Dance Development of the Catholic Church

l most basic form of art, the art of body l transformed the history of dance
movement l dance was performed within the church
l people dance for 4 main reasons; during religious ceremonies
ü to please the gods l became part of worships and church
ü to please others srvices
ü to please oneself/ self-
expression Social Dancing
ü to build community within an l the peasants performed 2 kinds of
ethnic group or social dances;
interaction ü round dance
-dancers hold eac other by hand, forming
Dance as a form of Ritual & Social Expression a long chain and move about in an open
l expressing and reinforcing tribal unity or closed circle
and strength ü couple dance
l approach for courtship and mating -was not as popular as the round dance
l means of worsip as it was considered scandalous
l communication
l therapeutic experience Court Dances
l (nobles) their dance steps were limited to
Pre-christian Era gliding, curtseying and posinga s if they
l dance became highly recognized in were not able to move freely, performed
ancient egypt w/c was reflected in their on marbled floors called the ballroom
wall paintings, relief, and heiroglyphs l (peasants) latge movements and wide
stepping figures, they danced on grass
Ancient Greece or on the beaten earth of the town
l thought highly of dance
l taught as an aid to military education Renaissance
among the boys in Athens & Sparta l whollya ccepted in the courts
l religious worship l dance & art gained impetus
l military training l entertainers became valuable
l entertainment & display appendage to the courts of France & Italy
l education l Rise of ballet
ü Plato, Aristotle & socrates
strongly supported this art as an
integration of the human body Benefits of Dance
and soul l Physical
ü develops cardiovascular and
Ancient Rome muscular endurance
l gave less importance to dance ü improves coordination, balance,
l dance became brutal and flexibility, and body composition
sensationalized as their entertainers ü lowers risk of cardiovascular
were slaves and captives diseases
l it was used for gruesome purposes ü lowers body mass index
l it became an integral part of corruption, ü lowers resting heart rate
resulting in the condemnation of dance ü improves lipid metabolism
by the early Christians ü enables joint mobility
 ü improves and maintains bone control, does not have a clear
density beginning or end
ü prevents osteoporosis ü percussive- movements are
ü helps recover coordination & explosive or sharp, accented
non-muscular skill after injury with thrust of energy, has a
clear beginning and end
l Mental/ Emotional
ü helps keep the brain sharp ü vibratory- movements consist of
ü decreases incidence of trembling or shaking
dementia & alzheimers
ü decreases depressive ü suspended- movements are
symptoms perched in space or hanging on
ü increases sel-esteem and air
improves body image
ü aids in releasing emotional and ü collapsing- movements are
physical tension released in tension and
gradually or abruptly giving in to
l Social gravity, letting the body
ü gives sense of togetherness descend to the floor
within a group
ü encourages positive social l Bodily Shapes
interaction and interpersonal ü Symmetrical- balanced shape,
relationship within a group movements are practically
ü contributes to the individaul’s similar on both sides
potential for self-actualization in ü Asymmetrical- unbalanced
society shape; movements of the two
sides do not match
l Cultural
ü Promotes cultural values l Group Shapes
ü group of dancers perform
movements in different group
Elements of Dance shapes
l Space- the area the performers occupy ü arranged in ways that are wide,
and where they move rounded, angular, symmetrical
ü direction or asymmetrical
ü size ü viewed together as a total
ü level picture
ü focus

l Timing- movements in timing may be

executed in varying tempo (speed)
performers move with the tempo of an
underlying sound (beat or pulse)

l Dance Energies
ü sustained- movements are done
smoothly, and with flow and