Section B · Choreography
Actions in Choreography
WHAT you choreographed — and how each action type communicates your intent
What you'll learn
- All 8 action types available in AQA GCSE Dance choreography
- How to use actions as deliberate choreographic choices to serve your intent
- How to write a NAME → EXAMPLE → EXPLAIN answer using 5–6 actions
- How to connect each action type back to your choreographic intent
Actions are what the body does — the raw material of movement that you chose as the choreographer. In an actions question, the examiner is not asking you to list action types: they want to know which actions you chose, where you placed them, and why those choices communicated your intent. A jump is just a jump unless you can explain what it communicated in your piece, at that specific moment.
The 8 Action Types
🤸 All 8 action types — tap each to see definition and choreographic use
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Annotated Level 3 Model
✍️ Full L3 answer — Chernobyl trio — tap to annotate
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Intent: Chernobyl trio. Question: "Explain how you used actions in your choreography."
L3 model — actions — Chernobyl trio · tap sections
I choreographed a trio. My choreographic intent was to explore the Chernobyl disaster — an invisible contamination spreading through a community.
Gesture was the primary action throughout — I choreographed small, everyday gestures (a wave, a reaching hand, a glance toward someone) as the opening vocabulary of the piece.
This was effective because ordinary gestures established the normalcy of daily life before the disaster. By choosing the smallest, most human-scale actions, I made the contamination's effect on them all the more devastating when they began to fail.
Stillness was used at the exact moment of the disaster — all three dancers freezing simultaneously mid-gesture. This was effective because the stillness communicated the moment of rupture — the world pausing at the point of catastrophe. The freeze mid-gesture made the interruption feel violent rather than peaceful.
Floorwork increased across the middle and final sections — each dancer progressively moving to lower levels, spending more and more time on the ground. This communicated the physical effects of radiation — the body losing its ability to remain upright, being drawn downward. The increasing use of floorwork traced the progression of contamination through the body.
Transfer of weight was used in the final section — one dancer leaning into another, depending on them to remain standing. This communicated the human instinct to support each other under catastrophe — and the impossible weight of trying to hold someone up when you yourself are failing. The transfer of weight made the human cost physical rather than abstract.
Using different body parts was a deliberate action choice — I choreographed the contamination sequence so it began in the hands, spread through the arms, into the torso, and finally to the whole body. This was effective because the sequential spread of affected body parts made contamination visible and directional — the audience could track exactly where it had reached, communicating the progressive nature of radiation poisoning.
Stillness was used at the exact moment of the disaster — all three dancers freezing simultaneously mid-gesture. This was effective because the stillness communicated the moment of rupture — the world pausing at the point of catastrophe. The freeze mid-gesture made the interruption feel violent rather than peaceful.
Floorwork increased across the middle and final sections — each dancer progressively moving to lower levels, spending more and more time on the ground. This communicated the physical effects of radiation — the body losing its ability to remain upright, being drawn downward. The increasing use of floorwork traced the progression of contamination through the body.
Transfer of weight was used in the final section — one dancer leaning into another, depending on them to remain standing. This communicated the human instinct to support each other under catastrophe — and the impossible weight of trying to hold someone up when you yourself are failing. The transfer of weight made the human cost physical rather than abstract.
Using different body parts was a deliberate action choice — I choreographed the contamination sequence so it began in the hands, spread through the arms, into the torso, and finally to the whole body. This was effective because the sequential spread of affected body parts made contamination visible and directional — the audience could track exactly where it had reached, communicating the progressive nature of radiation poisoning.
🟢 Name + Example — Gesture named, specific examples given: waving, reaching, glancing. These are identifiable as everyday rather than theatrical.
🌿 Explain + Intent — "Smallest, most human-scale actions" — justifies the choice by linking the action type to the choreographic strategy. The "fail" is powerful.
🟢 Name + Example — Stillness named, located precisely: at the moment of disaster, all three, mid-gesture.
🌿 Explain + Intent — "Mid-gesture made the interruption feel violent" — distinguishes this stillness from peaceful stillness. Action type is doing conceptual work.
🟢 Name + Example — Floorwork described as progressive: increasing across sections, more time on the ground each time.
🌿 Explain + Intent — "Traced the progression of contamination through the body." The floorwork is not just visual — it maps the disaster.
🟢 Name + Example — Transfer of weight named, described: one dancer leaning on another to remain standing.
🌿 Explain + Intent — "Impossible weight of trying to hold someone up when you yourself are failing" — the action communicates the human cost with precision.
🟢 Name + Example — Using different body parts as a deliberate strategy: hands → arms → torso → full body.
🌿 Explain + Intent — "Sequential spread made contamination visible and directional" — the action choice maps the spread of the disaster. Five items = full L3.
Name + Example
Explain — why effective for intent
Question Bank
📋 Practice questions with model answers
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Write your own answer using YOUR intent first, then compare.
Spot the Level
🔍 Level 1, 2 or 3?
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Question: "Explain how you used actions in your choreography."
Mini Test
10 questions on actions. 📸 Screenshot your score.
📸 Screenshot your score and paste into your ePortfolio.
🗂️ Revisit This — 6 Key Facts
8 action typesElevation, travel, turn, stillness, floorwork, gesture, transfer of weight, using different body parts.
Opening sentence"I choreographed a [solo/duet/trio/group]. My choreographic intent was…"
Actions as choicesYou chose specific actions for specific reasons. Explain WHAT the action was, WHERE it appeared, and WHY it served your intent.
5–6 action typesFor Level 3 you need five or six different action types with specific examples and explanations.
Transfer of weightEspecially rich in group work — communicates dependency, support, power, or burden between performers.
Stillness IS an actionDon't overlook stillness — a deliberately chosen pause or freeze is as much an action as a jump, and often the most powerful one.