Alabama K–6 dance standards

Express an interesting feature within a work of art through movement.

Observe and perform a dance from a specific culture, naming movements within the dance.

Demonstrate appropriate audience etiquette in a variety of venues.

Demonstrate basic movement responses to various stimuli.

Explore different ways to do basic locomotor and non-locomotor movements by changing at least one of the elements of dance.

Perform a dance phrase that has a beginning, middle, and end.

Illustrate an idea, feeling, or image through improvised movement.

Apply suggestions from peers or teacher to change movement choices in a structured improvisation.

Illustrate a dance movement by drawing a picture or using symbols.

Demonstrate motion and stillness using basic elements of space, including levels and size.

Demonstrate tempo changes with movements that match music or sound stimuli.

Identify and apply different qualities to movements.

Imitate and repeat a variety of body shapes.

Demonstrate ability to move in personal and general space.

Safely demonstrate unison movement in a group.

Demonstrate appropriate performance etiquette while rehearsing and performing.

Select and use a prop to inspire movement.

Identify a repeated movement in a dance.

Observe and describe movement, using simple dance terminology.

Identify and demonstrate a movement they noticed in a dance, explaining why it attracted attention.

Recognize and name an emotion they experience when watching, improvising, or performing dance.

Find a scenario expressed or portrayed in a dance that relates to a familiar experience, identifying the movements that communicate this event.

Observe and perform a dance from a specific culture, identifying multiple elements of dance within it.

Demonstrate appropriate audience etiquette in a variety of venues.

Demonstrate movements inspired by different stimuli and identify their sources.

Demonstrate a variety of locomotor and non-locomotor movements, incorporating two or more elements of dance.

Develop a dance phrase with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Select and demonstrate movements that express an idea or emotion, accompanied by music.

Explore and demonstrate suggestions to change movements from guided improvisation and/or short remembered sequences.

Record several different types of actions by drawing a picture or using a symbol.

Perform motion and stillness using changing elements of space including facings, pathways, and formations.

Improvise movement by matching tempo changes to a variety of music or sounds.

Select adverbs and adjectives to apply to specific actions to produce a variety of movement options.

Demonstrate a variety of body actions.

Move safely in general space through a range of activities and group formations while maintaining personal space.

Modify movements and spatial arrangements upon request.

Demonstrate appropriate performance etiquette while rehearsing and performing.

Utilize a variety of props to enhance a dance.

Identify patterns created by dance movements.

Select movements from a dance that suggest ideas and explain how the movement captures the idea or story, using simple dance terminology.

Identify and demonstrate several movements in a dance that attracted their attention, describe the characteristics that make the movements interesting, and discuss why they were chosen.

Find an experience portrayed in a dance that relates to a personal or familiar event, identifying the movements that communicate the connection between them.

Respond with movements to an inquiry-based set of questions based on an observed dance work.

Observe and perform a dance from a culture, relating the movement to the people or environment from which the dance was created and performed.

Demonstrate appropriate audience etiquette in a variety of venues.

Generate movement ideas inspired by various stimuli and suggest additional sources for movement inspiration, experimenting with combining different stimuli.

Combine movements to form a sequence, manipulating multiple elements of dance.

Create a dance with a beginning, middle, and end to communicate a main idea.

Select and demonstrate movements that express an idea or emotion using music and explain reasons for movement choices.

Revise a short dance sequence or structured improvisation, using feedback from peers or teacher.

Depict the levels of movements in a variety of dance movements by drawing a picture or using symbols.

Create movement phrases with locomotor and non-locomotor movements, using level, size, pathway, and formation changes.

Create movement on the accented beat in duple and triple meter.

Create a movement phrase that illustrates a variety of movement qualities.

Create a dance phrase that includes multiple body shapes and actions.

Move safely in a variety of spatial relationships and formations with other dancers, sharing and maintaining personal space.

Recall and show movement phrases with an awareness of self and others in space.

