Home›Lesson Plans›The Arts›Dance · Grade 9

Choreographic Forms

Ninth graders learn choreographic forms — AB, ABA, and theme-and-variation — the structures that organize a dance into sections, giving it shape, contrast, and unity.

Grade 9Choreography50 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain choreographic form.
  • ✓Know AB & ABA.
  • ✓Recognize theme & variation.
  • ✓Structure a dance.
Essential Question

Just like a song has verses and a chorus, a dance has FORM — sections arranged for contrast and unity. What are the main choreographic forms?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Choreographic Forms Check

Project each item and have students answer about choreographic forms.

💃 Understand choreographic formsTry it
Answer each question about choreographic forms.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Dance Has Form

5 min

Like a song, a dance has FORM — sections for contrast and unity. What forms?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show an ABA dance.
  • Ask about its sections.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Notice.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Choreographic Forms

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Choreographic Forms Check.
  • Note AB and ABA.
  • Note theme & variation.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

14 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make an A section.
  • Make a contrasting B.
  • Return to A.

🎒 Student Actions

  • A section.
  • B section.
  • Return.
4

Perform — Perform

12 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Perform in ABA form.
  • Show the return.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Perform it.
  • Show it.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain AB form.
  • Explain ABA.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain it.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Dance, HS Proficient).

NCAS
DA:Cr2.1.HSI

Use choreographic forms.

NCAS
DA:Re7.2.HSI

Analyze dance form.

NCAS
DA:Cr1.1.HSI

Develop movement into form.

NCAS
DA:Re7.1.HSI

Recognize dance structure.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Form diagram cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ form has ___.”
  • Use dance clips.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with AB.
  • Use a clear example.
  • Make two sections.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Choreograph in rondo (ABACA).
  • Add a coda.
  • Analyze a work’s form.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎵Music
  • 💻Choreographic Forms Check
  • 👟Open space
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

formthe structure of a danceAB formtwo contrasting sectionsABA forma section, contrast, then returntheme and variationan idea repeated with changessectiona part of a dancecontrastdifference between sectionsunityhow a dance holds togetherstructurehow a dance is organized
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does AB form mean?
Two contrasting sections, A and B.
QUESTION 2
What does ABA form mean?
A section, a contrasting section, then a return to the first.
QUESTION 3
What is theme and variation?
One movement idea, then repeated with changes.

Reflect: give it form.

Have students plan a short dance in ABA form — an A section, a contrasting B, and a return to A. A printable forms sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Choreographic FormsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Choreographic FormsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Choreographic FormsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: AB form, ABA form, contrast, form, section, structure, theme and variation, unity
  1. how a dance holds together
  2. a section, contrast, then return
  3. how a dance is organized
  4. two contrasting sections
  5. the structure of a dance
  6. difference between sections
  7. an idea repeated with changes
  8. a part of a dance

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does AB form mean?
  2. What does ABA form mean?
  3. What is theme and variation?
Answer key — Part A: 1) unity · 2) ABA form · 3) structure · 4) AB form · 5) form · 6) contrast · 7) theme and variation · 8) section
Part B: 1) Two contrasting sections, A and B. 2) A section, a contrasting section, then a return to the first. 3) One movement idea, then repeated with changes.