Responding to Dance Presentations

Looking at a dance presentation should be an active experience for audience members. The teacher should encourage students to become totally involved in the dance; engaged visually, aurally, emotionally and kinaesthetically. Judgments should be suspended until the dance is over. Then reflection begins.

The following process will assist teachers as they guide students in responding to dance presentations. The process will help students make sense of their initial reactions to the dance and come to a deeper understanding of the dance. When going through this process for the first time, students will discover that dance has its own way of communicating ideas and feelings.

The process can be used for responding to all dance styles and forms if appropriate questions are asked at each step. Similarly, the process can be adapted to suit the students' abilities and needs. This adaptation should be reflected in the level of questioning used and the amount of detail examined in each step.

Students will bring their own varied perspectives and associations, including their unique cultural and personal perspectives, to the dance presentation. Because these perspectives are personal and will vary from student to student, an atmosphere of trust and respect must be established. Students should be encouraged to express their personal opinions, knowing that their unique perspective will enhance other students' viewing experiences.

Teachers should keep in mind that different people respond in different ways to the same dance presentation. It is also true that one person can, and in most cases should, respond in more than one way. The following are three ways of responding.

Responding on an emotional level -- this refers to feelings evoked by a dance presentation.

Responding on an associative level -- this refers to associations one makes with the dance or with images in the dance. Associations could be of a personal nature or could come from a cultural perspective.

Responding on a formal intellectual level -- this refers to responses one has after a formal analysis and interpretation of the dance presentation.

The three types of responses vary and shift in emphasis from viewer to viewer and from dance to dance. For example, one viewer might have an immediate emotional response to a dance, while another might have an intellectual response. One dance might demand an immediate emotional response so that most viewers will respond this way initially, while another dance might demand that most viewers make immediate associations with images in the work.

The following process for responding to dance presentations is described in seven steps:

• preparation
• first impressions
• description
• analysis
• interpretation
• background information
• informed judgment.

Students can work through the process in one large group, or in small groups. The teacher could also set up a learning centre activity using the seven steps.

Step One
Preparation

Preparing students for the dance performance can pique the students' interest and heighten the value of their viewing experience. Students must be made to feel that their unique contributions to the viewing will be valuable, that their opinions are valid, and that the opinions and perspectives of others are to be respected. This is a time to remind students that we all look at the same dance through different eyes. Our cultural perspectives and past experiences will influence our responses to the dance.

The preparation information should be brief. Too much information can strongly influence the students' first impressions and inhibit the flow of ideas. Advance publicity will provide the teacher with some of the information. Some dance companies have press kits or educational materials they have developed for schools in relation to their company.

Depending on the experience of the students, topics to be discussed could include the following:

• the style of the dance; for example, ballet, jazz, folk, social
• if a narrative, the story of the dance
• brief biographical information about the dance artists involved; for example, the choreographer, dancers, composer, etc.
• some historical and cultural insights into the dance
• a look at the times during which the dance was choreographed

• basic points of audience etiquette
• discussions of the students' personal biases as audience; for example, cultural biases, or biases that stem from the students' past experiences with dance
• dance activities which will introduce students to the upcoming performance; for example, learning a culture's dance or creating a narrative dance composition.

Step Two
First Impressions

This step gives students the opportunity to express their first reactions to the dance presentation. Provide a non-judgmental atmosphere where the students will feel confident to give their first reactions and where all students' reactions will be accepted.

Record the students' first impressions on chart paper. Use writing projects or visual art projects as a means of recording first impressions.

First impressions can be used in two ways: students can see how they have grown through the process of viewing the dance; students can try to explain their first impressions through further investigation and discovery.

Encourage students by asking questions such as:

• what moments in the dance they liked the most
• how particular moments in the dance made them feel
• whether they had a favourite dancer
• which costumes or outfits they liked
• how the music or sound-score made them feel.

Step Three
Description

This step requires students to recall and describe what they have seen and heard in the dance presentation. At first, it may be difficult for the students to recall the dance but, as they become more familiar with dance, their ability to recall will increase.

At this stage the students are describing what they have observed; they are not interpreting. Encourage students to limit their observations to things they have seen and heard. Interpretive ideas, which students might suggest, can be recorded and looked at later in the process. Once the students are able to describe the dance they will have a basis to go on.

