Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Dance: Technology and Multimedia in Dance

A1.4 A2.2About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use technology, including multimedia, to enhance the message of a dance.
  • I can plan lighting, projection and sound on a cue sheet that matches the choreography.
  • I can use camera shots (wide, medium, close-up) and editing to create a short dance for camera.
  • I can analyse whether technology in a dance supports the message or distracts from it.

Words to know

multimedia
Using more than one kind of media together, such as live dance plus video, images, text and sound.
cue
A planned moment when something changes, such as the lights, the sound or a projection.
cue sheet
A chart that lists every cue and exactly when it happens.
projection
An image, video or text shown on a screen, wall or the dancers themselves with a projector.
silhouette
A dark outline of the dancer's body against a light background.
dance for camera
A dance created to be filmed, where camera shots and editing are part of the choreography.
shot
What the camera shows in one piece of video, such as a wide shot or a close-up.

Technology can make a message stronger

The Grade 8 curriculum asks you to use technology, including multimedia, to enhance the message communicated by the choreography. The key word is enhance: the technology should make the dance's message stronger, not steal the show.

Technology you might use, even at home:

  • Lighting: a desk lamp, flashlights, string lights, a phone's flashlight, coloured cellophane over a light
  • Projection: a projector or a TV screen showing images, video or words behind the dancers
  • Sound: recorded music, sound effects (rain, traffic, a heartbeat), a voice reading a poem, or silence
  • Video: a phone or tablet camera, plus a free editing app
TechnologyWhat it can do for the messageExample
Lightingset the mood; focus attention; create shadowsa single spotlight on one dancer to show loneliness
Silhouettehide faces so the dancer could be anyonea dancer behind a lit sheet for a dance about being unseen
Projectionadd images, setting or wordsmelting-ice video behind a dance about climate change
Sound designadd atmosphere or a voicea heartbeat that speeds up as the dancer panics
Video and editingshow close-ups, angles and places a stage can'ta duet filmed on a frozen pond's shore at sunrise
Kinds of technology and how they can enhance a dance's message.

Planning with a cue sheet

Lighting, projection and sound must change at exactly the right moment. Dancers and technicians use a cue sheet: a chart of every change and when it happens, by time or by count. Everyone follows the same plan, so a light doesn't go out in the middle of a big moment.

A dark theatre stage with a blue abstract pattern projected on a screen, coloured lights on the floor and a laptop and lighting board in front.
Projection, lighting and a cue sheet can make a dance's message stronger, as long as the technology doesn't steal the show. AI-generated image
lightingprojectionsound0:000:150:300:451:001:151:30dim bluebright, warmsingle spotlightmelting-ice videoone worddripping water + musicsilencetimeCue sheet for a 90-second dance
A cue sheet for a 90-second dance about melting ice. Read it like a timeline: at 1:00 three things change at once: the light becomes a single spotlight, one word is projected, and the sound stops for silence.

Dance for camera

When a dance is made for video, the camera becomes a partner. You choose what the viewer sees:

  • Wide shot: the whole body and the space, good for pathways and group patterns.
  • Medium shot: about waist up, good for arm gestures and upper-body shapes.
  • Close-up: a face, a hand or feet, good for emotion and detail.
  • Angle: filming from low makes a dancer look powerful; filming from above can make them look small.
  • Editing: you can cut between shots, slow a moment down, or show the same move in two places.

A dance for camera has choreography for the camera too: when it moves, when it cuts, what it shows.

wide shotwhole body + space:shows pathwaysmedium shotwaist up:shows arms and gestureclose-upface or hand:shows emotion, detail
Three camera shots of the same dancer. A wide shot shows the whole body and space, a medium shot shows arms and gesture, and a close-up shows a face or hand. Choosing the shot is part of choreographing for camera.
Worked example

Example: Let's plan the cue sheet for a dance about melting ice

A 90-second solo shows ice melting. The dance has three sections: 0:00–0:30 frozen, slow, sharp shapes; 0:30–1:00 melting, fluid movement that travels; 1:00–1:30 a single dancer alone, almost still, as the last bit of ice disappears. Let's plan the technology so it enhances the message.

  1. Lighting: 0:00 dim blue light (cold, frozen). 0:30 bright, warm light (heat arrives, melting begins). 1:00 a single spotlight (one small piece of ice left).
  2. Projection: 0:15–0:45 a video of ice melting, starting just before the dancer begins to melt so the audience connects the two. 1:00–1:15 one projected word, for example gone?, to leave a question.
  3. Sound: 0:00–1:00 the sound of dripping water mixed with soft music. 1:00 silence, so the stillness feels heavy.
  4. Check the timing: at 1:00 three cues happen together (spotlight, word, silence). That big change marks the most important moment.
  5. Check the message: every cue supports ice melting and disappearing. Nothing is there just because it looks cool.