Demonstrate appropriate performance etiquette while rehearsing and performing.

Utilize limited production elements to enhance a dance.

Share the meaning interpreted from a recognizable movement in a dance.

Use context cues from movement to identify meaning and intent in a dance, using simple dance terminology.

Identify multiple movements in a dance, asserting how they create a theme and work with other elements of the dance.

Describe, create, and/or perform a dance that expresses personal meaning and explain how certain movements express emotion.

Compare the relationships expressed in a dance to other relationships.

Share movements that explore a question about an aspect of a dance and describe how they relate to it.

Explain how movements in a dance from a culture, society, or community communicate its characteristics and values.

Experiment with creating movement, using source material they choose.

Explore a physical solution for a given movement problem, using dance vocabulary.

Identify and experiment with choreographic devices to create simple movement patterns and dance structures.

Create a dance phrase that communicates an idea or feeling and discuss the effect of the movement choices.

Describe artistic choices and revisions made and explain how they changed the dance study.

Depict directions or spatial pathways in a dance phrase by drawing a picture map or using a symbol.

Perform movement sequences in and through space with intention and focus on positive and negative space.

Perform improvised movements to complement and contrast with rhythms in music or sound.

Change energy and dynamics in a dance by modifying movements and applying specific characteristics to heighten the effect of their intent.

Replicate body shapes, movements, qualities, and movement patterns in a dance sequence, with awareness of body alignment.

Adjust levels, directions, and pathways in a dance phrase while coordinating with a partner or other dancers to navigate space safely.

Apply constructive instructor or peer feedback to improve dance skills in a learned group dance.

Identify the main areas of a performance space using production terminology and explain how performers should behave in each area.

Investigate and explain simple production elements for a dance performed for an audience in a specific performance space.

Identify patterns of movement that enhance movement phrasing.

Identify specific context cues from movement that relate to the main idea of the dance, using basic dance terminology.

Select dance movements from specific genres, styles, or cultures, identify characteristic movements from these dances, and describe in basic dance terminology ways in which they are alike and different.

Relate the main idea or content in a dance to other experiences and explain how the main idea of a dance is similar to or different from one’s own experiences, relationships, ideas, or perspectives.

Discuss what was learned from creating a dance designed to communicate about a topic and describe how the topic might be communicated using another form of expression.

Explain how and why a dance originates from a culture, society, historical period, or community.

Identify choreographic ideas generated from a variety of prompts and source materials.

Develop a solution to a movement problem by utilizing the five elements of dance (body, action, space, time, and energy).

Modify choreographic devices to expand movement possibilities and create a variety of movement patterns and structures.

Develop a dance study that expresses and communicates a main idea and explains the effectiveness of the movement choices.

Improve communication of artistic intent in a short dance study by revising movement based on peer feedback and self-reflection.

Illustrate the relationship between two or more dancers in a dance phrase by drawing a picture or using symbols.

Make static and dynamic shapes with positive and negative space and perform elevated shapes (jump shapes) with soft landings and movement sequences, alone and with others, establishing relationships with other dancers through focus of eyes.

Accompany other dancers using a variety of percussive instruments and sounds.

Refine dance phrases by incorporating a range of movement characteristics, based on analysis of the phrases’ energy and dynamic changes.

Demonstrate fundamental dance skills and movement qualities when replicating and recalling patterns and sequences of locomotor and non-locomotor movements.

Explain effective ways to extend movement range, increase body strength, and develop endurance for injury prevention.

Reflect on and respond to feedback from others to inform personal dance performance goals.

Model performer etiquette in all aspects of performance space including onstage, backstage, dressing room, and back of house.

Identify and experiment with a variety of production elements to heighten the artistic intent and audience experience.

Identify patterns of movement that illustrate style or intent in dance works.

Explain how specific context cues from movement relate to the main idea of the dance, using basic dance terminology.

