| Actions | What the body is doing. Includes locomotor and non-locomotor movements; for example, running, jumping, twisting, gesturing, turning. |
| Alignment | Body placement or posture; proper alignment lessens body strain and promotes dance skills. |
| Asymmetry | Uneven, irregular design. |
| Body bases | Body parts which support the rest of the body. For example, when standing, the feet are the body base; when kneeling, the knees are the body base. |
| Body parts | Arms, legs, head, torso, etc. |
| Body zones | Body areas of right side, left side, front, back, upper half, lower half. |
| Binary form | Two-part structure; AB. |
| Chance form | A choreographic form which is determined randomly; for example, by the roll of dice. |
| Choreographic form | See form. |
| Collage form | A choreographic form which unifies assorted fragments into a whole. |
| Contrast | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Dance phrase | A logical sequence of movements with an observable beginning, middle, and end. |
| Diorama | Small, three-dimensional representation of a scene. |
| Directions | Forward, backward, sideways, up, and down. |
| Duration | The length of time needed to do a movement; very short to very long. |
| Dynamics | The dance element which relates to how a movement is done. |
| Even rhythm | Movements of equal duration; for example, walking. |
| Energy | Muscular tension used to move; ranges from a little to a lot. |
| Form | Structure of dance compositions. |
| General space | The dance area. |
| Improvisation Kinesphere |
The process of simultaneously creating and executing movements. Moving spontaneously, in the moment.
See personal space. |
| Levels | Movements might take place on three levels: high level, middle level, and low or deep level. |
| Locomotor movements | Movements that travel from one location to another. |
| Maquette | Small preliminary model or sketch. |
| Metric rhythm | The grouping of beats in a recurring pattern. |
| Motif description | Symbol system which notates the outline of movement. |
| Movement sequence | Movements which are ordered in succession. |
| Movement vocabulary | All the actions the body can make. |
| Narrative form | A choreographic form that tells a story. |
| Non-locomotor movements | Also called axial; movements that do not travel; moving or balancing on the spot. |
| Notation | Method for recording movements and dances. |
| Organic form | A choreographic form in which the dance grows naturally out of itself. |
| Pathways | Patterns or designs created on the floor or in the air by movements of the body. |
| Personal space | Also called kinesphere; the space reached while stationary. |
| Principles of composition | Devices which help sequence movements into a whole. See Appendix B for detailed descriptions. |
| Qualities | Characteristics of a movement. |
| Relationships | The body's position relative to something or someone. |
| Reconstruction | Remounting of a choreographic work for performance using aids including notation, film, video, and memory. |
| Repetition | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Rondo form | A dance structure with three or more themes where one theme is repeated; ABACAD.... |
| Sequencing | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Shape | The design of a body's position. |
| Size | Magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large. |
| Speed | Velocity of movements; from slow to fast. |
| Symmetry | A balanced, even design. |
| Ternary form | Three-part structure; ABA. |
| Theme and variation | A-A1-A2-A3.... A choreographic form which begins with an original idea or theme and in following sections departs or deviates from the original, while still retaining some connection to the original. |
| Time signature | A symbol that denotes a metric rhythm; for example, 3/4, 4/4. |
| Transition | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Uneven rhythms | Movements of unequal duration; for example, skipping. |
| Unity | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Variety | A principle of composition. See Appendix B for a detailed description. |
| Workshopping | A strategy where dance compositions are shown as works-in-progress for discussion and feedback before final refinement. |