A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Choosing a Form for an Audience and Venue

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

Learning goals

I can determine an appropriate choreographic form for a specific audience or venue.
I can describe the main kinds of performance spaces (proscenium, thrust, in the round, site-specific) and plan facings for each.
I can use stage areas (upstage, downstage, stage right, stage left) to place important moments.
I can use accumulation and chance as new choreographic forms, and give examples of my strengths and areas for growth as a creator, interpreter and audience member.

Words to know

venue
The place where a performance happens, such as a theatre, a gym, a park or a video screen.

proscenium stage
A stage with the audience on one side, framed like a picture.

thrust stage
A stage that sticks out into the audience, with the audience on three sides.

in the round
A performance space with the audience on all sides.

site-specific dance
A dance created for one particular place, such as a staircase, a hallway or a park, that uses the features of that place.

accumulation
A form where movements are added one at a time and the whole sequence repeats each time: 1; 1-2; 1-2-3; and so on.

chance
A form where the order of sections is chosen randomly, for example by rolling a die.

stage right / stage left
The dancer's right and left when facing the audience.

Remember from Grade 7

In Grade 7 you organized dances in pattern forms (AB, ABA, rondo, canon, call and response) and narrative form, and you used confined or large performance spaces on purpose.

In Grade 8 you go one step further. You determine the appropriate choreographic form and create dance pieces for a specific audience or venue. A good choreographer asks two questions before making a single move: Who is watching? and Where?

Think about your audience

Young children (for example, a kindergarten class): short pieces, clear characters, lots of repetition, and maybe a chance to join in. Narrative and call and response work well.
Older adults at a seniors' residence: music they may know, a clear structure, and dancers close enough to see faces. A gentle ABA or rondo lets them recognize returning sections.
Your classmates at an assembly: they can handle surprise and abstract ideas, so canon, chance or accumulation could be exciting.
Online viewers: they may watch on a small phone screen, so big, clear shapes and a strong start matter.

Think about your venue

Each kind of performance space changes how you plan facings (which way dancers face) and spacing.

A school gymnasium set up for a performance, with rows of folding chairs facing an open floor and stage lights on stands. — In a gym the audience sits on one side, so dancers plan their facings toward the chairs. How would you change your dance for a different venue? AI-generated image

Three performance spaces seen from above. The yellow bars are the audience. On a proscenium stage everyone sees the dancers from the front; on a thrust stage from three sides; in the round, from every side.

Proscenium: you can face front and use the back of the stage for depth. Dancers at the back look smaller and farther away.
Thrust: keep turning so all three sides see faces. Diagonal lines read well.
In the round: there is no "front". Use circles, keep dancers turning, and avoid lining everyone up where they block each other.
Gym or classroom: often wide but shallow. Use the width; avoid tiny details people at the back can't see.
Site-specific: the place gives you ideas: a staircase suggests levels, a long hallway suggests a pathway, trees in a park suggest shapes. Get permission and check that the space is safe.

Stage areas

Dancers and directors name parts of a proscenium stage like a grid. Downstage is closest to the audience; upstage is farthest away. Stage right and stage left are from the dancer's point of view while facing the audience, so stage right is on the audience's left.

Centre and downstage centre are the strongest places on a proscenium stage. Save them for important moments.

The nine stage areas of a proscenium stage. Downstage (blue row) is closest to the audience, and centre (green) is the strongest spot. Stage right is on the dancer's right, which is the audience's left.

Two new forms: accumulation and chance

Accumulation: add one movement at a time and repeat everything from the start each time: 1; 1-2; 1-2-3; 1-2-3-4. The audience watches the dance grow. It is great for a message about things adding up.
Chance: make several short sections, number them, then roll a die (or draw cards) to choose the order. The American choreographer Merce Cunningham was famous for using chance methods like these. Chance creates surprise, so it works well for audiences who enjoy the unexpected.

You can mix forms too: a narrative dance might contain a canon in its middle section.

Worked example

Example: Let's choose a form for a kindergarten audience in a gym

Your group is invited to perform a 2-minute dance about winter for a kindergarten class in the school gym. The children will sit on the floor along one wall. What form and staging will you choose?

Audience: 4- and 5-year-olds have short attention spans and love joining in and recognizing things.
Form: narrative (a story they can follow: snow falls, children build a snowman, the sun comes out and it melts) plus a call and response section, where dancers do a move and the children copy it from their spots.
Venue: the audience sits on one side, like a proscenium. Face front most of the time and use the width of the gym.
Spacing: keep the important moments (the snowman's shape) close to the children ("downstage"), so they can see faces.
Length and music: keep it to 2 minutes, with clear music and a big, clear ending they can clap for.

