Performance: Mental Skills and Attributes

Documenting the Quartet Performance

Write a description of the performance including details about the choreography, music, costume, and lighting.
Record timings and movements accurately. This can involve creating a notation score or simple word descriptions.
Analyse the performance - identify strengths and areas for development, noting how movements were phrased, the use of dynamics, spatial awareness, and relationship to other performers.
Take photographs or video clips of rehearsals and the performance, if possible.
Reflect on and evaluate the performance using dance vocabulary. Comment on expressivity, technical skill, choreography, and overall performance quality.
Construct a performance review detailing your thoughts, feelings and responses throughout the dance.

Describe the performance with a focus on your movements, including use of space, pace, and rhythm.
Document the development of the solo piece, noting how your ideas evolved and problems were addressed.
Reflect on the solo performance in relation to the stimulus or theme, ensuring you highlight your interpretation and the affective intent.
Create a dance notation or diagram to document the movement sequences and formations used.
Analyse your performance, commenting on technique, expressive skill, and physicality.
Develop a detailed self-evaluation on your performance, focusing on areas of strength and necessary improvements.

Understanding of physicality: How the body is used to communicate specific ideas or themes. Emphasis on applied anatomy and alignment.
Stamina: Enhancing body’s ability to perform rigorous routines without getting overly fatigued.
Flexibility: Ability to perform movements that require a great deal of stretch and reach.
Coordination: This refers to effectively making different body parts work together to perform dance movements.
Strength: Importance of building physical strength to support demanding dance movements.

Alignment: demonstrating control and understanding of the body’s natural alignment, i.e. how different parts of the body line up.
Coordination: mastering different movements to ensure smooth body sequences.
Control: maintaining and showing control in all elements of the performance.
Balance: showing stability during various dance movements, holds, lifts, or poses.
Safe Execution: demonstrating understanding of safe practise to avoid injuries.

Projection: delivering a strong, clear interpretation of the dance idea or theme.
Focus: capability to control the audience’s attention using eye contact, body language, and positioning.
Musicality: sensitivity to or understanding of musical elements.
Character and Style: effective interpretation and performance of a character or dance style.

Precision: execution of choreography with exactness and fine detail.
Timing: accuracy of movement in relation to musical beat or choreographic cues.
Teamwork: ability to connect and collaborate with others, creating a unified ensemble performance.
Response to Music: how the choreography and performance reflect and enhance the musical accompaniment.

Concentration: focusing attention on the task at hand and blocking out unnecessary distractions.
Memory: capability to remember and execute complex choreography.
Confidence: presenting oneself positively and fearlessly, capable of holding the audience’s attention.
Risk-taking: willingness to be innovative and take creative chances in the performance.
Resilience: capability to recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks.