Government of Manitoba
Dance Language & Performance Skills

Dance language & performance skills (DA-L2) »
Students develop facility with dance techniques.

 

Students who have achieved expectations for this grade are able to

Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
demonstrate dance techniques characteristic of at least one dance form (e.g., whole-body positions characteristic of jazz, foot positions for ballet, frame positions for ballroom, steps specific to tap dance)

5-8 DA-L2.1
demonstrate dance steps, techniques, and turns of various folk and social dances

5-8 DA-L2.4
use appropriate dance terminology to label and describe dance techniques studied

5-8 DA-L2.7
perform and demonstrate understanding of the roles of a whole-body warm-up and breathing in dance

5-8 DA-L2.8
follow visual cues, learned notation, and musical cues in dance experiences )

5-8 DA-L2.9
perform grade-appropriate dances )

K-8 DA-L2.10
Appendix F: Characteristics of Grade-Appropriate Dances
Go Back Section
Characteristics of grade-appropriate dance 5-8
Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
  • uneven dance steps (e.g., two-step, polka, Yemenite, mazurka)
  • various tempos and common metres (slow and fast dances, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8)
  • more complex formations and transitions
  • multiple sections (e.g., ABACA)
  • walk, jump, gallop, and slide with a partner (side-by-side, face-to-face, back-to-back) and within a large group
  • grand chain in a large group while walking
  • run in a large circle forward, clockwise, counterclockwise, in and out
  • turns: skip turn, two-step turn, schottische turn, polka turn
  • quicker footwork
  • more difficult steps and combinations
  • longer sequential forms
  • more challenging rhythms (e.g., son de clave)
  • irregular metres (5/4, 7/4)
  • complex formations, transitions, and dance positions
  • more challenging dance steps (e.g., double cherkessiya, waltz, step-hop/step, hop/step-step, cha-cha-cha, basic jive, zorba)
  • turns: waltz turn, leap turn, jump turn
Close