OAE Dance (011) flashcards

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

Turnout origin

External rotation of the femur within the hip socket. It must be initiated at the hip; forcing it from the knees or feet strains the medial knee and ankles.

Graham contraction

A deep, exhaled scoop of the pelvis and spine that shortens the torso's front, paired with release on the inhale; a signature of Martha Graham's technique.

Fall and recovery

Doris Humphrey's principle describing the body's surrender to gravity (fall) and its active return to balance (recovery); the basis of weight-based modern technique.

Épaulement

French term for the coordinated carriage of shoulders, head, and upper back that gives ballet positions their three-dimensional, angled quality rather than flat frontality.

Spotting in turns

Fixing the gaze on one point while the body rotates, then snapping the head around last; it prevents dizziness and keeps the dancer oriented in space.

Isolation

Moving one body part (ribs, shoulders, hips, head) independently while the rest of the body stays still; common in jazz and hip-hop technique.

Choreographic canon

A device in which dancers perform the same movement phrase starting at staggered times, creating overlapping entrances and a layered contrapuntal texture.

Retrograde

Performing a movement phrase in reverse order, from the last action to the first; a device for generating new material from existing choreography.

Augmentation

Choreographic device that enlarges a movement - longer duration, bigger size, more repetition, or more dancers - to develop a motif.

BASTE elements

Body, Action, Space, Time, Energy: the fundamental elements of dance that choreographers manipulate and that students analyze when responding to a work.

Motif and development

A short, memorable movement idea (motif) that is repeated with variation, inversion, or fragmentation to build a longer dance.

Contact improvisation

A duet form in which dancers share weight and momentum through a moving point of physical contact, exploring balance, roll, and lift spontaneously.

Chance choreography

A method in which movement choices (order, spacing, timing) are determined by random procedures such as coin tosses or the I Ching, associated with Merce Cunningham.

ABA form

Ternary structure in which an opening section returns after a contrasting middle section; provides unity through return and variety through contrast.

Four-step critique

Description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation: a sequence for responding to dance that moves from observed facts to evidence-based judgment.

Laban Effort factors

Weight (strong/light), Time (sustained/quick), Space (direct/indirect), and Flow (bound/free); their combinations describe movement quality in Laban Movement Analysis.

Kinesphere

The personal bubble of space surrounding a dancer, reachable without traveling; described by level, direction, and pathway in Laban analysis.

Formative assessment

Ongoing, in-class evidence of learning - observation checklists, exit tickets, peer feedback - used to adjust instruction before the summative evaluation.

Descriptive vs. judgment

Critique distinguishes observable description ('arms moved in unison') from evaluative judgment ('the unison was precise'), grounding opinions in specific evidence from the performance.

Aesthetic unity

The quality of a dance whose parts cohere around a clear idea, achieved through repetition, motif return, and consistent style, balanced against variety.

Académie Royale de Danse

The French royal dance academy founded in 1661 under Louis XIV, credited with codifying ballet technique and establishing professional dance training.

Romantic ballet

Early nineteenth-century ballet era (e.g., Giselle, 1841) marked by pointe work, the ballerina as central figure, ethereal themes, and longer tutus.

Ballets Russes

Diaghilev's Paris-based company (1909-1929) that collaborated with Nijinsky, Fokine, Stravinsky, and Picasso, reshaping twentieth-century ballet and modernism.

Isadora Duncan

American modern dance pioneer who rejected ballet's corsets and pointe shoes in favor of barefoot, free-flowing, natural movement inspired by nature and Greek art.

Judson Dance Theater

A 1960s New York collective (Rainer, Brown, Paxton) that championed pedestrian movement, task-based scores, and everyday gesture as legitimate dance.

Bharatanatyam

A classical Indian dance form from Tamil Nadu characterized by codified hand gestures (mudras), rhythmic footwork, and narrative expression (abhinaya).

Hip-hop origins

A dance culture emerging in the Bronx in the 1970s alongside DJing and MCing, including breaking, popping, and locking; teaching it requires acknowledging its roots.

National Core Arts Standards

U.S. dance standards organized around four artistic processes - Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting - with anchor standards and grade-level performance indicators.

Backward design

Planning sequence of identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, then designing learning experiences; keeps instruction aligned to standards and assessment.

Summative assessment

Evaluation at the end of a unit or term - performance rubrics, portfolios, written reflections - that measures whether learning objectives were met.

Differentiation in dance

Adjusting content, process, or product - simpler rhythms, fewer spatial changes, varied grouping - so students of differing abilities reach the same objective.