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Lesson · Grade 3 · Arts Education

Choreographic devices: changing a move by level, speed, size and repetition

  • Grade 3
  • Arts Education
  • 1 min 24 s
  • British Columbia
  • BC3-AR-11

A simple stick figure does one move, sweeping its arms up and back down while its hands trace their path. The video then changes that move by level (low, middle, high) and size (smaller, bigger, with the space each covers filled in), then by speed (4 counts, 2 faster, 8 slower) and repetition (twice in a row) on an 8-count time line, and ends by mixing them into one low, big, slow version.

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In one sentence

The question this lesson answers

How can a dancer turn one move into many new ones?

Here is our move: the arms sweep up and back down.

Transcript

What the lesson says

How can a dancer turn one move into many new ones?

Here is our move: the arms sweep up and back down.

Choreographers change a move using choreographic devices.

Four common ones are level, size, speed and repetition.

Change the level: do the move low, middle or high.

Low stays close to the floor, and high can go up into the air.

Change the size: make the move smaller or bigger.

Watch the hands: a bigger move covers more space.

For speed, we count: our move takes four counts.

Faster, the same move fits into two counts.

Slower, it stretches over eight counts.

Repetition means doing the same move again, here two times in a row.

You can also mix devices, like low, big and slow all at once.

These four devices, level, size, speed and repetition, turn one move into many.

Curriculum

Where this fits

British Columbia, Grade 3

Arts Education, Dance: choreographic devicesBC3-AR-11

British Columbia, Grade 4

Arts Education, Dance: choreographic devicesBC4-AR-07

British Columbia, Grade 5

Arts Education, Dance: choreographic devicesBC5-AR-08

British Columbia, Grade 6

Arts Education, Dance: choreographic devicesBC6-AR-05

British Columbia, Grade 7

Arts Education, Dance: choreographic devicesBC7-AR-08

This lesson is also listed in Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6 and Grade 7.

The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.

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