Beginning Dance-Period 3 Assignments

If you are trying to level-up to the next grade on your report card, this extra credit assignment may be of assistance! For 25 points extra credit, you can take any online dance class that you wish.... learn the choreography.... and post a video of yourself performing the routine to the best of your ability. The class you choose can be from CLI studios, YouTube, or any other website. But in order to receive the extra credit points you MUST ALSO post the link to the class you are taking in the private comments.


Deadline is Thursday!

Choose a CLI class in any dance style.... Learn the routine! 
Record yourself performing the routine to the best of your ability.



POST THE LINK TO THE CLASS YOU TOOK and also UPLOAD A VIDEO OF YOUR PERFORMANCE (Don't forget to do both!!!)


You will receive full points as long as you turn in everything! But if you don't turn in anything, you will get a zero!

Record yourself performing our K-Pop jazz routine from beginning to end. 

I have attached both tutorials from skills tests #3 and #4 to help you refine and clean your performance. I have also attached the music edit in different speeds to help you perfect your performance... BUT YOU MUST record yourself performing the full routine using the 100% speed music.

Break a leg!!!

Login to your CLI Studios account and learn the "Party Grooves" combination located at the bottom of the column on the right side column (Don't forget to click "Show More" to find the lesson). Record a video of yourself performing this fun groovy combination. That's it! That's the challenge.... Break a leg!!!

Click the link below and CREATE AN ACCOUNT using your AUSD email address and legal name (as it appears in google classroom). This will allow you to learn dance challenges, practice your dance skills in a variety of dance styles, earn extra credit, and more!

After watching both the films "West Side Story" AND "Chicago," evaluate each film's utilization of jazz dance technique to tell the story. Discuss how the incorporation of this technique contributed to the overall visual appeal of each film (Make sure to discuss both films individually in terms of how the jazz choreography contributed to the style and emotional tone of each film). How can watching these two performances prepare you for your own upcoming jazz performance in your final project?

P.S. It will be much easier to watch these videos if you are on WiFi

Watch the attached tutorial videos to help you rehearse the jazz choreography we have been working on in class. The video of the routine with the music has been uploaded to YouTube, which means you will have the option to slow down the speed of the video if you wish (this might help you practice any steps that you are struggling with while rehearsing to the music).

Record & Upload a video of yourself performing the choreography to the best of your ability. Pay special attention to the details we have practiced in class, as well as the technical details that are emphasized in the tutorial video. You may film vertical or landscape mode, but make sure your entire body is visible in the performance from beginning to end!

Your performance will be scored in the following areas:
1) Memorization of Choreography
2) Dance Technique
3) Body Placement
4) Performance/Effort.

The more you practice the routine from beginning to end, the stronger your skills test performance will be... so rehearse this routine as much as possible! Filming yourself periodically to assess your progress will help you to improve for your final video submission. Do your best & give it your all, dancers!

Watch the attached documentary "Dancing in the Edge", about Bob Fosse's life (It's only 43-minutes long). Then share the most interesting parts of his life that stand out to you as a dance student. What parts of his upbringing, development as an artist, or his creativity are most interesting to you? Be sure to use specific details that were revealed in the film... because every dancer should know who Bob Fosse is AND be acquainted with his contribution to the dance industry. Conclude your response with your own personal opinion of his style of jazz dance movement.

Watch the attached tutorial videos to help you rehearse the jazz choreography we have been working on in class. The videos have been uploaded to YouTube, which means you will have the option to slow down the speed of the video if you wish (this might help you practice any steps that you are struggling with).

Record & Upload a video of yourself performing the choreography to the best of your ability. Pay special attention to the details we have practiced in class, as well as the technical details that are emphasized in the tutorial video. You may film vertical or landscape mode, but make sure your entire body is visible in the performance from beginning to end!

Your performance will be scored in the following areas:
1) Memorization of Choreography
2) Dance Technique
3) Body Placement
4) Performance/Effort.

The more you practice the routine from beginning to end, the stronger your skills test performance will be... so rehearse this routine as much as possible! Filming yourself periodically to assess your progress will help you to improve for your final video submission. Do your best & give it your all, dancers!

We've been learning and rehearsing a jazz dance routine over the last couple weeks, and I want to take this time to check-in with your individual progress. What challenges have you faced while learning the choreography for our latest jazz routine? What do you think you have been doing well during this process? Please feel free to be honest... Because this is my method of trying to find new ways to help YOU as you develop your new dance skills.

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." - Martha Graham

The above quote by modern dance pioneer Martha Graham means a lot to me personally. What does it mean to you? Please elaborate on why you feel the way you do, in relation to your analysis of this famous quote. Feel free to use personal details or examples from your own life when forming your response.

