Study Guide
Field 078: Dance
Test Design and Framework
The test design below describes general assessment information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.
Test Design
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 80 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response assignment |
| Time* | 4 hours |
| Passing Score | 240 |
*Does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial
Test Framework
| Subareas | Range of Competencies | Approximate Percentage of Test |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Selected-Response | |||
| I | Dance Elements, Concepts, and Skills | 0001–0007 | 38% |
| II | Creating and Analyzing Dance | 0008–0011 | 8% |
| III | The History and Roles of Dance | 0012–0014 | 17% |
| IV | Dance Education | 0015–0018 | 22% |
| 85% | |||
| Constructed-Response | |||
| II | Creating and Analyzing Dance | 0008–0011 | 15% |
Subarea I–Dance Elements, Concepts, and Skills
Competency 0001–Understand basic movement elements, concepts, and skills.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Identify elements related to time (e.g., fast, slow, even, uneven, accent, meter).
- Identify elements related to space (e.g., shape, level, direction, pathway).
- Identify elements related to qualities of movement, dynamics, and/or force (e.g., energy, weight, flow).
- Demonstrate knowledge of locomotor movements (e.g., walk, run, hop, leap, jump, skip, slide, gallop).
- Demonstrate knowledge of nonlocomotor movements (e.g., bend, stretch, twist, swing).
- Recognize the concepts of rhythm (e.g., pulse, pattern, accent, syncopation, polyrhythm) and musicality (e.g., note value, meter).
- Demonstrate understanding of how proper skeletal alignment and body mechanics apply to efficient movement and movement potential.
Competency 0002–Understand the fundamental technical skills and concepts of ballet.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and techniques associated with ballet (e.g., Cecchetti, Vaganova).
- Identify basic body positions and directions of the arms, feet, and body in ballet.
- Recognize and describe movement characteristics of different historical periods of ballet (e.g., Romantic, Classical, Neoclassical).
- Recognize and describe the use of dance patterns and combinations in ballet technique classes.
Competency 0003–Understand the fundamental technical skills and concepts of modern dance.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and techniques associated with modern dance (e.g., Graham, Horton, Humphrey/Limón, Cunningham).
- Identify basic body positions and directions of the arms, feet, and body in modern dance.
- Recognize and describe movement characteristics of different historical periods of modern dance.
- Recognize and describe the use of dance patterns and combinations in modern dance technique classes.
Competency 0004–Understand the fundamental technical skills and concepts of jazz dance.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and techniques associated with jazz dance (e.g., Luigi, Giordano, Fosse).
- Identify basic body positions and directions of the arms, feet, and body in jazz dance.
- Recognize and describe movement characteristics of different historical periods of jazz dance.
- Recognize and describe the use of dance patterns and combinations in jazz dance technique classes.
Competency 0005–Understand the fundamental technical skills and concepts of tap dance.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and techniques associated with tap dance.
- Identify basic body positions and directions of the arms, feet, and body in tap dance.
- Recognize and describe movement characteristics of different historical periods of tap dance.
- Recognize and describe the use of dance patterns and combinations in tap dance technique classes.
Competency 0006–Understand the fundamental technical skills and concepts of International folk and social dance forms.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and techniques associated with International folk and social dance.
- Identify basic body positions and directions used in International folk and social dance.
- Recognize and describe characteristics of different styles of International folk and social dance.
- Recognize and describe the dance patterns and combinations used in International folk and social dance.
Competency 0007–Understand components of healthful living and fitness that promote lifelong well-being for dancers.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Recognize and describe types and benefits of dance activities that enhance flexibility, muscular strength, agility, motor skills development, coordination, body awareness, control, and balance.
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic health and nutritional practices that promote healthy body composition.
- Recognize and describe types and benefits of dance activities that promote the release of stress and tension and foster positive self-esteem and self-expression.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of daily participation in dance activities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of care and prevention of dance injuries, including proper warm-up, technical development, and cool-down activities.
Subarea II–Creating and Analyzing Dance
Competency 0008–Understand choreographic principles and processes.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Recognize sources for generating choreographic ideas (e.g., music, literature, visual art, environment, gestures, emotions).
- Demonstrate knowledge of how structured improvisation can be used to generate ideas, discover and invent movements, and facilitate creative problem solving.
- Recognize the basic compositional elements (e.g., space, time, energy, dynamics, phrasing, musicality, expression, context) of choreography.
