and whakapapa, making cultural consultation central to analysis.

Footnote New Zealand Dance

A touring contemporary dance company known for commissioning new New Zealand choreographic voices and for devised, collaborative works. Its small-scale touring model shapes cast size and design choices.

Tempo Dance Festival

Auckland's annual contemporary dance festival presenting New Zealand and international work. It is a key platform for premieres and useful for locating where a work was first performed.

Creative New Zealand funding

The national arts funding body whose grants influence which dance works are created and toured. Funding constraints can shape cast size, design budget and touring reach.

Tikanga Māori in dance

Māori protocols governing respectful engagement with movement, language and narrative. Analysis should address consultation, permission and the distinction between appropriation and respectful practice.

Tanztheater

A German theatrical dance lineage emphasising expression, text and everyday gesture over classical virtuosity, associated with Pina Bausch. It influences contemporary narrative and character-driven choreography.

Cunningham technique

A contemporary training and compositional approach using spinal articulation, spatial decentralisation and chance procedures. It treats any body part as a potential centre of movement.

Graham contraction and release

A modern dance principle of spinal contraction on exhale and release on inhale, used to generate expressive, psychologically charged movement. It underpins much narrative contemporary technique.

Describe-analyse-evaluate-replan

A reflective cycle: state what happened, explain why, judge its quality against intent, then state the revised plan. The final step evidences critical evaluation rather than mere description.

Evidence hierarchy in analysis

A ranked preference for support: a time-stamped described moment outranks a general observation, and a comparison between two works outranks a single example. Stronger evidence yields stronger claims.

Technical and dress rehearsal

The technical rehearsal integrates lighting, sound and staging cues with movement; the dress rehearsal runs the full performance in costume. Both test cue timing and spacing under performance conditions.

Performance recovery skills

Techniques for managing error on stage: maintaining focus and breath, covering a missed cue through improvisation, and re-entering the ensemble without disrupting spacing or timing for others.