Page 225 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: The Arts, 2010

tempo. The speed at which a dance is performed.
theme and variation. A choreographic form that starts with an original movement idea that is repeated with various modifications (e.g., performed faster or slower, with lighter or stronger movements, in a new place) while still maintaining its structure and sequence, resulting in an A-A1-A2-A3 pattern. The theme may be repeated between the variations.
time. See elements of dance.
transitions. The links between dance move-
ments and phrases.
unison movement. A movement or action performed in exactly the same way by two or more people at the same time.
DRAMA
a day in the life. A convention in which stu- dents explore the experience of a person by working backwards from a significant moment or turning point in a character’s life to build the story that accounts for the event. Students work in groups, using tableau, improvisation, and/or role play to depict key moments that may have occurred in the last twenty-four hours of the character’s life. The scenes are then run in chronological sequence to depict the events leading up to the dramatically significant moment.
Anansi stories/tales. Anansi stories originated in West Africa, where the tradition of story- telling has thrived for generations. The Ashanti people in Ghana in the west of Africa still tell stories of Kweku Anansi, the spider, a trickster figure in African folktales, who both entertains and teaches life lessons. Many of the Anansi tales, or adapted versions of them with differ- ent heroes, now exist in North America, South America, the West Indies, and the Caribbean.
atmosphere. The mood established for a drama, or for a scene within a drama. Music, lighting, sets, and costumes may all be used to help create a particular mood or atmosphere.
audience. (1) In a formal or traditional play,
the audience is typically seated in front of or around the action of the play. (2) In a shared drama experience or role play in the classroom, the students typically are both actors and spec- tators in the experience. At times, the students are all in role together; at other times, some are out of role viewing a group presentation as audience members. They may also be audience members viewing a scene or presentation while they are in role (e.g., in role as the king’s assis- tant, viewing a presentation by local villagers).
blocking. (1) In drama and theatre, a technique for working out and/or mapping the movement and positioning of actors on the stage. (2) The obstruction of an actor by an object or another actor. (3) In drama improvisation, the rejection of an idea introduced by another performer.
Brechtian theatre. A theatre movement of the early to mid-twentieth century associated with the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Brecht’s “epic theatre” uses various distancing devices to remind audiences that the primary purpose of a play is neither to entertain nor to create an illusion of reality but to present ideas for the audience to reflect on.
caption making. A convention in which students work in groups to devise slogans, titles, news- paper headlines, or chapter headings that convey in words the intended message of tableaux or pictures. The captions may be shared orally by the groups, read out by a narrator, or written on placards to be read by the class.
ceremony/ritual. A set of actions prescribed by the beliefs or traditions of a community or culture and thought to have symbolic value.
character/role. See elements of drama.
choral speaking, chanting. The reading or reciting of a text by a group. Preparation for a performance may involve interpretation of the text; experimentation with language, rhythm, volume, pace, and different numbers of voices; and rehearsal.
GLOSSARY
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