Chinese Dance Graded Examination Syllabus

The ‘Chinese Dance Graded Examination Syllabus’ is the first set of standardized teaching materials for quality dance education used for children, teenagers and adolescents in China written by Sun Guangyan. The syllabus categorizes fundamental dance postures, movements, and steps from Chinese classical and folk dances into thirteen levels based on the physiological and psychological characteristics of different age groups. Developed by the Beijing Dance Academy, this syllabus is designed for widespread implementation of dance education amongst preschoolers, children, and adolescents as part of national quality education.

 

Since its initial publication in 1993, this curriculum has gained popularity among children and adolescents. After years of teaching practice and feedback, the "Beijing Dance Academy Chinese Dance Grading Examination Committee" conducted a comprehensive and systematic revision to better align the materials with the physiological and psychological characteristics of different age groups, considering students' learning capacity at each stage. The revised edition consists of thirteen levels, with levels one to ten serving as a general curriculum for children aged 4 to 13, and levels eleven to thirteen as a semi-professional curriculum for youth aged 14 and above.

 

This syllabus is an integral part of the Beijing Dance Academy's Chinese dance training system. The tenth level approaches the standard of the academy's affiliated middle school's second year training, while levels eleven to thirteen directly simplify and popularize the curriculum from the academy's affiliated middle school.

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Beginning in September 2008, the BC Ministry of Education has awarded Chinese Dance Graded Examination Syllabus (CDGES) students with a total of 12 credits to meet their fine arts and/or applied skills graduation requirement. These credits are awarded upon successful completion of the Chinese Dance Syllabus as follows:

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• 4 credits for completing CDGES 7 at the high school Grade 10 level.
• 4 credits for completing CDGES 8 at the high school Grade 11 level.
• 4 credits for completing CDGES 9 at the high school Grade 12 level