Acting Quiz for Dancers
(Answer key below)
1) Action is defined as:
A. inspiration
B. movement with purpose
C. martial arts, stage combat and gymnastics
D. lots of intense emotion
2) Making an acting choice means
A. defining your action by asking yourself "what am I doing?" (movement) and "why?" (purpose)
B. imitating a dancer you admire
C. learning the choreography
D. guessing what kind of character the choreographer wants you to play
3) In order to build a character you:
A. create an individual backstory that feeds the overall narrative
B. research the historical period, if applicable
C. consider how the person you are playing has been conditioned by a social convention and personal experience D. all of the above
4) When your choreographer asks for more intensity you should:
A. make an extreme facial expression
B. create an obstacle to your action
C. dredge up emotion from the last time you were upset about something
D. tell the choreographer that you don’t like being intense
5) When your choreographer asks you for more facial expression you should:
A. put on more makeup
B. define your action, intensify your character’s backstory, create an obstacle to your action
C. make a face you think he/she might approve of
D. study a codified set of facial expressions from a 19th century guide for actors
6) Knowing the synopsis of a story ballet well is important because:
A. it is the plot or storyline (narrative), within which you must build a character
B. it is the intermission in performance
C. it is the climax of a narrative, which excites the audience
D. it is a gap in the action, which gives the dancer a rest
7) When your choreographer asks for more emotion you should
A. intensify your backstory to increase what your character has "at stake"
B. make your acting choices more specific and personal
C. examine how your personal artistic concerns mesh with the piece on which you are working
D. all of the above
8) My acting ability will improve if I:
A. practice acting techniques every day, in class
B. practice acting techniques in auditions
C. practice acting techniques in performance
D. all of the above
Answer Key:
1) B
2) A
3) D
4) B
5) B
6) A
7) D
8) D
Questions? Ask me after class! - Christine