Documentation, Reflection, and the Dance Journal

Dance is famously ephemeral: a performance exists only in the moment and then is gone. For this reason, and because the Dance course values process as well as product, documentation and reflection are essential practices. Recording and thinking critically about your work preserves it, deepens your learning, and provides the evidence that assessment requires. This lesson examines how to document and reflect on dance effectively.

Why documentation matters

Because movement cannot be captured on the page as easily as words or music, dancers rely on documentation to preserve and study their work. Video recording captures choreography and performance for review, learning, and assessment. Written records, journals, notes, and reflections, capture the thinking, decisions, and development behind th