Achievement Standard 90005 (1.6): Demonstrate knowledge of a dance genre or style - 4 Credits

The achievement standard is available at this link and the student study guide will be provided for you and is also available here.

Chosen Genre of Dance: Indian Bharatnatyam

Although this achievement standard is an external and is not assessed till the end of the year, you will need to begin the learning now to ensure you have learnt ALL required practical and theoretical aspects needed to pass your examination.

You will be given time in class and in the library to conduct your research and work through the study guide provided by your teacher, however you will also need to spend time out of class researching and sourcing background information. 

The NZQA Specifications state that candidates will be required to answer questions on the features and / or background of a dance genre or style they have studied, for example: 
• movements and skills characteristic of the genre or style 
• sources of movements 
• origins of movements 
• setting or environment 
• reasons for participation 
• importance of a person or group. 

You are also encouraged to view exemplars of student examinations from previous years at this link.

NZQA advises that candidates would benefit from experiencing the dance genre or style (which you will be learning as part of the 1.2 Standard). All questions and parts of questions are to be answered with reference to the same dance genre or style. Candidates are required to give examples to justify their statements, and these examples may refer to a number of specific dances in the genre or style.

Task One: Viewing a Classical Indian Bharatnatyam Dance

View the following You Tube links:

Clip One:

Clip Two:

Questions 

1) First Impressions:

• How did the performance begin?
• What were some of your first impressions at the beginning of the dance?
• Did the dance have musical accompaniment? How did you like the music?
• What made the strongest impression on you as the dance progressed?
• Can you describe this dance? Did it have a distinct beginning, middle, and end?
• Did you have a favorite dancer?
• What elements of the production (music, costumes, lighting, scenery) made the biggest impression on you?

2) Historical, Social, and Cultural Context:

• How does this dance reflect the personal history of the choreographer or the culture of a particular country or culture?
• Does the musical accompaniment seem to reflect a particular culture, style, or historical period?
• Put yourself in the role of the dancers for this performance. How is their participation and preparation for the performance similar to or different from your own and other audience members’?

3) The Dancer/s Bodies:

• How was the dancer/s bodies used in this dance?
• What different body parts did they use?
• Did they seem to move skillfully?
• Can you explain the roles that the skills of body alignment and dance technique play in a dance performance?
• Do you know when these skills are important and when they might not be?
• How can you use what you learned from the dance you have seen to understand these concepts more fully?
• What is it about the dancers’ training that allows them to use their bodies expressively?
• How did the musical accompaniment affect the way the dancers moved?
• How do dancers train their bodies? What do they have to do to get ready for a performance?
• Can you compare the ways dancers warm up and prepare their bodies for dancing with the way that athletes warm up and prepare for competitions?

4) Production Considerations:

• How effectively did the dance incorporate costumes, and sound?
• How did these elements complement the movement and the choreography?
• Were the costumes elaborate or simple?
• Why do you think the choreographer and costume designer made this choice?