OSAT Dance (178) key terms

The relationship and stacking of body segments-head, shoulders, rib cage, pelvis, knees, and feet-so movement can occur with efficiency, balance, and reduced strain.

Outward rotation of the legs from the hip joints, allowing the knees and feet to face sideways; a defining feature of ballet and many concert dance forms.

A bending of the knees over the toes while the legs rotate outward, used to absorb landings, generate power, and connect ballet movements smoothly.

A ballet action in which the working foot slides along the floor to a pointed position and returns, strengthening the foot and refining articulation.

A turning technique in which the dancer fixes the eyes on a point, then snaps the head around to refocus, reducing dizziness and clarifying orientation.

Engagement of deep trunk and pelvic muscles to stabilize the spine and transfer force between upper and lower body during movement.

Traveling actions that move the body from one place to another, such as walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, sliding, and leaping.

Movement performed in place around the body's vertical axis, including bending, twisting, stretching, swinging, and turning without traveling.

The dancer's internal sense of body position, motion, effort, and spatial orientation, developed through practice and used to refine technique and prevent injury.

The performer's use of focus, energy, breath, and spatial clarity to communicate intention and emotion beyond the body to an audience.

A short, memorable movement idea-often a gesture or phrase fragment-that is repeated, varied, and developed to unify a dance composition.

A brief sequence of connected movements with a beginning, middle, and end that functions like a sentence within a longer dance work.

A compositional device in which dancers perform the same movement sequence starting at different times, creating overlapping lines, echo effects, and visual density.

A choreographic manipulation that performs a movement phrase backward, from its final action to its first, often revealing new spatial and dynamic possibilities.

A choreographic manipulation that reverses a movement's spatial direction or body relationship, such as changing high to low or forward to backward.

A compositional choice in which two or more dancers perform the same movement at the same time, emphasizing clarity, unity, and shared timing.

Spontaneous movement creation guided by a prompt, score, image, or sensory task rather than predetermined steps, often used to generate choreographic material.

A partnering form based on sharing weight, rolling, momentum, and physical contact, developed in the 1970s as both a social and performance practice.

The process of transforming a literal story, image, or idea into movement that suggests meaning indirectly rather than illustrating it directly.

The arrangement of dancers in space-such as lines, circles, diagonals, or clusters-that shapes visual composition, focus, and group relationships.

A European concert dance form with codified vocabulary, turned-out legs, elevated extensions, and narrative or abstract works, shaped in Italian and French courts.

An early twentieth-century concert form that rejected ballet conventions and emphasized individual expression, gravity, torso movement, and newly invented techniques.

A mid-twentieth-century movement that rejected narrative and virtuosity, favoring pedestrian action, task, chance, and site-specific work, often linked to Judson Dance Theater.

A North Indian classical dance known for rhythmic footwork, rapid spins, storytelling, and expressive gestures, developed in Hindu and Mughal court contexts.

A South Indian classical dance from Tamil Nadu featuring a mostly fixed torso, bent knees, rhythmic footwork, and expressive mime rooted in temple and court traditions.

A percussive American dance form in which metal-tapped shoes create rhythms, blending African rhythmic sensibilities with European step traditions and Broadway influences.

An umbrella for street and club dances that emerged with hip-hop culture in the 1970s Bronx, including breaking, popping, locking, and social party dances.

A modern dance technique developed by Martha Graham using contraction and release, spirals, floor work, and breath-driven torso movement to express inner emotion.

A written movement notation system using symbols to record body parts, direction, level, and timing, developed by Rudolf Laban for analysis and reconstruction.

The use of a marginalized culture's dance forms, symbols, or styles by outsiders without understanding, credit, or reciprocity, often reinforcing unequal power relationships.

Ongoing, low-stakes checks during instruction-such as observation, questioning, or exit tickets-that inform immediate teaching adjustments and student practice.

End-of-unit or end-of-course evaluation that measures achievement against standards, often through performance, written exam, portfolio, or project, and typically yields a grade or proficiency determination.

A scoring guide that lists criteria and performance levels, making expectations transparent and judgments more consistent across students, raters, or assignments.

Planning varied content, process, and product based on learners' readiness, interests, and needs so all students can access and demonstrate dance learning.

A proactive planning framework offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and action or expression to reduce barriers for diverse learners before instruction begins.

Concise verbal, visual, or musical signals that prompt timing, spatial placement, or movement quality during rehearsal and performance so dancers can respond quickly and accurately.

Establishing routines, expectations, and safe procedures so dance instruction proceeds efficiently and students remain engaged, respectful, and focused.

Voluntary U.S. preK–12 standards in dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts, organized around creating, performing or presenting, responding, and connecting.

Students evaluate classmates' work using shared criteria, often developing analytical language, feedback skills, and deeper understanding of dance concepts.