In the film "Mao's Last Dancer," the true life story of dancer Li Cunxin is portrayed by dancer/actor, Chi Cao. In your opinion, did Chi Cao do an adequate job of portraying the life of dancer Li Cunxin? Why or why not? I've attached some video interviews with ACTOR Chi Cao and the REAL Li Cunxin to help you decide whether or not Chi Cao portrayed his life accurately...

Now, imagine yourself in the future as a very talented artist (whether it be a dancer, musician, singer, painter, photographer, filmmaker, entertainer, writer, etc). One day you are approached to portray the role of a famous artist in an autobiographical film. How would you prepare yourself for the role? What kinds of research would you do to get into character? How would you respond to critics who may embrace your performance positively? And how would you respond to those other critics who may not have enjoyed your portrayal of the original artist? In other words, how might you defend your work?

Choreograph a dance routine that includes the following:

1) Must be at least 20 seconds long (minimum). You are welcome to do more!
2) Can be any style of dance or movement
3) Can use any style of music... just no profanity please
4) Must include at least 5 ballet vocabulary movements we learned this semester. Make sure to execute the technique of these movement elements as perfectly and cleanly as possible.
5) Make sure that your entire body appears in the video AND that you are facing the camera, just like a skills test.

Upload your video here when done! Good Luck!

Please use the attached videos to prepare for your ballet skills test. When filming your skills test, please make sure to do the following:

1) Film yourself so that your entire body is visible in the video from start-to-finish. Rememeber that you are only filming the LEFT SIDE or RIGHT SIDE.... DO NOT SUBMIT BOTH! Just submit one video performing your favorite side!
2) You will need to play the song on another device when filming your video, so please keep that in mind.
3) Make sure you are facing the camera (Don't face the back like Arroyo in the tutorial/practice videos). I need to see you performing to the camera.
4) Upload your best recording as an attachment to this skill test assigment before the due date deadline.

P.S. Break a Leg!!! = Good Luck in the dance world

What is your overall impression of the Royal Ballet's production of "The Firebird?" Which section of choreography did you enjoy the most AND why? What movements and vocabulary words that we study in class did you notice in the film? Also, elaborate on the use of the body language that was used to help tell the story. How has viewing this film helped you to understand what is expected of you as we continue to study ballet dance technique? Please use specific details from the film (as well as vocabulary words you have learned so far in this class) to construct your response.

Watch the attached virtual dance class video AND learn all the choreography. Do your best and give it your all!

Over the next week, continue practicing on your own and UPLOAD A VIDEO of yourself performing the routine FULL OUT before the challenge deadline.

(You are welcome to take the class as many times as needed in order to prepare for your final video recording).

ATTACH your video file to this assignment prompt to receive credit.

Have Fun, Good Luck, and BREAK A LEG!

Plese use the attached videos to prepare for your ballet skills test. When filming your skills test, please make sure to do the following:

1) Film yourself so that your entire body is visible in the video from start-to-finish
2) You will need to play the song on another device when filming your video, so please keep that in mind.
3) Make sure you are facing the camera (Don't face the back like Arroyo in the tutorial/practice videos). I need to see you performing to the camera.
4) Upload your best recording as an attachment to this skill test assigment before the due date deadline.

P.S. Break a Leg!!! = Good Luck in the dance world

In the film "Billy Elliot", the main character accidentally becomes interested in ballet and discovers that dance is something he is passionate about. What is something you are passionate about that perhaps other people in your life (i.e. family, friends, etc) might disapprove of or dislike? How does your own personal story correlate to Billy's journey in the film?

Discuss your overall impression of the Vaganova School's classical ballet program as featured in the film, "The Children of Theatre Street." Share your personal opinion regarding the audition process for children to get accepted into the school. For example, what were the judges looking for? What other attributes should the judges have considered before choosing their favorite children? How does the dance curriculum at the Vaganavoa school prepare its students for their final graduation performances, as well professional careers in the dance industry? Lastly, what would you have done if you were a student at the Vaganova School and lived & trained thousands of miles away from your family here in California?

Film yourself performing the "positions of the arms" routine below. Make sure I can see your arms in the video frame the entire time! Upload your video to this assignment as an attachment and MARK AS DONE, for credit.

TIP: The best way to film yourself is to play this video on a laptop or television, and record yourself with a mobile phone camera or tablet. Break a leg, y'all!

This is your chance to design your virtual locker! All the instructions are detailed in the attached google slides project. This assignment will help you learn how to use google slides, and also helps me get to know more information about yourself.

I even included my own virtual locker as an example, and so you can also get to know me a little bit. Design your locker on the last slide. When you are finished with this assignment, remember to "MARK AS DONE" in google classroom so that I can give you some well-deserved points!