Introduction to Dance

DEFINITION OF DANCE

What is DANCE?
Dance is different from athletics or
other daily activities because it focuses
primarily on “an aesthetic or even
entertaining experience” quoted by Myers in
the book of Aparato et.al, 2017.
It provides variety of functions
throughout history due to its
multidimensionality. Although there have
been immense comparative differences in
period and culture, people still dance mainly
for four reasons:
 To please the gods;
 To please others;
 To please themselves or self-
expression; and
 To build community within an ethnic
group or social interaction (Myers,
2005)

Dance is an expression mankind’s deed

moods and emotions. It gives us an
experience similar to that which we gain
from plays- the expressive movement and
gestures of the dancers can bring us
pleasure and satisfaction or release from
tensions which the dance itself creates in
us.

Dance offerings today at all academic levels

are increasingly broad in scope and rich in
content. It is one of the most neglected arts
that this modern-day society needs badly.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE DANCES COME

FROM?
 Dance can be seen among all the
people and civilizations of the world.
Dances thrived at the different periods of
history and mostly were a result of
intercultural exchange and contact
(Alejandro & Santos – Gana, 2002). The
origins of dance are rooted in the pre-
historic past. Various artistic, religious,
and social forces started out of the
incorporation and development of dance.
 Dance has been a major form of
religious ritual and social expression
within primitive cultures.
Nevertheless, the dances during pre-
historic time have been fully
recorded. It is only during pre-
Christian era that the real knowledge
of dance came about with the great
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern
civilizations.
 In Ancient Greeks, also though a
highly of dance. For them, it was
closely linked with either kinds of
experiences. Dancing was taught as
an aid of military education among
the boys in Athens and Sparta.
 Dance was also used in education.
Greek philosophers such as Plato,
Aristotle, and Socrates strongly
supported this art as an integration of
the boy and soul.
 The Ancient Rome, on the other
hand, gave less importance to
dancing. It stopped valuing such
qualities in arts as the nation grew
wealthy and powerful. The Romans
ceased to create and perform within
the arts themselves.
Introduction to Dance
DEFINITION OF DANCE

What is DANCE?
Dance is different from athletics or
other daily activities because it focuses
primarily on “an aesthetic or even
entertaining experience” quoted by Myers in
the book of Aparato et.al, 2017.
It provides variety of functions
throughout history due to its
multidimensionality. Although there have
been immense comparative differences in
period and culture, people still dance mainly
for four reasons:
 To please the gods;
 To please others;
 To please themselves or self-
expression; and
 To build community within an ethnic
group or social interaction (Myers,
2005)

Dance is an expression mankind’s deed

moods and emotions. It gives us an
experience similar to that which we gain
from plays- the expressive movement and
gestures of the dancers can bring us
pleasure and satisfaction or release from
tensions which the dance itself creates in
us.

Dance offerings today at all academic levels

are increasingly broad in scope and rich in
content. It is one of the most neglected arts
that this modern-day society needs badly.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE DANCES COME