Record the students' observations of the dance: the movements, the sets and props, the costumes or outfits, the lighting and the sound-score. Such a list might include:

• a description of the movements; for example, strong high leaps, fast turns, slinking movements on the floor
• the relationships of the dancers; for example, solos, duets, trios, a group of three dancers with a fourth dancer moving in isolation
• the way the space was used; for example, the dancers always moved in a circle, usually moved on the diagonal, moved in a small space, had round shapes or angular shapes
• the dynamics or qualities of the movements; for example, lyrical movements, fast and sharp movements, collapsing and suspending movements
• the entrances and exits of the dancers
• descriptions of the sound-score, costumes, outfits, props and sets.

At this stage, it is important to focus on what the choreographer is doing, rather than moving to personal interpretation. If students do begin to interpret, suggest that they remember their ideas for the next step.

When this step is completed, students will have an objective list of their observations.

Step Four
Analysis

In this step, students are analysing how the choreographer combined and arranged the movements, sound, costumes or outfits, dancers, props and sets to achieve certain effects. The students have described many of these things in step three. Have them refer to this list as they analyse the dance. To begin, students might want to analyse their first impressions and discuss whatever first attracted their attention.

In the analysis stage, students could look at:

• the relationships between any of the things listed during the description stage
• the relationships of the dance elements to one another
• the form of the dance; for example, did it tell a story (narrative), were there two parts (AB form), etc.
• the relationship between the movements, sound, costumes or outfits, dancers, props and sets
• movements which were in unison, repeated, repeated with a variation, etc.
• the casting of the dancers, or what dancers did what
• the ways the principles of composition were used.

• When the music was fast, the movements were fast and moved in a very small space.
• The jerky movements always moved in a straight line.
• In the jumps, the arms usually reached towards the globe hanging from the ceiling.
• Some movements were only danced by the dancers dressed in blue.
• The dancers kept on repeating a variation of the flapping movements throughout the dance.
• The dancer in red usually danced by herself.
• The dance started and ended in the same way.
• One dancer's costume was a different colour from the others.
• The lights were blue and dim and the cymbals crashed whenever the one dancer entered the stage.
• The same movement phrase was repeated at different times by different dancers.

The teacher might wish to explore some of the students' observations in a dance-making lesson. For example, the above mentioned observation, "The jerky movements always moved in a straight line", could be the basis for a lesson exploring jerky movements on straight pathways. This could be contrasted with exploring fast movements which used very little space. A dance composition could be created using the two contrasting ideas.

Step Five
Interpretation

Up to now in the process students have been accumulating an objective description of the dance; they have been stating the facts. In this step, students are being asked to reflect on their observations and to discuss what the dance means to them. Students will be taking into consideration their own perspectives, associations and experiences. In this step there will be no wrong answers.

Questions the students might consider in their interpretation of the dance could include the following:

• Did the dance have a story?
• What was the theme or the subject of the dance?
• Was the dance expressing a feeling or an idea?
• What does the dance mean to them?
• What images did the students associate with the dance?
• Why did the choreographer create the dance?

The types of questions asked will vary with the purpose of the dance being discussed. For example, many dances do not tell stories. A question about the story would be irrelevant for these dances, but students could still deal with the question of why the choreographer created the work and what the subject matter of the work is. Furthermore, questions about a choreographer's intentions would be irrelevant in dances where there is no choreographer, such as social dances or the traditional dances of a culture. In this case, students could be asked to assign personal associations to the dance.

Students can express their interpretations in a number of different ways: small group discussion, journal writing, poetry writing, visual art activities, etc.

During the discussion, students will be clarifying their ideas. They will discover that there may be different points of view as each student brings a unique set of life experiences and perceptions to the dance. New insights into possible interpretations will give the students food for thought and further reflection.

Step Six
Background Information

Until now the students have been focusing entirely on the dance. It is now time to step back and gather some background information.

