GUIDELINES FOR DANCE CRITIQUES

  1. The critique should contain the name of the company, along with when and where you viewed the performance.
  2. Discuss each dance or act, using the following as a guideline:
  3. CHOREOGRAPHY - what was the choreographer trying to say?  How did he/she go about saying it?  Who was the choreographer?  Was there a literal meaning (always check your program to see if there's a paragraph or program note by the choreographer about a particular dance) or was the dance conceptual, i.e., about a mood, emotion, kinesthetic or qualitative feeling.  Not all choreography has a literal narrative.  Did the choreography make you fee any particular way?

    PERFORMERS -  Did you enjoy watching them?  Were they successful in conveying the choreographer's intentions?  Were some more interesting to watch than others?

    LIGHTING - How did it affect the way you viewed the work?  Did it enhance or detract from the dance?  Color, intensity and special effects are all lighting techniques.

    COSTUMES - Did the costumes set a time period, a mood, a place or establish characters?  Did you feel they were appropriate to the dance?

    SETS, SCENERY, PROPS - Were any of these used to establish a time, place or mood?

    MUSIC - What type of music or sound was used?  Did it enhance the mood or theme of the dance?  Remember, not all music is melodic.  Did you like it?

  4. I'm interested in reading your impressions of the dance.  The above is only a tool to help you describe the dance.  You will be graded on the clarity of making your point, not your impressions.
  5. The critiques should be two typewritten pages (not in outline form)and are due no later than one week after the performance.
  6. You must stay for the whole performance, otherwise, the critique will be considered incomplete.