How does a choreographer develop and vary movement material?
Choreographic devices: motif and motif development, repetition, contrast, highlights, climax, manipulation of number, and action, space, dynamic and relationship content used to develop material.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2, covering choreographic devices including motif, motif development, repetition, contrast, highlights, climax and manipulation of number, and how action, space, dynamics and relationships are used to develop movement material.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to know the choreographic devices a choreographer uses to develop, vary and shape movement so a short idea becomes a satisfying whole dance. You must be able to define each device, explain its effect, and apply it to your own choreography in Component 2.
Motif and motif development
You can develop a motif by changing action (adding, removing or reordering movements, or replacing one action with another), space (a new level, direction, size or pathway), dynamics (faster, slower, stronger, lighter, more sustained) or relationships (performing it in canon, unison, contact or counterpoint with other dancers). This gives variety without losing the link back to the original idea, which is what keeps the dance unified. The skill is to change enough that it feels fresh but not so much that the audience loses the thread.
Other devices
- Repetition fixes ideas in the audience's memory and gives unity, and a repeated motif at the end can frame the whole dance.
- Contrast stops a dance feeling samey and can show opposing ideas, such as calm against chaos.
- Highlights and climax give the dance a clear emotional and structural peak, so it feels like it is going somewhere.
- Manipulation of number (solo, duet, full group) varies texture and focus, and can show an individual against a crowd or a crowd closing in.
Why devices matter
Devices give a dance both unity and variety at once, and they shape the audience's journey towards a climax. A dance with development but no repetition feels rootless; one with repetition but no contrast feels flat. Choosing devices that serve the intention, rather than for their own sake, is what marks a thoughtful choreographer and earns the higher bands in both the practical and the written assessment.
You can see these devices at work across the anthology. A Linha Curva repeats grounded, hip-led motifs so the carnival feel is unmistakable, then contrasts solo show-off moments against full-group unison, and manipulates number from the whole cast down to competitive duets and back. Recognising a device in a professional work, naming it, and explaining its effect is exactly the bridge between this dot point and the evaluation questions in the written paper, so practise spotting repetition, contrast, climax and manipulation of number in the set works as well as using them in your own choreography.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20174 marksExplain two ways a choreographer could develop a motif.Show worked answer →
Name two methods and show how each changes the motif while keeping it recognisable; roughly two marks per developed point.
Changing the dynamics means performing the same motif faster or with more force, which can show growing tension while the audience still recognises the movement. Changing the level means performing the motif low to the floor instead of standing, giving variety and new meaning without inventing a brand new phrase.
Markers reward a named development method (action, space, dynamics or relationships) plus a clear effect that keeps the motif identifiable.
AQA 20206 marksDiscuss how repetition, contrast and climax could be used to give a dance both unity and variety.Show worked answer →
Six marks reward developed points on all three devices and the link to unity and variety.
Repetition of a central motif gives unity, because the audience recognises and remembers the recurring idea. Contrast (for example a sudden slow, low section after fast, high movement) gives variety and stops the dance feeling repetitive. A clear climax, perhaps the motif performed by the whole group at full force, gives the dance a structural and emotional peak that the earlier repetition and contrast have built towards.
Markers reward each device defined and applied, plus the explicit link to unity (repetition) and variety (contrast) building to a climax.
Related dot points
- The choreographic process: responding to a stimulus, forming a choreographic intention, generating and developing movement material through improvisation and selection, and refining the work in rehearsal.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2, covering the choreographic process from responding to a stimulus and forming a choreographic intention to generating, selecting, developing and refining movement material into a finished dance.
- Structuring a dance: form and structure including binary, ternary, rondo, narrative, episodic, beginning-middle-end, and the use of transitions, unity, logical sequence and a clear climax.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2, covering dance structures such as binary, ternary, rondo, narrative and episodic form, and how transitions, unity, logical sequence and a clear climax give a dance shape.
- Aural setting (music, song, found sound, silence) and staging or physical setting (performance environment, set, props, costume, lighting) and how these production features support the choreographic intention.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2, covering aural setting (music, song, found sound and silence) and staging features (set, props, costume, lighting and performance environment) and how they support the choreographic intention.
- Movement and physical features of the anthology works: the action, dynamic, spatial and relationship content and the dance style and physical skills used by the dancers in each set work.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2, covering the movement features (action, dynamic, spatial and relationship content) and the dance styles and physical skills used by the dancers in the six anthology set works.
- Critical appreciation of own work: reflecting on and evaluating personal performance and choreography, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and explaining how skills and devices were used to realise the intention.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Dance Component 2 appreciation, covering how to critically reflect on and evaluate your own performance and choreography, identify strengths and improvements, and explain how skills and devices realised your intention.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Dance (8236) specification — AQA (2016)