INSTRUCTOR: Rosa Garcia, MFA
Email: rgarcia@fullcoll.edu
WRITTEN CRITIQUE:
The written critique is based on your opinion.* It must be on a dance concert and written in
essay form, between one and three pages, (typed, double-spaced), 12-font size and can be turned
in any time during the semester to www.turnitin.com. However, the paper is due by your
final exam date. Please pay attention to your spelling, grammar and logic of ideas presented.
Attach a copy of your concert ticket or receipt to your paper. If you don’t have one and
instead have a program you must get permission by the instructor. See Helpful Guidelines sheet.
Cover page should consist the following information --->
Remember, criticism is not describing the number
of dancers and counting their leaps. It involves
watching a concert, having aesthetic, intellectual
and/or emotional reaction to what you saw, and then
figuring out why. Take a friend with you and talk
about your view and ideas about the dance pieces
you saw. These are the materials I want from you
spilled on paper.
*
(College)
(Department)
(Name of Instructor)
(Course Information)
Written Critique
by
(your name)
(student ID #)
(your e-mail)
(Date Due)
Sample Cover Page
NOTE: Voicing yourself in this critique will no way jeopardize the teacher/student relationship or your grade.
However, you must explain why in your paper.
INSTRUCTOR: Rosa Garcia, MFA
Email: rgarcia@fullcoll.edu
Dance Concert Critique
Helpful GUIDELINES
Concert Information
A. Name of company and brief description
B. Where performed and when did you attend.
C. List (in sentence format) what you will talk about in your paper.

The concert production OR

1-3 dance pieces and/or choreography (title of work must be underlined or italicized) OR

1-3 dancer(s) that may have inspired or not inspired you OR

Costumes, lighting or set/prop design OR

Your interpretation or reaction as an audience member
Opinionated Critical Statement
Statement: Start off by making an opinionated statement. Then explain and support your statement. The following
questions might help you:

The concert production:
 Did the collage of dance pieces worked (or not worked) &why?
 Did the location worked (or not) and why?
 Was the atmosphere appropriate for such works and why?
 Did the concert ran smoothly or was there disruption, delay, interruptions etc.? Did the program order
make sense and why?

1-3 Dance pieces and/or choreography:
 Does the piece have significant value to you, others, the community or dancers and why?
 Did the choreography movement and spatial patterns worked or not and why?
 Did the music corresponded with the dance or not and why?
 Did the choreographer expressed something with this dance or not and why?

Dancers that may have inspired or not inspired you
 Were there any dancers that inspired you or not? Who and why?
 If not, talk about what didn’t work for that performer. (Note: I don’t want to know about the
inexperience of a dancer or lack of training. At a community college level, most dance students are not
fully professionally trained as dancers, however some are. If we were at a university level or an
accredited dance conservatory/school, it would make sense to critically write about the technical training
of a dancer.)
 Did the dancer perform for his or herself, for the significance of the dance piece or for you (audience)?
Was that important to you (audience) or not?
 Did the dancer relate (see or ignore) the other dancers? Was it important and why?

Costumes, lighting and/or set/props (AKA: Designs)
 Did the dance worked well with the designs? Why or why not?
 Were the designs significant or not? How?
 Were the designs creative, inventive, new to you or not?
 Did the choreographer &/or designers make a good choice for the dance piece or dancers? Why?

Your interpretation or reaction from watching the dance pieces.
 What do you think the dance piece was about and why? Did it bother you? If so, why?
 Does the piece have significant value to you, others, the community or dancers and why?
 What was your reaction to the dance piece and why? Did you feel uncomfortable? Did your feel goose
bumps? Did you cry? Did it remind you of a specific moment? Did you feel like getting up dance with
the group? Where you bored? Did you mentally drift off?
Suggestive Critical Statement
Statement: Continue by making suggestive statement. Then explain and support your statement.
 What could you have done different if you were producing this concert?
 How about if you were the choreographer of these dance piece(s)?
 How about if you were cast for the dance piece?
 How about if you were the costume, lighting, &/or set/prop designer?
 What could you have done different to get a reaction from and audience like yourself?
Conclusion about Critiquing
Statement: Conclude your paper by making a statement about what you learned from critiquing.

What did you learn about yourself (as a critic) from writing this paper? How does the way your critique compare
to newspaper critics? Do you believe you are more honest, too nice, harsh, envious, picky, thorough, etc.?

Do you think this paper may be helpful to the artists you mentioned? Why?

Is this paper useful for an audience who hasn’t seen the concert? Why?

Did you enjoy writing the paper? Did you feel uncomfortable writing about a specific subject? What and why?
Did you feel stuck in certain parts and why? Do you feel better? Why or why not?