DANCE PERFORMING ARTS

What is Dance?
•Dance is an integral part of
human life and culture.
•Dance exists in a large variety of
forms and for different purposes,
ranging from social pastime to
theatrical performance and
religious rite.
•Dance is noted for its social
values, its blending of body and
mind, its expressive qualities, its
use as a form of non-verbal
communication and, most
distinctively, its use of the human
body. 
 Creative Rhythms
Folk/ Ethnic dance
Phases
Social and Ballroom Dance
of Dance Recreational Dance
Creative Dance
 CREATIVE
RHYTHYMS
•Are sometimes called fundamental
rhythms or natural dances. A creative
rhythm is an end product of exploration
and improvisation of movements as
children learn to move the parts of their
body and to use them as instruments of
expression.
FOLK/ ETHNIC
DANCE

• Is a cultural art form handed

down from generation to
generations. It communicates the
customs, beliefs, rituals, and
occupations of the people of a
region or country.
•Ethnic tribes have their specific
tribal art forms originated and
danced by the people of the tribe.
 Social and Ballroom Dance
• The setting of the social and ballroom dance is a social gathering
with the more formal atmosphere than the simple and informal
parties in which the recreational dances are the usual forms.
 Recreational Dance
• Includes dance mixers, square
dance round and couple dances.
Many of these dances have simple
patterns and combinations of
walking steps, polka step and the
waltz step. The setting is usually
informal gatherings and parties,
reunions etc.
Creative Dance
Is the highest form of dance. It is the end-
product of exploration and improvisation
of movements as the dancer or the
choreographer expresses his feelings or
emotions, ideas, and interpretations. This
is a dance with a definite form, a beginning
and an ending. The principles of art form
are all observed in the composition of the
dance.

Examples of creative dance are ballet,

jazz,and modern or contemporary dance.
 Dance
Choreography 
-is the art of arranging
dances.
 Important Pieces
of Choreography Every
piece of choreography
has THREE
major components .​

THREE Major Components .

• Beginning
• Middle
• End
BEGINNING AND END CHOREOGRAPHY HAS A DISTINCT
STARTING AND ENDING POINT.

• Opening Pose- Dancers are arranged in a specific formation

which they hold until the choreography begins. This pose is
reflective of the content of the piece. 

•Ending Pose- Dancers assume a specific shape and/or

formation at the end of piece. 

•Button- a sharp hit into a final pose, usually used in

conjunction with an accent found in the music.
•Beginning and Entrance

- Dancers enter the performance space following a specific pathway. Choreography is

used to bring dancers into the performance space. Dancers may enter simultaneously or
in smaller groupings.

• Exit
- Dancers vacate the performance space, leaving it empty at the end of the
choreography. Again dancers use choreography following a specific pathway that leads
them out of the performance space and usually out of the audience’s view.

The middle portion of a piece of choreography is the “dance” itself. The middle of
a piece of choreography can be arranged in several different patterns known as
CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS.
CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS

•AB •  Call and Response

- Two major sections of choreography that - Dancers are arranged in two groups.
contrast with each other. i. e. One group executes a sequence of
        - A is comprised of slow or smooth choreography (calls) and then the
movement, the B section would be fast or second group executes either the
sharp in contrast.  same sequence or a different
sequence (response). 
•ABA
- Three major sections of choreography in • Narrative
which the first and second part contrast each
other and then the original theme is returned - Choreography tries to tell a complete
to for the final phase. i. e.  story. Use of elements is varied as
needed to convey the story being told.
- A is slow, B is fast and A returns to slow.
ELEMENTS OF DANCE
•The body is the instrument of
dance. Just as a painter paints with a
brush, in dance it is through the
body that movements appear.
•You can use: the whole body, body
parts, body zones (front, back, left
side, right side, top half, etc.), and
body bases (what supports the body
ex: feet, hands, head ).
•Initiation: Dance movements are
initiated, or originated by the body.
-Action can include dance steps, facial
movements, lifts, carries, and catches,
and even everyday movements such as
walking.
-Actions can travel (locomotor) or
move on the spot (non-locomotor).

All dance movements can be labeled as

locomotor or non-locomotor.
NONLOCOMOTOR-movements that do
not change location
LOCOMOTOR-movements that travel
SPACE: Is where the body moves. It is the
area occupied by the dancer’s body;
includes direction, size, pathways, levels and
shapes.
Direction: which way a dancer faces or moves; e.g., forward, backward, sideways, up
and down.

Size: magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large movements.

Pathways: patterns made as a dancer moves through the air or on the floor

(straight, vertical, horizontal, zig-zag); can be made with locomotor or non-
locomotor movements, separately or in combination.

Levels: the vertical distance from the floor. Movements take place on three levels:
high, middle or low and deep.

Shapes: the form created by the body’s position in space. Aspects of

shape are open/closed, symmetrical/asymmetrical, angular and curved.​
TIME: The relationship of one movement or
part of a movement to another. 
 How fast or slow (tempo) a dance
movement is.
 How even or uneven (beat) a dance
movement is.
  How long or short (duration) a dance
movement is.
  Varying the speed of movements
provides variety.
Energy: Degree of muscular tension and use
of energy while moving. It refers to the
force of an action.
HOW?
Dynamics: how a movement is done; how
the body moves.
Flow: continuity of movement (bound/free
flowing/balanced/neutral)
Weight: strength or lightness of movement
(heavy/light)
DANCE STYLES
BALLET
- a classic form of dance growing out of the French nobility. Its root is court dances
- It is known for its: standardized dance movements specialized leaps and lifts.
French terminology to describe each standardized movement.
 Pointe shoes for women slippers for men costumes---tights, tutus.
TAP DANCE

• is a percussive dance form in which

dancers produce sound by wearing
shoes to which metal taps have been
added.
• Tap dance, an American dance form
which concentrates on footwork and
rhythm, has roots in African, Irish
and English clogging traditions. Its
roots lie in recreational dance (Irish
Step dance, jig and African steps).
•It is known for An emphasis on
rhythm, Tap shoes, Costumes—
formal to street wear
 JAZZ DANCE 

•American music marked by lively rhythms

with unusual accents and often including
melodies made up by musicians as they play. 
•Its roots are in social dances and early
musical theatre dance.
•It’s known for Stylized movement , Accents
in hands, head, hips and feet, English/French
terminology to describe movements. Jazz
shoes or boots Costume related to theme of
dance Improvisation.
MODERN DANCE 
-a form of dance developed by dancers interested in breaking from ballet traditions and
expressing a more liberating form of movement. It expresses complex emotions and abstract
ideas.
•It is known for: Freedom of movement Usually barefoot but can use shoes based on theme
Costume related to dance theme Improvisation used in the development of choreography.