Dance Midterm HKIN 342 TWU

Musical Theatre/Broadway Jazz

A form first seen in the 1920s on Broadway (new york) and in film; influenced by ballroom, ballet, tap and even early modern. Involves singing/ lip- syncing and dancing.Broadway Jazz truly evolved from earlier forms of Musical Theatre; dancing and singing, used to tell a story,

Swing

An American social dance that originated alongside Jazz music in Harlem, New York City. It has many forms/styles: Shag, Lindy Hop, Charleston, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing that evolved in the 1920s and 30s and continued into the 40s and 50s

How does swing dancing work

physical social form of dance involving partners where the male is known as the “lead” and the female is known as the “follow”.  The East Coast basic step consists of two 2 beat steps and a “rock step” (also known for its Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick rhythm) and is characteristic of this style.

Jazz

Originated in 1930s-1950s; was heavily influenced by the vernacular dances of the Africans when brought to the Americas on slave ships and has roots in Caribbean and Latin American traditional dance. It developed alongside Jazz music in New Orleans.

what are the key elements of jazz

key elements include syncopated rhythm, isolations, improvisation, a low center of gravity and a high level of energy. always developed in parallel to popular music.

Lyrical Jazz

A combination of Jazz and ballet.  An expressive way to dance with movements based on music and lyrics to create imagery and communicate a message or story.

Liturgical

A form of lyrical dance, expressive and meant as a form of worship and spiritual connection for the dancer and audience to God. 

Tap

Emerged in the 1920s and developed alongside Jazz music.  A style of American theatrical dance, distinguished by percussive footwork, that marks out precise rhythmic patterns on the floor; focussing on the development of rhythmic ability and its relation to musicality and sequencing.

What are tap dance inspirations

Irish solo step dance, English clog dance, Spanish Flamenco, and African dance movements. Shoes eventually became a hard soled leather shoe with metal plates. 

Ballet

includes traditional steps, positions, and body carriage. While also providing a technical foundation and understanding of dance positions and proper placement while developing overall coordination and a sense of poise and grace.

Ballet origins

Originated in Italian Renaissance courts and was brought to France by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th Century. Often involves a classic story line and utilizes simple gestures and characterization. 

Contemporary Ballet

maintains elements of traditional ballet (lower body) and incorporates the stylistic movements of other genres such as modern. 

Modern

There are very broad parameters within this style of dance. Viewed as a rebellion against ballet. Focusses on self-expression and individualism; it embraces abstractionism, performance art, contact improvisation, release technique, and improvisation.

LABAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS  

 Rudolph Laban (1879-1958) - the developed LMA based on: 

• Theory used mainly in dance& gymnastics 

• 2 types of movement: functional & expressive 

• F & E help to appreciate the nature of movement, objectives and context 

LABAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS (LMA) aims to: 

1. Structure learning tasks 

2. Observe& analyze movement 

3. Communicate an accepted terminology/ vocabulary 

4. Evaluate content & develop a curriculum 

Dance Elements of LMA  (4)

• body

• effort/dynamics

• shape

• space

Body

• INITIATION of movement starting from specific body parts- which body parts are moving 

• CONNECTION of different body parts to each other-which body parts are connected 

• SEQUENCING of movement between body parts- which parts are influenced by others 

• PATTERNS of body organization-general statements about body organization 

 

Effort/dynamics

• EFFORT= Space, weight and time  

• SPACE: direct/indirect 

• WEIGHT: strong/light 

• TIME: sudden/sustained 

• FLOW= the continuousness of or “ongoingness” of motions (it is difficult to remove flow) 

• FLOW: bound (lacking flow)/ free (a sense of continuousness) 

Shape

the way the body changes shape during movement 

• FORMS- static shapes- wall-like, ball-like, pin-like 

• MODES OF SHAPE CHANGE- - the way the body is interacting with and the relationship the body has to the environment 

• SHAPE QUALITIES-describes whether the body is OPENING (growing larger with extension) or CLOSING (growing smaller with more flexion) 

• SHAPE FLOW SUPPORT- the absence or presence of torso movement (specifically in changing shape to support movements of the rest of the body) 

Space

GENERAL SPACE 

• FLOOR PATHWAYS & AIR PATHWAYS ( while travelling) 

• EXTENSIONS- where/what space a movement pattern uses UpStage (US)-DownStage (DS)-Stage Right (SR)-Stage Left (SL) 

• CLASS SPACE- where? A gym, a stage, a room, outside 

• SPACE BETWEEN PEOPLE 

• LEVELS- low, medium, high 

 

PERSONAL SPACE (KINESPHERE) 

• DIRECTIONS- of the body or body parts 

• LEVELS – of body parts used 

• EXTENSIONS- of limbs used 

• LEVELS- patterns made with body parts 

Dance movement purpose and fundamentals

• To provide a variety of movement experiences 

• To enable children to move efficiently and effectively 

• To develop a sense of rhythm 

• Creativity should be a part of all dance & rhythm activities 

• Allow the scope of the activity to determine the degree of freedom 

Ballet positions —> Arms

Ballet positions —> feet

Basic Movement Principles: Balancing

• arabesque, passe, tendu

Basic Movement Principles:Turning

• pirouette, chaine turns, fouettes

Basic Movement Principles: Locomotion

• (Travelling): pas de bouree, chasse, jete

Basic Movement Principles: Jumping

• jete, leap, pas de chat

Dance & the Christian Perspective

Dance is worship. God is pleased with whatever form of dance (no matter how small or great) it is. He is pleased with our worship.

RHYTHM

the basis of music and dance

• Expressive movements are made with or without music

• Body movements tend to be rhythmic (heartbeat, rocking)

Tempo

speed of the music; can be constant or show acceleration or deceleration

Beat

the underlying pulse of the music and is always continuous (even if not heard)

Meter

the organization of beats into regular reoccurring pattern of measures or bars 

• ex. 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/12

Accent

notes or beats in a rhythmic pattern that receives more force than others

Intensity

loud, soft, light, heavy

Phrase

a natural grouping of measures, coherent segments that make up a melody

Teaching progressions

1. listen and move to the music

2. teach part 1 of the dance without and with music

3. teach part 2 without and with music

4. do part 1 & 2 together without and with music

5. repeat the additional parts, adding to the last section

6. put the entire dance together without music

7. identify trouble spots

8. reviews and refine

9. practice without teacher

10. preform

Phrase

• is to dance as a sentence is to a book

• is considered the smallest and simplest unit of form

• has a beginning, a middle and end 

• is made up of individual movements that share common elements of intent

Motif

When a phrase is manipulated or changed, commonly used dance improvisational technique

Repetion

simply repeat the exact movement