- Identify production factors that influence choreographic choices (e.g., performance space, accompaniment, dancers, audience).
Competency 0009–Understand choreographic devices, forms, and structures.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Identify and describe musical choreographic forms (e.g., AB, ABA, theme and variation, rondo, round, canon).
- Identify and describe representational (e.g., narrative) and nonrepresentational (e.g., abstract) choreographic forms.
- Recognize the uses of chance methods in choreography.
- Identify and describe theme development and movement manipulation used in dance composition and choreography (e.g., contrast, repetition, transition, retrograde).
Competency 0010–Understand dance as a way to create and communicate meaning.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze how mood and emotion are expressed in dance (e.g., movement choices, movement qualities, dynamics, gesture).
- Identify the characteristics, uses, and effects of the expressive features of narrative, symbol, and abstraction in dance.
- Analyze the characteristics, uses, and effects of thematic development and sequence in dance.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how accompaniment, lighting, costumes, sets, and props contribute to the expression of intent and meaning in dance.
Competency 0011–Understand the application of creative and critical thinking skills in dance.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Identify a variety of strategies for solving a given movement problem.
- Recognize similarities and differences among dances.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods for and benefits of revising a dance project over time.
- Analyze how aesthetic criteria are used to evaluate one's own work and that of others.
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of dance analysis and evaluation.
Subarea III–The History and Roles of Dance
Competency 0012–Understand the history of dance.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history of dance forms (e.g., ballet, modern, jazz, tap, International folk, social).
- Recognize significant developments, influences, movements, and events in the history of these dance forms.
- Analyze how technology and societal changes have influenced dance.
Competency 0013–Understand the relationship between dance and culture.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze and compare dance techniques, styles, and traditions from various cultures and historical periods.
- Identify the role and function of dance and movement (e.g., ritual, expression of ideas and emotions, entertainment) in various cultures and historical periods.
- Analyze how specific dance forms are related to the culture from which they emerge.
- Analyze how dance has influenced and been influenced by society, culture, and politics in various cultures and historical periods.
Competency 0014–Understand the relationship of dance to other art forms.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Compare the nature, elements, and principles of dance with those of other art forms (i.e., performing and visual arts).
- Recognize similar and distinct characteristics within and across all art forms.
- Compare and contrast the use of form and expression in dance with their use in other art forms.
- Identify ways in which art forms can be used together to express ideas.
Subarea IV–Dance Education
Competency 0015–Understand the philosophical foundations of dance education.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the philosophical foundations of dance education.
- Demonstrate knowledge of significant trends, values, and schools of thought in dance education.
- Recognize the role of dance education, as reflected in the art-related competencies in Oklahoma's core curriculum.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to support, justify, and implement dance education.
Competency 0016–Understand instructional planning, implementation, and management associated with the teaching of dance in a school setting.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate thorough knowledge of a sequential dance/creative movement curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for each grade level and inclusive of various student learning styles and those with special needs.
- Identify age- and needs-appropriate methods to use in dance education that promote the development and mastery of dance skills.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies to help students create, study, interpret, and evaluate dance works.
- Identify a variety of resources and materials that support students as they learn through and about dance.
- Recognize the important role of technology in dance education.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to use a variety of assessment and evaluation methods to evaluate student learning in dance.
Competency 0017–Understand integral skills and strategies required of the professional dance educator.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Demonstrate understanding of the process of critical thinking and strategies for implementing activities that promote the development of problem-solving, analysis, reflection, decision-making, and creative-exploration skills in dance.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to provide a safe physical environment and create a nonthreatening setting for productive learning.
- Recognize effective methods for collaborating with colleagues, artists, and agencies in the community to promote arts education opportunities.
- Identify effective strategies for recognizing and demonstrating respect for diversity and establishing environments in which all individuals are held in high regard.
- Demonstrate and implement appropriate expectations and etiquette in classroom and performance settings.
Competency 0018–Understand ways to integrate dance into other areas of the educational curriculum.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze and describe the relationships between dance and other disciplines (e.g., mathematics, science, social studies, English language arts).
- Recognize dance-related skills, including, but not limited to, developmental movement, creative problem solving, critical thinking, cooperation, collaboration, and self-discipline, and how these skills can be used in other disciplines.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods for providing instruction that integrates dance with other art forms and other disciplines.
- Demonstrate familiarity with opportunities in dance as a profession and ways in which skills developed through dance are applicable to a variety of careers.