Writing Dance Criticism and Reflection

The final step in analysis is communicating it clearly in writing. Whether you are producing a formal analysis for assessment, a critical review, or a reflective account of your own work, effective dance writing turns observation and interpretation into an argument a reader can follow. This lesson addresses how to write about dance well, including the reflective writing that documents your own creative and performance process.

The purposes of dance writing

Writing about dance serves several purposes. Critical analysis examines and interprets a work, building an evidence-based argument about how it is made and what it means. Reviewing offers an informed evaluation and response, often for a general reader. Reflective writing documents and examines your own process as a choreographer or perfo