The cue sheet in the picture. The technology follows the story of the choreography: cold, then warm, then alone.

Worked example

Example: Let's analyse whether technology helps or distracts

In a group dance about friendship, the choreographer adds flashing rainbow lights the whole time, a fast-changing video of fireworks, and very loud music. Audience members say they don't remember the dance. Let's analyse.

  1. Look at focus: the flashing lights and fast video pull eyes away from the dancers.
  2. Look at the message: fireworks and rainbow lights don't connect clearly to friendship.
  3. Look at sound: the loud music covers the dancers' timing and breath, so moments of stillness are lost.
  4. Suggest changes: use a steady warm light; project a few photos of hands joining only during the ending; lower the volume or use silence for the most important moment.
  5. Note for reflection: technology should be planned after the choreography so it supports the dance.

The technology distracted from the message. Fewer, better-timed choices would enhance it.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true: in the 1890s, dancer Loïe Fuller swirled huge silk costumes under coloured electric lights, and she even patented some of her stage inventions, including a costume for dancers. She was a choreographer and a tech inventor at the same time! 💡

Hands-on activity

Lights, camera, dance!

You need: a phone or tablet with a camera, a desk lamp or flashlight, a plain wall or a bedsheet, and a short dance phrase (2 to 4 eight-counts).

  1. Write your dance's message in one sentence.
  2. Silhouette test: in a dark room, put the lamp behind a hanging sheet and dance between the lamp and the sheet while someone watches from the other side. What does a silhouette add to your message?
  3. Film it three ways: one wide shot, one medium shot, one close-up of hands or feet. Ask a family member to film, or prop up the device.
  4. Edit: use any free editing app to cut between your three shots in a 20 to 30 second video. Add sound or silence on purpose.
  5. Make a mini cue sheet for your video: list what changes and when.
  6. Watch it back and answer: Which shot best shows the message? Is anything distracting?

Safety: ask an adult before using lamps near fabric (keep the lamp a safe distance from the sheet, and never cover a hot bulb), keep cords out of your dance space so no one trips, and don't post the video online without a parent's permission.

Your turn

1

What does it mean for technology to enhance a dance's message?

2

What is a cue sheet?

3

Look at the cue sheet picture. What happens to the lighting at 0:30?

4

Which camera shot would best show a dancer's facial expression?

5

Which camera shot would best show a group pathway across the floor?

6

How could a silhouette help a dance about feeling invisible?

7

Why is silence sometimes the best sound choice?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does multimedia mean?

2

Name two kinds of technology you could use in a dance at home.

3

What is a cue?

4

Which shot shows about waist up?

5

Filming a dancer from a low angle can make them look ___.

More practice: on your own

1

Plan two cues for a dance about a storm passing. Give the time or count and what changes.

2

A projection shows the words of a poem scrolling quickly the whole time. Analyse one problem and suggest a fix.

3

Explain how editing could show a dancer's two feelings at once.

4

Why should technology usually be planned after the choreography?

5

Name two safety or privacy rules for using technology in dance.

Challenge

1

Design a 60-second dance for camera about the first snowfall of winter. Describe at least three shots, one angle choice, and one edit.

2

A classmate says, "More technology always makes a dance better." Argue for or against using dance vocabulary.

3

In the melting-ice cue sheet, why do three cues happen at 1:00 at the same time? What would be lost if they happened at different times?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Technology in a dance should mainly ___.

2.

A chart showing when every light, sound and projection change happens is a ___.

3.

Which shot best shows a whole group pattern?

4.

A dark outline of a dancer against a lit background is a ___.

5.

In the melting-ice cue sheet, what happens to the sound at 1:00?

6.

Which is a privacy rule for dance videos?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students use technology, including multimedia, to enhance the message communicated by the choreography (A1.4) and analyse how it supports or distracts from a dance (A2.2).

How to help at home:

  • Lend a phone or tablet for filming, and help with the lighting experiment.
  • Watch a music video or dance video together and ask: "What did the camera choose to show? Why a close-up there?"
  • Help your child decide whether a video should be shared, and with whom.

Safety: supervise lamps near fabric, keep cords clear of the dance space, and check privacy settings before anything is posted.

Common difficulties:

  • Technology first, dance second. Encourage finishing the choreography, then adding technology.
  • Too many effects. Ask, "Does this help the message, or just look cool?"
  • Cues that don't line up. Practising with a cue sheet and counting out loud helps.