Question

which is a dependent clause? during intermission, while we were discussing the performance dodging frantically, a valet ran through the crowd and into the theater dashing after him, two police officers plowed through the lobby crowd discussing the commotion, we decided it was more exciting than the play

Explanation:

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. It often starts with a subordinating conjunction like "while". The clause "during intermission, while we were discussing the performance" has the subordinating conjunction "while" and cannot stand alone. The other options are either phrases (like "dodging frantically, a valet ran through the crowd and into the theater" - the first part "dodging frantically" is a participle phrase) or independent clauses (like "discussing the commotion, we decided it was more exciting than the play" - "we decided it was more exciting than the play" can be a standalone sentence).

Answer:

during intermission, while we were discussing the performance