In step one, students were given an introduction to the dance similar to program notes and general information a dance-going audience would receive. This helps give students a foundation with which to go into the dance presentation. In step six, students are being asked to gather background information before going on to the final step. Such information could include:

• biographical information about the choreographer
• biographical information about the dancers
• a look at the social, political and cultural climate of the times in which the dance was choreographed and first performed
• if a cultural or social dance, a look at the role of the dance in relation to the historical and present-day aspects of the culture or society
• a look at other dances in the same style.

Step Seven
Informed Judgment

This stage can be looked at as a summary stage. The information the students have collected in the previous steps will be considered as the students form their opinions of the dance and its value.

The students will be considering two aspects of the dance: the choreography and the performance of the dance. Their discussions should include:

• whether the dance worked as a whole
• how the dance compares to other dances in a similar style
• whether the dancers were capable in their performance of the dance
• whether all aspects (including sets, costumes or outfits, lighting, props, sound-score and movements) contributed to the dance
• whether the dance conveyed the choreographer's intentions.

• whether their thoughts or feelings about the work have changed since their first impressions
• if so, how they have changed and what caused them to change
• if not, whether they can now explain their first reactions.

This process is intended to give students a way to look at a dance. By going through this process students will gain an understanding of dance as an art. Teachers should reinforce the students' learning by encouraging them to apply what they have seen or learned in their own dance creations.

Summary of Responding to Dance Presentations

1. Preparation

• teacher establishes a climate for viewing the dance

• students respond spontaneously to the dance presentation; there are no wrong answers

• students take inventory of what they saw and heard

• students examine how the movements, sound, costumes or outfits, dancers, props and sets were combined and arranged to achieve certain effects
• students analyse by looking at the connections among the dance elements and principles of composition, and the form of the dance
• teacher encourages the use of dance terminology

  Elements of Dance	Principles of Composition:
  actions	climax and resolution
  body	contrast
  dynamics	repetition
  relationships	sequencing and development
  space	transition
  	unity
  	variety

• students reflect on and discuss what the dance means to each of them
• students understand how their responses will be influenced by their own experiences and perceptions of the world

• students learn as much as they can about the choreographer, the dance and dancers involved in it

• students form opinions of the dance and its value

Adapting Responding to Dance Presentations for the Discussion of Student Work

Students responding to their own and their peers' work is an important part of the creative process. Responding can occur during the creative process, where the creations are presented as works-in-progress, as well as at the end of the project. Responding to works-in-progress helps students refine their dance compositions.

The following ideas should be considered by teachers when planning to use "Responding to Dance Presentations" for the discussion of students' work:

• Before students show their work, ensure that a trusting atmosphere is established where students are willing to take risks. Responding to their peers' work should be a learning and growing experience for students and should not include personal judgment. Students may feel particularly vulnerable when showing their dances as it is they who are being watched, unlike a visual art work which allows for some distance between the student and art work. In order to maintain objectivity, all comments should be kept to observations about the movements, props, sets, sound-score and costumes. Comments which judge the person should be discouraged. For example, the comment "I like John's dance" would be better said as "I thought the jumps in John's dance were interesting."
• Record on video students' works-in-progress and final dance compositions. To help facilitate the responding process, the recordings can be replayed several times during the process to allow students time for deeper reflection. Recording works- in-progress allows students to view their own work and make decisions about refining it based on what they see. As well, works-in-progress can be compared to final products to see how the work has changed.
• Not all steps of "Responding to Dance Presentations" will be used every time students are responding to their own or their peers' work. Teachers should include the steps and use a level of questioning to suit the needs and abilities of their students. To begin, teachers might choose to use step three and step four. As students become familiar and comfortable with the process, additional steps can be added. Teachers should be especially careful that a trusting atmosphere has been well established before any judgment is allowed. Judgment should always focus on whether the work has achieved the students' intended purpose.
• It is important that students base their opinions and interpretations on evidence they see and hear in the work itself. Teachers should always remember that students will have their own interpretations and opinions. These ideas must be assessed on the student's ability to express and justify them, and not on the student's ability to conform to the norm or to the opinions of the teacher.

A sample checklist for evaluating students' responses to arts expressions can be found on page 43 of this curriculum guide. Teachers should select from the list of possible criteria when assessing students. The checklist may be used to assess several students in one dance period or one student on different dates.