In simple terms
A friendly intro before the formal notes — no formulas yet.
Beyond the Steps: Embodying the Choreography
The Performance assessment isn't just a test of whether you can remember the choreography. It's about how you bring that choreography to life, communicating its ideas and feelings through your body. Examiners are looking for a performer who is not just a technician, but also an artist and a storyteller.
Think of a performance like delivering a powerful speech. Two people can read the exact same words, but one might just recite them flatly, while the other uses tone, pace, and emotion to captivate the audience and make the message resonate. In dance, the 'words' are the choreographed steps. Your job is to 'deliver' those steps with dynamic energy, emotional conviction, and clear intention, transforming a sequence of movements into a meaningful experience.
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Deconstruct the Criteria: Understand that 'Technical Skills' (Criterion A) and 'Performance Skills' (Criterion B) are assessed separately. Technical skill is the 'what' (clarity, control), while performance skill is the 'how' (expression, communication).
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Embody the Intent: Before every rehearsal, ask: 'What is the core idea or feeling of this piece?' Every movement, gesture, and glance should be a conscious choice aimed at conveying that central intent.
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Rehearse with Purpose: Don't just run the dance. Dedicate specific rehearsals to focus on dynamics, another for focus and eye line, and another for musicality. Film yourself and analyse your performance against the top markband descriptors.
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Film for Impact: Ensure your filming adheres to all IB technical requirements. Use a stable camera, good lighting, and a clear, uncluttered background. The camera is the examiner's eye, so perform directly to it to demonstrate projection and engagement.
Explore the concept
Use the live diagram and synced steps — play it or tap a step card to walk through.
Full topic notes
Formal explanation with the rigour you need for the exam.
Deconstructing the Assessment Criteria
Your performance is assessed against two criteria. Understanding the language of the markbands is the first step to success.
Criterion A: Technical and Production Skills (15 marks) This criterion assesses the 'what' of your performance. Top-band (13-15) performances demonstrate 'excellent' and 'highly proficient' technical skills. This means the examiner sees:
- Consistency: Skills are maintained throughout the entire piece, not just in isolated moments.
- Clarity: Body shapes, lines, and pathways are precise and well-defined.
- Control: Movements are executed with assurance, demonstrating mastery over balance, placement, and transitions.
- Coordination: The body works as an integrated whole, with complex sequences performed fluently.
- Stylistic Accuracy: The movement is performed in a way that is authentic and appropriate to the chosen dance style or genre.
Criterion B: Performance and Interpretative Skills (15 marks) This criterion assesses the 'how' and 'why' of your performance. Top-band (13-15) performances are described as 'compelling' and 'perceptive'. This means the examiner experiences:
- Communication of Intent: A powerful and clear communication of the dance's theme or idea. The performance has a tangible impact on the viewer.
- Expressiveness: A sophisticated use of focus, projection, and dynamic energy to convey meaning and emotion.
- Musicality: A sensitive and nuanced relationship with the accompaniment. The dancer doesn't just move to the music; they embody it.
- Ensemble Skills (Duet/Trio): An excellent and consistent awareness of other dancers, demonstrated through timing, spatial relationships, and kinesthetic response.
Mastering Technical Proficiency (Criterion A)
Achieving 'highly proficient' technical skills is not about performing the most difficult tricks. It is about executing the given choreography with the highest degree of accuracy and control. Your goal is to make the movement look effortless, even when it is complex. Focus your practice on achieving consistency across the entire performance. A common pitfall is to perform the opening section with high energy and precision, only for fatigue to cause a decline in control towards the end. Stamina-building rehearsals are crucial.
Drill Transitions: The 'in-between' steps are where technical proficiency is often lost. Practice linking phrases together seamlessly.
Use a Mirror Critically: Don't just watch yourself. Analyse your alignment, check for clarity of shape, and ensure you are completing every movement fully.
Record and Review: Film your practice runs. Are your turns clean? Is your balance secure? Is your placement consistent? Be your own harshest critic.
Emphasise Control over Flair: It is better to perform a controlled double pirouette than a wobbly triple. Examiners reward control and accuracy above ambition that is not fully realised.
Cultivating Expressive Qualities (Criterion B)
This is where the artistry of performance lies. A technically perfect dance with no expression is just a physical exercise. To be 'compelling', you must make deliberate artistic choices that serve the choreographic intent. Ask yourself: Where is my focus at this moment, and why? How can I use my breath to give this phrase life? What quality of energy does this movement require—sharp, soft, heavy, light? Your performance should be a physical manifestation of the dance's core idea.
To enhance your projection, perform your piece in a large studio or even outdoors. Imagine you have to send your energy to the furthest corner of the space. This practice helps you develop a greater sense of presence that will translate powerfully on camera, making your performance feel more engaging and less 'canned'.
