OAE Dance (011) key terms

The stacked relationship of body segments-feet, knees, hips, spine, and head-so that gravity passes efficiently through the skeleton, reducing strain and supporting balance, turn-out, and safe movement in every dance technique.

The outward rotation of the legs from the hip joints, used especially in ballet and some modern styles to widen the base and enable high extensions. It must originate at the hips, not the knees or feet.

An imaginary vertical line used to check alignment, typically dropping from the ear through the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. Teachers use it to diagnose postural habits and to guide corrections during class.

Engagement of the deep abdominal, pelvic-floor, and spinal muscles to stabilize the torso during movement. It allows free limbs to move without collapsing the trunk and underlies balance, turns, and safe lifting.

A bending of the knees while the legs remain turned out, used to initiate jumps, cushion landings, and build leg strength. A demi-plié keeps heels down; a grand plié lifts the heels in most positions.

A rise onto the balls of the feet or onto pointe from straight knees, without the preparatory bend of a relevé. It develops ankle and calf strength and is often practiced at the barre in ballet class.

Dancing on the tips of the toes in specially constructed pointe shoes. It requires mature bone development, sufficient ankle strength, and teacher approval, and is introduced only after years of ballet training.

A turning technique in which the dancer fixes the eyes on one point and whips the head around ahead of the body, preventing dizziness and marking the direction of the turn. It is essential in pirouettes and traveling turns.

A turn on one leg, usually in retiré position, performed in ballet and jazz. Success depends on a strong preparation, a stable passé, consistent spotting, and a controlled finish rather than sheer momentum.

The ability to maintain the body's center of gravity over its base of support, whether still or moving. Dancers train static and dynamic balance through alignment, core strength, and proprioceptive awareness.

The straightening of a limb, or in ballet the height to which a leg is raised and held. It requires hamstring flexibility, hip mobility, and strength to sustain the position without tilting the pelvis.

Moving one body part-such as a shoulder, rib, hip, or head-while the rest of the body stays still. Common in jazz and hip-hop, isolations build body awareness and clean, precise articulation of movement.

A modern dance action in which the spine curves and the torso hollows, typically initiated from the pelvis on an exhale. Associated with Graham technique, it expresses effort and shapes the body's center.

A modern dance principle describing the body's surrender to gravity and its subsequent rebound to balance. Developed in Graham technique, it gives movement weight, breath, and dramatic contrast between yielding and resisting.

A modern dance approach emphasizing efficient use of breath, momentum, and gravity rather than held muscular tension. Dancers let the skeleton and body weight carry movement, producing a fluid, unforced quality.

The sense of mass and gravity a dancer conveys through movement. Weight can be heavy, light, suspended, or percussive, and it is one of the core elements of Laban's effort analysis of movement quality.

Spontaneous movement created in the moment, often guided by a prompt, image, or movement score. Teachers use it to develop creativity, movement vocabulary, and responsiveness before shaping material into set choreography.

A short, coherent sequence of movements with a beginning, middle, and end, functioning like a sentence in dance. Phrases are the building blocks that are repeated, varied, and combined into longer dances.

A small, memorable movement unit that carries the theme of a dance and can be developed, fragmented, or repeated. Choreographers use motifs to create unity and to generate new material through variation.

Tools for manipulating movement, including repetition, retrograde, inversion, augmentation, diminution, fragmentation, and canon. They help choreographers develop material and create interest without inventing new steps constantly.

A choreographic device in which dancers perform the same movement phrase starting at staggered times, creating overlapping lines. It builds density and visual rhythm and is common in both modern and jazz choreography.

Movement performed identically and simultaneously by two or more dancers. Unison emphasizes clarity and group power, and it contrasts with canon and counterpoint to shape the texture of a dance.

A compositional structure in which a central movement idea is presented and then altered through changes in timing, level, direction, or quality. It demonstrates how one idea can yield a full dance.

The overall architecture of a dance, such as AB, ABA, rondo, narrative, or theme and variation. Form organizes phrases into a whole and shapes how an audience perceives beginning, development, and resolution.

The height at which movement occurs-low, middle, or high. Varying level creates visual contrast, changes spatial relationships among dancers, and can shift the energy and focus of a section.

The route a dancer or body part travels through space, whether straight, curved, zigzag, or spiral. Pathways shape floor patterns and stage pictures and influence how movement reads to an audience.

The arrangement of dancers on stage, such as a line, circle, V, or scattered cluster. Changes of formation shift focus, create spatial interest, and support the choreographic intent of a section.

A system for describing movement through Body, Effort, Shape, and Space. Effort covers weight, time, space, and flow, giving dancers and teachers precise vocabulary for analyzing movement quality and expression.

One of the core elements of dance, referring to where movement happens: personal versus general space, direction, level, pathway, and size. Dancers use space deliberately to shape meaning and design.

The informed description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of a dance work. A critic supports judgments with evidence from the performance, considering choreography, technique, performance quality, and context.

A viewer's personal and emotional reaction to a dance, shaped by taste, culture, and experience. Teaching students to articulate aesthetic responses builds observation skills and respect for diverse artistic viewpoints.

A written system for recording movement, such as Labanotation or Benesh Movement Notation. Notation preserves choreography for restaging, study, and archival documentation independent of video recording.

The social, historical, and geographic circumstances that shape a dance form's meaning, style, and function. Understanding context prevents misreading and honors the origins and communities that created a dance.

Taking elements of a marginalized culture's dance without understanding, credit, or respect, often for profit or novelty. Educators distinguish it from appreciation by teaching origins, context, and community permission.

Traditional dance passed down within a community, reflecting its history, work, celebrations, and values. Examples include Irish step dance, Mexican folklórico, and Korean fan dance, each with regional variants and conventions.

A theatrical dance form that developed in European courts and codified in France and Russia, known for turn-out, pointed feet, and a formal vocabulary. Its history spans court ballet, Romantic, classical, and neoclassical eras.

A twentieth-century concert dance tradition that rejected ballet's conventions in favor of personal expression, gravity, and new movement vocabularies. Pioneers include Duncan, Graham, Humphrey, and Cunningham.

An instructional approach in which students build understanding through exploration, problem-solving, and reflection rather than receiving information passively. In dance, it favors guided improvisation and student-led choreographic inquiry over rote imitation.

Ongoing checks of student learning-such as observation, peer feedback, or exit tickets-used to adjust instruction during a unit. In dance it commonly includes teacher correction, video review, and structured self-reflection after rehearsal.

Evaluation of learning at the end of a unit or course, such as a performance, written analysis, or choreographic project scored against criteria. It measures achievement against standards rather than guiding day-to-day teaching.

A scoring guide that lists criteria and describes levels of performance quality. A well-designed dance rubric separates technique, performance, composition, and response so students understand expectations and can self-assess.

United States arts education standards organized around four artistic processes: Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting. Dance educators use them to design curriculum, sequence instruction, and align assessment across grade levels.