Dance Techniques and Performance
Domain 1: Dance Techniques and Performance
This domain tests how well you can analyze and teach technical execution across ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and other forms, plus rehearsal and performance practices. Expect questions on alignment, kinesiology, safety, and stylistic accuracy.
Core rules and concepts
- Alignment begins at the plumb line: ears over shoulders, ribs over pelvis, pelvis over arches. Turnout is initiated by external hip rotation, not by twisting the knees or ankles.
- Ballet vocabulary: plié, tendu, dégagé, rond de jambe, passé, développé, arabesque. Modern vocabulary includes contraction, release, spiral, fall and recovery, and weight sharing.
- Locomotor skills travel (chassé, jeté, slide); nonlocomotor skills stay in place (bend, twist, gesture). Jazz and tap demand isolation and syncopation; tap also requires clean weight transfer and clear sounds.
- Performance quality includes focus, breath support, musicality, projection, and ensemble awareness. Rehearsal should move from marking to full-out with consistent spacing and safety checks.
Worked example
A student falls out of a pirouette to the right. Rather than saying 'point harder,' diagnose: the passé may be behind the leg, the spot may arrive late, and the supporting-side ribs may collapse. Correct by stacking the supporting leg over the foot, placing the passé at the knee, spotting front, and engaging the core. This treats cause, not symptom.
Traps that cost marks
- Forcing turnout from the feet; ignoring anatomical limits.
- Treating modern dance as one technique; Graham, Humphrey, and Cunningham have distinct principles.
- Confusing style with safety: a stylized tilt can still risk the lumbar spine.
- Describing performance only as energy; name focus, breath, and musicality.