Choreographic Processes, Structure and Form
How a dance is made: starting from a stimulus, improvising and developing movement, then structuring it using forms like binary, ternary and rondo.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Making a dance
A dance does not appear ready-made. A choreographer builds it through a process, usually starting from a stimulus, an idea or starting point. They improvise, then select and develop movement, then structure and refine it. The way the sections are arranged is called the form, such as binary or ternary.
Words for choreography
Learn these four terms before you study how a dance is built.
Three forms
Choreographers arrange sections using different forms.
Process and form, together
To reach the top grades, explain how the choreographic process and the choice of form shape the meaning for the audience, not just naming each step.
Match the process to its meaning
- researching
- improvising
- selecting
- refining
- gathering ideas from the stimulus
- exploring movement freely
- choosing the best material to keep
- polishing and improving the movement
Match the form to its structure
- binary
- ternary
- rondo
- narrative
- a two-part form written as AB
- a three-part form written as ABA
- a form where one section returns, as in ABACAD
- a form that tells a story
What is a stimulus?
What is a stimulus in dance?
- A starting point or idea for creating a dance.
- The final performance of the dance.
- A type of stage.
- The music the dance is performed to.
Choreographic processes
Select the TWO choreographic processes.
- Improvising to explore movement.
- Refining the finished material.
- Performing the dance to an audience.
- Designing the theatre building.
Order the process
Put the steps of making a dance in order, earliest first.
- Research ideas from the stimulus
- Improvise to explore movement
- Select and develop the best material
- Structure and refine it into a finished dance
Summarise the process
A dance often starts from a _____, an idea or starting point. The choreographer _____ to explore movement, then selects and _____ the best material. The dance is arranged using a _____, such as binary or ternary. Smooth links between sections are called _____.
Count the sections
Ternary form is written as ABA. How many sections does it have in total?
Stimulus and structure
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- A stimulus is a starting point for a dance
- Ternary form has the structure ABA
- Improvising means copying an existing dance exactly
- Binary form has three sections
- Transitions are the costumes worn on stage
Which form is it?
Decide which form each dance uses.
- A dance in two contrasting sections, A then B
- A dance where the first section returns after a middle, as in ABA
- A dance where one section keeps returning, as in ABACAD
Explain the process
Explain how a choreographer turns a stimulus into a finished dance. Describe the main steps of the choreographic process, and explain how form gives the dance a clear structure.
- Describe how a stimulus starts the process
- Describe the steps from improvising to refining
- Explain how form structures the dance