A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Choreographic Forms for Themes and Moods

A1.4 A2.2 A2.3About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can use pattern forms (AB, ABA, rondo, canon, call and response) and narrative form to organize a dance.
I can choose energy qualities (wring, dab, mould, flow and bind), percussive or fluid movement, and opposition to communicate a theme or mood.
I can use the performance space, confined or large, on purpose.
I can analyse the forms and elements in a dance and give examples of my strengths and areas for growth.

Words to know

choreographic form
The way a dance is organized, like the plan of its sections.

pattern form
A form built from sections that repeat and contrast, such as AB, ABA, rondo or canon.

narrative form
A form that tells a story with a beginning, middle (a problem or conflict) and end.

rondo
A form where the A section keeps returning between new sections: A B A C A.

canon
Dancers perform the same phrase but start at different times.

opposition
Moving in opposite ways: opposite directions from a partner, or opposite body parts (such as right arm with left leg).

bound flow and free flow
Bound (bind): controlled and held back, ready to stop. Free (flow): continuous and hard to stop.

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 5 music you built a rondo, and in Grade 6 you used group formations, positive and negative space, and effort qualities like flick, poke, stab, fold and flow freely.

Now you'll choose a choreographic form on purpose, and pick Grade 7 energy tools that create a clear theme or mood.

Pattern forms and narrative form

Pattern forms organize sections by repetition and contrast:

AB (binary): two contrasting sections.
ABA (ternary): A, a contrast, then A returns.
Rondo: A keeps returning: A B A C A.
Canon: the same phrase starts at different times, like a round in music.
Call and response: one dancer or group "asks" with a phrase and another "answers".
Theme and variations: a theme, then changed versions (from the last lesson).

Narrative form tells a story: a beginning that sets the scene, a middle with a problem or conflict, and an end where something is solved or changed.

Pattern forms drawn as blocks. ABA: A, a contrasting B, then A again. Rondo: A, B, A, C, A. Canon: three dancers do the same phrase, each starting a little later.

Grade 7 energy tools

Wring: strong, slow, twisting, like wringing out a wet towel.
Dab: light, quick and precise, like dabbing paint with a fingertip.
Mould: shaping the space slowly with your hands and body, as if shaping clay.
Flow (free flow): continuous, hard to stop, like a river.
Bind (bound flow): controlled and held back, as if carrying a full cup of hot chocolate.
Percussive (sharp, accented) versus fluid (smooth), and action versus inaction (stillness).

Relationship and space

Opposition: two dancers move in opposite directions, or one rises while the other sinks. Inside one body, opposition means opposite body parts working together, like right arm reaching forward while the left leg reaches back.
Performance space: a confined space (dancers squeezed into a small corner) can feel crowded, trapped or close; a large space (using the whole floor) can feel free, lonely or powerful.

Theme or mood	Possible form	Element choices
joy and celebration	rondo: the happy A section keeps coming back	free flow, light dabs, large space, unison
struggle	narrative: problem in the middle	wring and bind, low levels, opposition between dancers
echoes or chasing	canon	same phrase, staggered starts, percussive accents
conversation or argument	call and response	dancers face each other; sharp dabs answer slow wrings
calm, then storm, then calm	ABA	A: mould and free flow; B: percussive and fast; A returns

Matching form and elements to a theme or mood. These are ideas, not rules.

Worked example

Example: Let's plan a dance about the first snowstorm of winter

Let's choose a form and elements to show the mood of a first snowstorm: quiet, then wild, then peaceful.

Mood map: calm → wild → calm. That is ABA form.
A (first snowflakes): dancers mould the air slowly and drift with free flow at a high level, spread out in a large space.
B (the storm): percussive spins and sharp dabs, fast tempo, dancers in opposition (one group rises while the other falls), sudden direction changes.
A returns (snow settling): the opening phrases come back, slower, sinking to a low level, ending in stillness (inaction).
Check: each section's elements match its mood, and the return of A brings the dance full circle.

ABA form: calm (mould, free flow) → storm (percussive, opposition) → calm again (sinking into stillness).

