Section B · Duet / Trio Performance
Expressive Skills
SPF SPF MC — including Musicality and Sensitivity to Other Dancers
What you'll learn
- All 8 expressive skills including the 3 unique to group/musical work
- How to write about Sensitivity to Other Dancers and Musicality
- How to connect expressive skills directly to your dance intention
- How to write 4 complete PEE cycles for full marks
Expressive skills are about artistry — the qualities that make an audience feel something. In duet and trio work, two additional expressive skills become available: Musicality, because you're performing to actual music rather than a metronome; and Sensitivity to Other Dancers, because you have fellow performers whose energy, timing, and emotion you must respond to in real time. Together, they're often what separates a technically accurate performance from a genuinely moving one.
The 8 Expressive Skills — SPF SPF MC
🎭 All 8 skills — tap each to see definition and exam language
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SPF SPF MC — Sensitivity, Projection, Focus, Spatial Awareness, Phrasing, Facial Expression, Musicality, Communication of Choreographic Intent. Skills with ★ New are only available in duet/trio or musical work.
Sensitivity to Other DancersThis skill is about being present to your fellow dancers — not just executing your own movement but genuinely responding to their energy, weight, and timing. In the exam, show what you responded to and what that communication added to the performance.
Annotated Level 3 Model
✍️ Full L3 answer — Peaky Blinders — tap to annotate
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Intention: jazz inspired by Peaky Blinders. Question: "Explain how you used expressive skills in your trio performance."
Level 3 model — expressive skills — Peaky Blinders trio
I performed in a trio. Our intention was to create a jazz piece inspired by the world of Peaky Blinders — power, precision, and dangerous elegance.
Musicality was central to our performance — in the climactic brass hit we all froze simultaneously on the exact beat, making the musical accent completely visible through our bodies.
This was effective because hitting the accent with such precision made the moment explosive — the music and movement amplified each other, which communicated the sudden danger central to our Peaky Blinders intention.
Sensitivity to other dancers was vital throughout the unison sections — I had to constantly sense my partners' timing and weight, adjusting my own movement microscopically to maintain precise synchronisation. This was effective because the seamless unison communicated the shared purpose and trust of three people operating as one unit, which reinforced the gang dynamic central to our intention.
Projection was important throughout — I directed my energy outward and upward, particularly in the opening stance where all three of us presented ourselves to the audience in stillness. This was effective because the projected stillness immediately communicated authority and confidence — the audience understood instantly who these characters were before we had moved a single muscle.
Phrasing shaped the energy of the piece — we built slowly through the first section and then released into sharp, explosive movement at the chorus. This was effective because the energy build created tension and anticipation, so the release felt earned — the audience experienced the same build of danger and then its sudden release that defines the Peaky Blinders world.
Sensitivity to other dancers was vital throughout the unison sections — I had to constantly sense my partners' timing and weight, adjusting my own movement microscopically to maintain precise synchronisation. This was effective because the seamless unison communicated the shared purpose and trust of three people operating as one unit, which reinforced the gang dynamic central to our intention.
Projection was important throughout — I directed my energy outward and upward, particularly in the opening stance where all three of us presented ourselves to the audience in stillness. This was effective because the projected stillness immediately communicated authority and confidence — the audience understood instantly who these characters were before we had moved a single muscle.
Phrasing shaped the energy of the piece — we built slowly through the first section and then released into sharp, explosive movement at the chorus. This was effective because the energy build created tension and anticipation, so the release felt earned — the audience experienced the same build of danger and then its sudden release that defines the Peaky Blinders world.
🔵 Point (Musicality) — Named the skill, located the moment (climactic brass hit), described what it looked like (simultaneous freeze on the beat). ★ New skill — unique to musical work.
🟢 Explain + Intention — "Music and movement amplified each other." Connects musicality directly to the Peaky Blinders intention.
🔵 Point (Sensitivity) — Named the skill, described what it required in practice (adjusting timing in unison). ★ New skill — unique to group work.
🟢 Explain + Intention — "Shared purpose and trust" maps sensitivity to the gang dynamic intention. Strong.
🔵 Point (Projection) — Named the skill, located the moment (opening stance), described the quality (outward and upward).
🟢 Explain + Intention — "Authority and confidence communicated before moving." Connects projection to character intention with precision.
🔵 Point (Phrasing) — Named the skill, described the energy arc (slow build → sharp release at chorus).
🟢 Explain + Intention — "Tension, anticipation, danger, release" — all tied to Peaky Blinders. Four complete PEE cycles.
Point — skill + moment
Explain — why it served your intention
Activity: Which Category?
🗂️ Sort these skills into the correct expressive category
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Tap a skill to select it, then tap the category box to place it. Check your answers when all 8 are placed.
Question Bank
📋 Practice questions with model answers
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Spot the Level
🔍 Level 1, 2 or 3?
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Question: "Explain how you used expressive skills in your duet/trio performance."
Mini Test
10 questions. Answer all, then submit. 📸 Screenshot your score.
📸 Take a screenshot of your score now and paste it into your ePortfolio.
🗂️ Revisit This — 6 Key Facts
SPF SPF MCSensitivity, Projection, Focus, Spatial Awareness, Phrasing, Facial Expression, Musicality, Communication of Intent.
★ New skillsMusicality and Sensitivity to Other Dancers are only available in duet/trio (not set phrase — solo/metronome).
Opening sentence"I performed in a [duet/trio]. Our intention was…"
SensitivityDon't just say "I was aware of my partners." Say what you sensed, what you adjusted, and what that connection communicated.
MusicalityName the specific musical moment — a beat, a texture change, a silence — and say how you made it visible through your movement.
Spatial Awareness is expressiveNot physical. One of the most common category errors in exams.