Explain why movement choices from dances of specific genres, styles, or cultures are fitting to a specific dance.

Compare emotions and ideas presented by two dances with contrasting themes and describe how the themes and movements relate to points of view and experiences.

Explain how a dance study expresses a given academic concept.

Discuss how the process of learning from a dance that expresses a concept is similar to or different from other learning situations.

Research to compare ways that other art forms have expressed a topic or concept, and explain how the topic or concept might be expressed through dance.

Create choreographic content from multiple sources.

Construct solutions to multiple movement problems to develop content for choreography, using the five elements of dance (body, action, space, time, and energy).

Modify a variety of choreographic devices to expand movement possibilities and explain reasons for movement choices.

Construct and refine a dance study, selecting genre-specific movement vocabulary to communicate a main idea, and discuss how the dance communicates nonverbally.

Explore and explain artistic choices and refinements made through feedback to develop the artistic intent of a short dance study.

Record changes in a dance sequence through writing, symbols, or a form of media technology.

Convert inward focus to outward focus for projecting out to far space.

Dance to a variety of rhythms generated from internal and external sources and perform movement phrases that show the ability to respond to changes in time.

Explore bound and free-flowing movement motivated from both core initiation (torso) and peripheral initiation (distal) and analyze the relationship between initiation and energy.

Recall and execute a series of dance phrases, using fundamental dance skills.

Demonstrate and discuss safe body-use in movement, healthful eating habits, and other ways to promote strength, flexibility, endurance, and injury prevention.

Coordinate with peers to repeat sequences, synchronize actions, and refine spatial relationships in a dance in order to improve performance qualities.

Adapt dance to alternative performance venues by modifying spacing and movements to suit the performance space.

Collaborate with peers to utilize production elements that heighten and intensify the artistic intent of a dance and are adaptable for various performance spaces.

Find meaning or artistic intent within the patterns of movement in a dance work.

Interpret meaning in a dance based on its movements and explain how the movements communicate the main idea of the dance, using basic dance terminology.

Define qualities of dance that make a dance artistic and meaningful and relate them to the elements of dance in genres, styles, or cultural movement practices.

Describe differences and similarities in movement qualities observed in specific genres.

Discuss whether the experience of creating and sharing a dance based on a social issue reinforces personal views or offers new knowledge and perspectives.

Demonstrate how the movement qualities of a dance communicate its cultural, historical, and/or community purpose or meaning.

Select from a variety of prompts or stimuli to expand movement vocabulary and artistic expression.

Identify and practice various movement vocabularies designed to transfer ideas into choreography.

Explain how a dance study with a clear artistic intent uses a variety of choreographic devices and state the reasons for movement and device choices.

Identify artistic criteria for choreographing a dance study that communicates personal or cultural meaning.

Explain reasons for choreographic revisions and indicate how they relate to artistic intent.

Illustrate a dance sequence through two different mediums.

Establish diverse pathways, levels, and patterns in space.

Demonstrate combinations of sudden and sustained timing as they relate to both the time and the dynamics of a phrase or dance work.

Use different energy sources for initiation and dynamic expression.

Embody and demonstrate developmentally appropriate physical movement skills and shapes.

Apply basic knowledge of anatomy and nutrition, proprioceptive feedback, and spatial awareness to promote safe and healthful strategies when warming up and dancing.

Solve movement problems within a dance collaboratively by testing options and identifying what works and does not work.

Demonstrate performance etiquette and performance practices during class, rehearsals, and performances.

Compare and contrast possible production elements to intensify and heighten artistic intent of the work, select effective elements, and explain reasons for the decisions.

Describe how the elements of dance are used in a variety of dance genres, styles, or cultural movement practices, using genre-specific dance terminology

Identify ways the artistic expression of a dance communicates the intent through elements of dance, technique, and context.

Identify artistic intent, content, and context from dances to examine the characteristics of genre, style, or cultural movement practices.