D.E402

Dance to the Music

Students will memorize a movement phrase and perform it to two contrasting musical selections. The teacher will provide a 16-count movement phrase, using the movement vocabulary from a specific style of dance included in the school’s curriculum.

The focus of this assessment is more on interpretation and musicality than technical mastery of specific skills. First-year (Level 1) students will only be required to perform the phrase on one side. In adapting this assessment for second-year (Level 2) students as well as third- and fourth-year (Level 3) students (not illustrated here), it is suggested that students perform a more complex and longer movement sequence and reverse the phrase, as well. The same instructions can be used, but the teacher-demonstrated dance movement shown to students in Step 4 would be modified accordingly.

This item has not yet been field-tested.


These are analytic rubrics. The column on the left shows the dimension that is being measured in the student’s performance. The levels across the top row indicate the performance level in the dimensions. Occasionally all dimensions and performance levels are exemplified by multiple students in a single recording.

TEACHER SCORING RUBRIC

  • Dimension
  • Musicality, Rhythm, and Syncopation Phrasing

  • Dynamics of Movement; Quality of Attack

  • Learning and Understanding Physically Projected Throughout Dance

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Musicality and understanding of rhythm awareness is not demonstrated throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Very little movement is performed demonstrating an ability to feel and present the rhythm and musicality to the phrase.

    N/A at this time.
  • Some musicality and understanding of rhythm is demonstrated throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Movement is performed demonstrating an ability to feel and present the rhythm and musicality to the phrase.

    N/A at this time.
  • Ability to present movement that demonstrates use of texture, attack flow, and effort throughout performance is not present.

    N/A at this time.
  • Has limited ability to present movement that demonstrates use of texture, attack flow, and effort throughout performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Demonstrates quality of movement understanding and demonstrates some aspects of texture, attack flow, and effort throughout performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Demonstrates quality of movement understanding and demonstrates texture, attack flow, and effort throughout performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Emotion, expression, and intent of movement is not demonstrated and projected throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Emotion, expression, and intent of movement are rarely demonstrated and projected throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Emotion, expression, and intent of movement are somewhat demonstrated and projected throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.
  • Emotion, expression, and intent of movement are demonstrated and projected throughout the performance.

    N/A at this time.

Teacher Scoring Rubric—Assessment Questions

  • Dimension
  • Complete Answer

  • Choreographic Vision

  • Theme/Intent

  • Understanding of Energy and Dynamics

  • Justification of Choreographic Choices

  • Connecting Energy and Dynamics with Choreographic Vision

  • Strategies

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • A quarter or less of the aspects of the prompt have been addressed.

    N/A at this time.
  • About half of the aspects of the prompt have been addressed.

    N/A at this time.
  • Most aspects of the prompt have been thoroughly addressed.

    N/A at this time.
  • All aspects of the prompt have been thoroughly addressed.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has partially elaborated his/her ideas into a somewhat-detailed description of a choreographic vision that makes sense with the corresponding music choices.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has generally elaborated his/her ideas into a somewhat-detailed description of a choreographic vision that makes sense with the corresponding music choices.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has generally elaborated his/her ideas into a specific, detailed, illustrative description of a choreographic vision that makes sense with the corresponding music choices.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has completely elaborated his/her ideas into a specific, detailed, illustrative description of a choreographic vision that makes sense with the corresponding music choices.

    N/A at this time.
  • A potential theme/intent was not identified.

    N/A at this time.
  • A potential theme/intent has been identified but not described.

    N/A at this time.
  • A potential theme/intent has been described with some clarity.

    N/A at this time.
  • A potential theme/intent has been clearly described.

    N/A at this time.
  • The description of the kind of energy and dynamics that would be used in the piece is missing.

    N/A at this time.
  • The description of the kind of energy and dynamics that would be used in the piece is weak.

    N/A at this time.
  • A description of the kind of energy and dynamics that would be used in the piece is given.

    N/A at this time.
  • Particular emphasis has been placed on the description of the kind of energy and dynamics that would be used in the piece.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student rarely justifies choreographic choices by supporting the response with general ideas gleaned from the musical selections.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has justified choreographic choices by supporting the response with general ideas gleaned from the musical selections.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has justified choreographic choices by supporting the response with some specific, insightful details gleaned from the musical selections.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student has justified choreographic choices by supporting the response with specific, insightful details gleaned from the musical selections.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student’s response demonstrates a little or no understanding of how dancers use energy and dynamics to meet the expectations of a choreographic vision.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student’s response demonstrates a simplistic understanding of how dancers use energy and dynamics to meet the expectations of a choreographic vision.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student’s response demonstrates an understanding of how dancers use energy and dynamics to meet the expectations of a choreographic vision.

    N/A at this time.
  • The student’s response demonstrates a thorough and perceptive understanding of how dancers use energy and dynamics to meet the expectations of a choreographic vision.

    N/A at this time.
  • The response includes general and vague examples of strategies that dancers might use to meet the choreographer’s expectations.

    N/A at this time.
  • The response includes examples of strategies that dancers might use to meet the choreographer’s expectations.

    N/A at this time.
  • The response includes examples of specific strategies that dancers might use, as well as examples from the student’s own experiences as a dancer.

    N/A at this time.
  • The response includes examples of specific strategies that dancers might use, as well as examples from the student’s own experiences as a dancer.

    N/A at this time.
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