dcf.cymru stimulus sheet · Dance · Year 10
The motif and the pupil Cai are invented for this lesson. The devices are real: the definitions come from Appendix A of the WJEC GCSE Dance specification.
A motif is “a distinctive and recurring gesture or series of movements used to provide a theme or unifying idea” (Appendix A). This motif has 7 actions and lasts 8 counts.
| Action | What the dancer does | Counts | Level | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rise onto the balls of the feet; both arms sweep up overhead. | 1 | High | None |
| 2 | Open the arms wide to the sides, like wings. | 1 | High | None |
| 3 | Quarter turn to the right on the spot. | 1 | Middle | 90° right |
| 4 | Step forward on the right foot; the left arm reaches forward. | 1 | Middle | None |
| 5 | Swoop: bend the knees and drop the body low, arms trailing behind. | 2 | Low | None |
| 6 | Rise, rolling the shoulders back. | 1 | Middle | None |
| 7 | Stillness, focus up: a highlight. | 1 | Middle | None |
| Total | 8 | One quarter turn | ||
Stage directions are given from the dancer’s point of view, looking out at the audience. So stage right is the dancer’s right. Every time action 3 is danced, the dancer turns another 90° to the right. Four quarter turns (360°) bring the dancer back to facing the audience.
| Total turned | 0° | 90° | 180° | 270° | 360° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dancer faces | Audience | Stage right | Upstage (back to the audience) | Stage left | Audience again |
A dance score is a written set of instructions, like an algorithm. Each line is followed in order, from the top. Music is counted in eights, so a dance that fits 4 eights lasts exactly 32 counts.
| Instruction | What it means | Device (Appendix A) |
|---|---|---|
PERFORM 1, 2, 3 | Dance these actions in this order. | |
REPEAT 2 TIMES [ … ] | Dance everything inside the brackets, then do it all again. | Repetition: “duplication of a movement or movement’s phrases” |
RETROGRADE [1, 2, 3] | Dance the actions in reverse order: 3, 2, 1. In this lesson, a turn keeps its direction: a quarter turn right is still a quarter turn right. | Retrograde: “to reverse the order of a sequence” |
ACCUMULATE [1 to 3] | Dance 1, then 1 2, then 1 2 3, one after another. | Accumulation: “performing movement 1 then 1 and 2 then 1, 2 and 3” |
HALF SPEED [ … ] | Every action inside takes twice as many counts. | Change of time, speed or tempo |
UNISON: … | All dancers do the same thing at the same time. | Unison: “identical dance movement that takes place at the same time in a group” |
CANON (B starts 2 counts after A) [ … ] | Dancer A starts. Dancer B does the same, starting 2 counts later. Whoever finishes first holds still. The line lasts until the last dancer finishes. | Canon: “parts are done in succession, overlapping one another” |
HOLD 4 | Stay still for 4 counts. | Stillness |
Cai, a Year 10 pupil, wrote this score for a duet (dancers A and B). He wrote his own count check in the right-hand column.
Cai’s intention: “32 counts exactly. Start in unison, use retrograde and canon, and finish together, still, facing the audience, on the last count.”
| Line | Instruction | Cai’s count check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNISON: PERFORM 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 8 |
| 2 | UNISON: RETROGRADE [1, 2, 3, 4] (Cai wrote it out as 4, 3, 1, 2) | 4 |
| 3 | CANON (B starts 2 counts after A) [PERFORM 5, 6] | 3 |
| 4 | UNISON: REPEAT 3 TIMES [PERFORM 1, 2, 3, 4] | 12 |
| 5 | UNISON: PERFORM 7 | 1 |
| 6 | UNISON: HOLD 4 | 4 |
| Cai’s total | 32 | |