Narrative with call and response, facing front, important moments close to the audience. The choices are all based on who is watching and where.

Worked example

Example: Let's move a dance from a proscenium to in the round, and reflect

A duet was made for the school stage (proscenium). Now it will be performed in the library, with people sitting all around. Let's adapt it, then reflect.

Problem: the duet faces front the whole time, so half the audience would see only backs.
Change facings: add slow turns in the opening and have the dancers circle each other so each side sees faces.
Change pathways: straight lines across the stage become curved and circular pathways.
Change the ending: the final shape faced front. Now the two dancers end back to back, each facing a different side.
Reflect (A2.3): Strength as a creator: I solved the facing problem with turns. Area for growth as an interpreter: I lost my focus when people were behind me. Next step: rehearse in the round with family sitting on all sides.

The steps stay mostly the same, but facings, pathways and the ending change for the new venue. The reflection names a strength, an area for growth, and a next step.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true: the words upstage and downstage come from old theatres that had sloped (raked) stages, so the back really was up higher. And if an actor walked upstage, the others had to turn their backs to the audience to talk to them. That's why stealing attention is still called upstaging someone! 🎭

Hands-on activity

Same dance, three venues

You need: a short dance you know (from this unit or one you make up, about 4 eight-counts), chairs or pillows to mark the audience, and paper.

Set pillows along one side of your space (proscenium). Perform the dance. Note which moments are strongest.
Move pillows to three sides (thrust). Change at least two facings so all sides see your face.
Put pillows on all four sides (in the round). Change your pathways to curves and your ending shape.
Try a chance version: number your four 8-counts, roll a die (re-roll 5s and 6s, or use 4 slips of paper) and perform them in that order. Did it still make sense?
Write a short reflection: one strength and one area for growth as a creator, as an interpreter (performer) and as an audience member.

Safety: keep pathways clear of furniture, and check the floor is not slippery.

Your turn

What two questions should a choreographer ask before choosing a form?

Describe a thrust stage.

Which stage area is closest to the audience?

A dancer is told to move stage left. Which way does she go if she is facing the audience?

Write an accumulation using the moves jump, turn, clap, kneel.

How does a chance form choose the order of sections?

Why do pathways often become curved when a dance is performed in the round?

More practice: warm-up

What is a venue?

Where does the audience sit for a proscenium stage?

What is the strongest spot on a proscenium stage?

What is site-specific dance?

Which form fits a story with characters: narrative or chance?

More practice: on your own

Choose a form for a dance at a seniors' residence and explain your choice.

A site-specific dance will happen on the school's front steps. Name two ways the place could shape the choreography.

Explain why a dance planned for a phone video might use bigger, clearer shapes than one for a small studio.

In an accumulation of 5 movements, how many movements are performed in total, counting every repeat?

Write a reflection about performing in the round, with one strength and one area for growth as an audience member.

Challenge

A dance about many voices joining a cause will be performed at a school assembly in the gym. Choose and combine two forms, and explain how they fit the message, the audience and the venue.

Your dance has its most important moment upstage left on a proscenium stage. Why might that be a weak choice, and where would you move it?

Explain one advantage and one risk of using chance form for a dance with a clear story.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A stage with the audience on all sides is ___.

Downstage means ___.

Stage right is ___.

1; 1-2; 1-2-3; 1-2-3-4 is an example of ___.

Which form would best suit a kindergarten audience?

Rolling a die to order the sections of a dance is ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students determine the appropriate choreographic form and create dance pieces for a specific audience or venue (A1.3), analyse forms using dance vocabulary (A2.2) and identify strengths and areas for growth as creators, interpreters and audience members (A2.3).

How to help at home:

Be the audience! Sit in different places (front, side, all around) and tell your child what you could and couldn't see.
Talk about performances you've seen together (a concert, a parade, a show in a park). Where did the audience sit? How did that change the show?
Help your child roll a die for the chance-form activity and talk about whether the new order changed the meaning.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up stage right and stage left. Stand facing your "audience" and raise your right hand: that's stage right.
Choosing a form without a reason. Ask, "Why does that form suit these people in this place?"
Reflection that is only praise. A good reflection has a strength, an area for growth and a next step.