THR 112 Dance Appreciation UNCW (Pivor) Exam 1

fall semester of 2026

Dance

an art form that is displayed through the human body using the medium of movement

True or false. Can dance be found in populated and rural areas?

True

Is dance recognized as a old or new art form?

Old

Where has the earliest evidence of dance been found?

Rock wall paintings in caves.

how did people in the upper paleolithic era dance?

with basic movements, like hopping, clapping etc.

In early cultures, how did people use dance?

to communicate and as a way of life

yanomani

people from South America discussed as a modern day group that still incorporates dance into their daily lives.

amoamo

a dance done before the hunt

what components did ancient civilization dance have?

it had thought combined with dramatic intent and aesthetic elements. they started to care about what it looks like.

how do we know about dance from the ancient period?

pottery, rock art, sculptures, plays, and texts

Tablets of Iguvium

showed insight into the important of roman dance, found in italy.

What country has the longest and richest traditions of dance?

India

Why did people from india dance?

an act of worship, spirit devotion, and storytelling.

Bharata Natyam

temple dance with skill, grace, and stamina. (storytelling, and has to do with your eyes)

How do we know about chinas dance?

Bejing Opera, texts, artifacts, and traditions

True or false. In chinese dance dramas, lead characters are supposed to portray gods.

True

True or false dance in Egypt was expressed as a chief medium of religous expression.

true

Funeral ceremonies were important in Egyptian culture. What did they dance about at them?

the deeds that the person did during their lifetime.

Ancient Egyptian dance included alot of…

walking which transitioned into acrobatics

How many people was Egyptian dance typically performed with?

solo, two or three.

What were 2 important development in Egyptians dance?

1. dance was formally established in religious practice

2. a professional class of dancers was developed.

How do we know about Hebrew Dance?

it was talked about in the old testament in the bible.

Were hebrew men and women allowed to dance together?

occasionally yes.

True or false. Hebrews danced on every possible occasion

True.

Was dance more important to the romans or the greeks?

Greeks, romans were focused on conquest.

why did greek philosphers believe that dance was important?

believed that dance helped build character, and discipline.

Was dance a seperate entity in greece?

no, they said that even playing games, juggling, or tumbling was dancing, along with music and pottery.

What is the earliest reference to greek dancing?

dances performed on Crete (archeological evidence)

True or false. Was dance in Greece used for religious, education, and military training?

true

What did the romans do to dance?

they changed it from being religious into anyone can do it.

How did christians feel about Roman dance?

they felt contradicted since they liked dance, but not how the Romans were carrying it out.

True or false. In Rome, the upperclass avoided dancing.

True

Why did people in Rome dance?

for religion, military, entertainment, and private events (festivals)

the medieval "belly dance"

-in bhagdad, torso sways -rock hips with rhythm

medieval carol/chain dance

people walked for hours in a circle represented the devil

dance in the medieval time was known for doing what…

enhancing one’s spirtiuality

Dance of Death

a medieval dance depicting skeletons dancing with people from all social classes to show the equality of death. (showed afterlife)

towards the end of the medieval period, was dance seen as a punishment or done for fun?

punishment

True or false. Art became looked up upon even when it didn't glorify the church.

false

What was the goal of dance in the renaissance period?

to make Europe happy again after the darkness of the middle ages

During the Renaissance was dance done in a group or individual?

individual

During what period did people start to dance to instrumental music?

Renaissance

aesthetics

evaluating the beauty, artistic, and expressive quality of movement

Does everyone have the same aesthetic preferences?

no.

what goes in to your aesthetic preferences?

trends, things that make you feel beautiful or happy, a reaction of some sort to the dance.

what work was seen as unaesthetic until recently thats now viewed as a work of art?

Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre Du Printemps (Rite of spring) since it had music and dance that was very different from its time period.

what parts of your body does ballet emphasis on?

external rotation of your feet and hips

Ballets purpose

kings and queens can watch or dance in it, and it was practiced recreationally

What is west african dance purpose?

sharing stories, and its a bridge between the spirit and physical world. everyone is involved.

Polyrhythm

body expressing different rhythms to different beats

Polycentrism

movement starting from any part

How do you learn african dance?

by learning through observation

Purpose of Indonesian dance

to balance the universe through movement and reinforce the divine power to a certain audience (9 ppl)

What music comes with indonesian dance?

a gamelan orchestra with 25 musicians

what does indonesian dance do?

it draws attention to the group and not a specific person.

what are the 5 pillars of dance?

body, action, space, time, energy.

why can it be financially difficult to have a career as a dancer?

gig to gig, so no stable money flow

why were some dances prohibited by jews and chrisitans?

they resembled fake gods, or didn’t resemble them at all.

technique

the correct placement and alignment of the dancers body and how that dancer executes movement.