The Duet/Trio: Ensemble Skills in Focus
Your duet/trio performance is not a solo performed by two or three people simultaneously. It is a collaborative act that requires a heightened level of awareness. Top-band performances demonstrate a constant, almost invisible, dialogue between the dancers. This is shown in perfect unison sections, but more impressively in moments of counterpoint, canon, and physical interaction (contact work). You must be aware of your partners' breathing, their spatial positioning, and their dynamic energy at all times. Rehearsals should focus as much on listening and responding to each other as they do on executing your own steps.
Peripheral Vision: Develop your ability to see your partners without turning your head, maintaining awareness of spacing and alignment.
Shared Breath: For unison sections, try starting the phrase with a shared, audible breath. This is a powerful tool for synchronising timing and dynamic quality.
Contact Improvisation: Even if your piece has set contact work, practicing improvisation with your partner(s) can build trust and kinesthetic responsiveness.
Unified Intent: All dancers must have the exact same understanding of the piece's narrative or theme. Discuss it constantly. This shared understanding is the foundation of a cohesive performance.
Worked examples
See the formulas applied — reveal one step at a time, like the exam.
A student performs a solo based on the theme of 'resilience'. Write a self-reflection paragraph, as if for a process journal, analysing their own performance in relation to Criterion B: Performance and Interpretative Skills.
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In my performance of 'Resilience', I aimed for a 'perceptive interpretation' by embodying the choreographic intent through a clear dynamic arc. The initial floor-based sequence used bound, heavy movements to communicate a sense of struggle. I consciously kept my focus internal here, projecting a feeling of introspection. The transition to standing represented the core shift; I used a sharp inhalation, initiating a ripple through the spine to signify the first spark of defiance. To make the communication 'compelling', I contrasted this with the final phrase, which used expansive, sustained movements and a broad, external focus directed past the camera. This was a deliberate choice to project a sense of hope and arrival. My musicality was key; during the percussive section, I matched the sharp accents with precise gestures, but in the final lyrical melody, I allowed my phrasing to be more fluid, demonstrating a sensitive response to the score and fully communicating the journey from oppression to liberation.
Analyse a 30-second section of your duet performance, focusing on how you and your partner demonstrate 'ensemble awareness' and 'communication of the choreographic intent' to achieve a high level in Criterion B.
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In our duet, exploring the theme of 'symbiosis', there is a central lift where my partner supports me in a horizontal plane. To demonstrate 'excellent ensemble awareness', our communication is non-verbal and kinesthetic. As I prepare to jump, I give a clear preparatory breath and shift of weight, which my partner feels and responds to, creating a seamless and safe transition into the lift. Our focus is crucial here; we maintain direct eye contact just before the lift, establishing a shared intention, and then shift to a unified, forward focus during the lift itself. This communicates a sense of shared purpose and journey to the viewer. The quality of movement—my sustained, floating stillness against his grounded stability—physically represents the symbiotic relationship. This moment is a 'perceptive interpretation' because our physical interaction, timing, and shared focus are not just technical feats; they are the primary means through which the choreographic intent of mutual dependency is made manifest.
How it all connects
The big idea sits in the middle — tap a linked idea to explore the link.
Tap a linked idea to see how it connects back to the main topic — that connection is what examiners reward.
Glossary
Try to recall each definition before you reveal it.
Quick check
Answer in your head first — then tap to check. No pressure.
Revision flashcards
Flip the card. Test yourself before the exam.
Technical Proficiency
The ability to execute choreographed movement with clarity, control, coordination, balance, and appropriate alignment for the dance style. Assessed under Criterion A.
Key takeaways
Review these before you close the topic — retrieval beats re-reading.
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Drill Transitions: The 'in-between' steps are where technical proficiency is often lost. Practice linking phrases together seamlessly.
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Use a Mirror Critically: Don't just watch yourself. Analyse your alignment, check for clarity of shape, and ensure you are completing every movement fully.
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Record and Review: Film your practice runs. Are your turns clean? Is your balance secure? Is your placement consistent? Be your own harshest critic.
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Emphasise Control over Flair: It is better to perform a controlled double pirouette than a wobbly triple. Examiners reward control and accuracy above ambition that is not fully realised.
Practice — then mark it
The whole point: a real Cambridge question, marked mark-by-mark.
Test Your Performance Knowledge
Test Your Performance Knowledge
Extra simulations & links
PhET, GeoGebra and other curated tools — open in a new tab.
Frequently asked
Checkpoint
One marked question is worth ten re-reads — close the loop before you move on.
Reading it isn’t knowing it — prove it.
Before you move on: do Test Your Performance Knowledge on paper, snap a photo, and get examiner-style feedback on exactly where you win and lose marks.