Dance skills in three genres: Basis for designing dance assessment tool for incoming School for the Arts students

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to determine the dance skills of the School for the Arts and Special Program for the Arts students enrolled during the academic year 2013- 2014 as basis for designing dance assessment tool for incoming School for the Arts students. The participants of the study were the 33 purposively selected School for the Arts and students taken as an entire group and classified as to sex and dance exposure. To determine the dance skills of school for the arts students in three genres, folk dance, ballet, and contemporary, the researcher employed a researcher- designed skill test and rubrics. Findings revealed that, when taken as an entire group, the students had developing proficiency skill in folk dance. Similarly, the females and those with- out formal dance training, showed developing proficiency. However, the male students and those with formal dance training demonstrated approaching proficiency skill. In terms of ballet, the students taken as an entire group, the males, and those with formal dance training had developing proficiency skills in dance, whereas, the females and those without formal dance training were only beginning to develop their proficiency skill in ballet. In terms of contemporary dance, the students taken as an entire group, the males, and those with formal dance training had developing proficiency skill; while the, females and those without formal dance training were beginning to develop their proficiency skill. There was no significant difference in the dance skill of students in terms of ballet and folk dance, when they were classified as to sex and dance exposure. However, there was a significant difference in their dance skill in terms of contemporary dance when they were classified as to dance exposure, but no significant difference existed when they were classified as to sex.