The first-snowstorm dance in ABA form, drawn as an energy graph. The calm A sections are smooth; the B storm is sharp and spiky; the return of A brings the dance back to calm and ends in stillness.

Worked example

Example: Let's analyse and reflect

Here is a description of Sam's dance: A dancer alone in a corner wrings her arms. A second dancer enters and copies her one count later. They move apart in opposite directions, then meet in the centre and finish with a slow, shared lift of the arms. Let's analyse it and help Sam reflect.

Form: it tells a story (alone → someone joins → apart → together), so it is narrative, with a short canon inside it (copying one count later).
Elements: wring energy and a confined corner suggest worry or feeling trapped; opposition shows tension; meeting in the centre and the slow, shared lift show connection.
Meaning: Someone who feels trapped finds support.
Sam's reflection: Strength: my canon was clear because we counted it together. Area for growth: the middle section was short, so the conflict didn't feel real. Next step: add an 8-count where we push away from each other with bound flow.

The dance uses narrative form with a canon, and its energy, space and relationship choices communicate struggle and support. Sam's reflection names a strength, an area for growth and a next step.

Just for fun

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

A who?

A again! Then B, then A, then C, then... A! (Yes, this knock-knock joke is a rondo.) 🚪

Hands-on activity

Form switch

You need: a clear space, paper and a pencil, and one or two family members.

Create an 8-count phrase (A) about a mood you choose. Then create a contrasting phrase (B) and a third (C).
Perform them as ABA, then as a rondo (A B A C A).
Teach A to a family member and perform it in canon (they start 2 counts after you).
Try A with wring energy, then with dab energy. Which fits your mood better?
Write a reflection: one strength, one area for growth, and one next step.

Your turn

Write the letters for rondo form.

What is the difference between a pattern form and narrative form?

Describe wring energy.

Describe dab energy.

What is opposition? Give one example.

How might a confined space change the mood of a dance?

Which form would you choose for a dance about an echo? Why?

More practice: warm-up

Write the letters for ternary form.

What are the three parts of narrative form?

Is free flow easy or hard to stop?

Is inaction the same as stillness?

Name two pattern forms.

More practice: on your own

Plan a call and response for two dancers about a disagreement. Name the energy of each.

Why does a rondo suit a dance about a happy chorus or celebration?

A dancer carries an imaginary full bowl of soup across the floor. Which flow is that? Why?

Change this ABA plan to show hope: A = slow, low wringing; B = fast running; A = slow, low wringing.

Write a reflection for a dance where your canon timing was off but your energy was strong.

Challenge

Design a 4-section dance about moving to a new country, using narrative form. Give the form, and one element choice for each section.

Explain how the same phrase could communicate two different moods in two different forms.

You watched a dance in ABA form where the B section felt too much like A. Give specific feedback using dance vocabulary.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which letters show rondo form?

Strong, slow and twisting, like wringing out a towel, describes ___ energy.

Dancers doing the same phrase but starting at different times is ___.

A form with a beginning, a problem and an ending is ___.

One dancer rises while the other sinks. This is an example of ___.

Which reflection includes a strength, an area for growth and a next step?

A dancer carrying an imaginary full cup very carefully shows ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students use the elements of dance and choreographic forms (pattern forms, narrative forms) to communicate a variety of themes or moods (A1.4), analyse forms and elements (A2.2), and identify their strengths and areas for growth as dance creators, interpreters and audience members (A2.3). Grade 7 energy words include wring, dab, mould, flow and bind; relationship includes opposition.

How to help at home:

Ask your child to show you a phrase in two energies (wring and dab) and tell you which mood each creates.
When you watch a performance, ask, "Did anything come back? Was it a story or a pattern?"
Model good feedback: one specific positive, one specific suggestion.

Common difficulties:

Confusing canon and unison. Unison = same time; canon = staggered starts.
Vague reflections ("It was good"). Ask for one specific thing that worked and one thing to try next.
B sections that don't contrast. Suggest changing at least two elements.