PE 1

• According to Barbara Mettler, 1980: 

- Dance is an activity which can take many forms and fill many different needs. It can be recreation, entertainment, education, therapy, and religion. In its purest and most basic form, dance is art, the art of body movement.

➢ It is a form of art using rhythmic bodily movement expressing ideas and emotions and accompanied by music.

➢ As an art form, it may tell a story, set a mood, or express an emotion.

➢ Recreation.

➢ Socialization.

• HISTORY 

• Prehistoric Period

- In its earliest forms, dance was often a celebration or

ceremony. For example, hunters would dance both before and after a hunt.

• Greek Period

- Greek dance evolved from basic dramatic form which incorporated dance, music, spoken words, and costumes

• Roman Period

- In Ancient Roman times, dance was considered a form of entertainment, and it was heavily influenced by the Ancient Greek.

- There is one particular Roman dance that was considered to be a native dance, this was called the Bellicrepa.

• Medieval Period

- Medieval dances showcased a variety of rich cultures from different parts of Europe.

- Instruments such as drum and lutes were also used while dancing.

E.g., Egg Dance

• Renaissance Period

- This Period saw the birth of the theatre in dance in the courts of Italian City states.

• Classic Period

-Ballet became a spectacle in every court. Public ballet performaces.

• Modern Period

- During the 20th century, jazz and tap dance became popular as classic ballet continued to flourish. Social dances such as the foxtrot, twostep, Boston, Charleston, Castle walk, Castle Polka, tango, conga, and rumba.

• Benefits of Dance and Creative Movement

  • Social:

✓ Give sense of togetherness\within a group

✓ Encourages positive social interaction & interpersonal relationship in a group

✓ Potential for self-actualization in society.

• Mental/Emotion

✓ Helps keep the brain sharp

✓ Decreases incidence of dementia & Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

✓ Increase self-esteem & improve body image.

• Physical

✓ Develops cardiovascular & muscular endurance

✓ Improves coordination, balance, flexibility, & body composition.

✓ Lowers cardiovascular disease, BMI, resting heart rate

✓ Enables joint mobility

• Cultural

 ✓ Promotes cultural value

• The Elements of Dance

• Space 

– this is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided in four different aspects, also known as spatial  elements.

a. Direction – dance movement can travel in any direction.

b. Size – movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions.

c. Level – movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level

d. focus – performers may change their focus by looking at different directions

• Timing

- the movements in timing may be executed in varying

tempo (speed). Performers move with the tempo of an underlying sound, known as beat or pulse. The timing can be varied by moving faster or slower than the normal beat. When a sequence of a movement or group of phrases is done in varying tempos, they

generate rhythmic patterns. The addition of silences or pauses also adds to rhythmic patterns.

• 3. Dance Energies 

– the movements here propelled by energy or

force. A force can either initiate or stop an action. Dance uses different energies and a varied use of these minimizes the monotony of the movements in a performance. There are six qualities of dance energies presented :

a. Sustained – movements are done smoothly, continuously, and flow and control. It does not have a clear beginning and ending.

b. Percussive – movements are explosive or sharp in contrast with sustained movements. They are accented with thrust of energy. They have a clear beginning and ending.

c. Vibratory – movements consist of trembling or shaking. A faster version of percussive movements that produces a jittery effect (Minton, 2007)

d. Swinging – movements trace a curved line or an arc in space. The movements are relaxed and giving in to gravity on the downward part of the motion, followed by an upward application of energy.

e. Suspended – movements are perched in space or hanging on air.

Holding a raised leg in any direction is an example of a suspended

movement.

f. Collapsing – movements are released in tension and gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity, letting the body descend to the floor. A slow collapse can be described as a melting or oozing action in a downward direction (Minton, 2007).

• Bodily Shapes 

– it refers to how the entire body is molded in space or the configuration of body parts. The body can be rounded, angular, or a combination of two. Other body shapes can be from wide to narrow and from high to low. They can be symmetrical and asymmetrical.

a. Symmetrical – balanced shape; movements are practically identical

or similar on both side.

b. Asymmetrical – unbalanced shape; movements of two sides of th body do not match or completely different from each other

• Group Shapes 

– in this element, a group of dancers perform movements in different group shapes. They are arranged in ways that are wide, narrow, rounded, angular, symmetrical, or asymmetrical and are viewed together as a total picture or arrangement within a picture frame (Minton, 2007)

• CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE 

• Unity 

– the interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent and flow smoothly together. The movements fit each plays an important role that contributes to the entirety of a dance.

• Continuity and Development 

– the phrases of the dance that are organized progressively, making each movement phrase move naturally into the next. There is a continuous development of the movement phrase and the audience is swept along to the end.

• Variety and Contrast 

– making one or several variations that highlight the face of the motif. This provides variety within the development of a dance.

• Transition 

– this is the link between movements, phrase, and sections of the dance. It makes the logical progression of the dance flow smoothly. Also, it is vital because it keeps the unity and continuity of the dance.

• Repetition 

– it emphasizes movements and phrases that are important to the dance and gives feeling of closure to a work (Minton, 2007).

• Climax 

– this is where the apex of energy in the dance is reached (Schrader, 1996)