FROM?
Dance can be seen among all the
people and civilizations of the world.
Dances thrived at the different periods of
history and mostly were a result of
intercultural exchange and contact
(Alejandro & Santos – Gana, 2002). The
origins of dance are rooted in the pre-
historic past. Various artistic, religious,
and social forces started out of the
incorporation and development of dance.
 Dance has been a major form of
religious ritual and social expression
within primitive cultures.
Nevertheless, the dances during pre-
historic time have been fully
recorded. It is only during pre-
Christian era that the real knowledge
of dance came about with the great
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern
civilizations.
 In Ancient Greeks, also though a
highly of dance. For them, it was
closely linked with either kinds of
experiences. Dancing was taught as
an aid of military education among
the boys in Athens and Sparta.
 Dance was also used in education.
Greek philosophers such as Plato,
Aristotle, and Socrates strongly
supported this art as an integration of
the boy and soul.
 The Ancient Rome, on the other
hand, gave less importance to
dancing. It stopped valuing such
qualities in arts as the nation grew
wealthy and powerful. The Romans
ceased to create and perform within
the arts themselves.
 In Europe, the Catholic Church was
follow the fall of Rome transformed
the history of dance. The Christian
approved the use of dance, provided
that its form and intent were holy and
profound. Dances then became part
of worships and church services.
Although church had commended
dance as entertainment, some
singers, dancers, poets, actors,
musicians, and jugglers continued to
wander during the Dark and Early
Middle Ages. At the same time, the
common people also amused
themselves by doing dances that
were social in character. This
marked the beginning of Social
Dancing. Nobility soon followed the
peasants’ lead in dancing but in
more refined and courtly form. Court
dances emerged as part of the
chivalric way of life.
 Dance then was wholly accepted in
the courts during the early
Renaissance as the gradual increase
of the capitalist produced patrons of
learning and art in Europe. During
the Renaissance, dance and art in
general gained impetus.

NATURE OF DANCE
Dance is the art of moving in rhythm
usually in time with music. In dancing, a
story is told by elaborate dance
movements, formalized gestures and
chanting. Take for example, our very own
Philippine folk dance, “Tinikling”, it tells the
story of the long legged tikling birds as it run
through the weeds and the rice paddies.
 Dancing is one of the oldest and
most popular forms of exercise. Several
forms of are considered aerobic since they
entail about an hour of “continuous
exercises, choreographed to music” quoted
by Fine in the book of Aparato et.al, 2017.
According to Polly de Mille, an exercise
physiologist at the Women’s Sports
Medicine Center in New York, the health
benefits gained through dancing are similar
to the other forms of activities that involved
sustained effort in the target zone.
(www.highbeam .com, accessed January 4,
2016)

BENEFITS OF DANCING
PHYSICAL
 Develops cardiovascular and
muscular endurance
 Improves coordination, balance,
flexibility, and body composition
 Lowers risk of cardiovascular
diseases
 Lowers mass index
 Lowers resting heart rate
 Improves lipid metabolism
 Enables joint mobility
MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL
 Helps keep brain sharp
 Decreases incidence of Dementia
and Alzheimer’s disease
 Decrease depressive symptoms
 Increase self- esteem and improves
body image
 Aids in releasing emotional and
physical tension
SOCIAL
 Gives sense of togetherness within a
group
 Encourages social interaction and
interpersonal relationship in a group
 Contributes to the individual’s
potential for self-actualization in
society
CULTURAL
 Promotes cultural values

TIME

It refers to the speed of movements.

Usually, quick and sudden movements are
made in a backward direction while slow
and sustained motions are correlated with
reaching forward. Time is expressed
through the rhythm of the human body as
pulse, heartbeat, breath. An individual
reflects inherent rhythmic functions in a
movement that may be realized by
observing walking across the floor without
accompaniment. The mood of a dance
performance is most influenced by
variations in the property of time.
Dance utilizes time in various ways like in:
1. Tempo – slow, fast, accelerating and
decelerating.
2. Duration – the length of time a step
or movement is used
3. Rhythm – a regulated pattern
formed by a long or short notes.
The movements in timing may be executed
in varying tempo (speed). Performers move
with tempo of an underlying sound, known
as bet or pulse.
ENERGY

It involves the idea of weight, gravity,

energies in motion and relationships in
space. Force is concerned with concepts
such as strength, manifested in downward
movements, and lightness, shown in
upward movements. Flow involves the
aspect of movement as rigidity, stability,
flexibility, and fluency. Expressions of
feelings and emotions are connected to the
flow of dancer performance.
Sustained movement is even,
smooth, and free of sudden and sharp
actions. This requires maximum muscular
control. It also elicits feelings of calmness,
self-control, restraint and sometimes,
mystery. Emotions of power, vigor,
explosiveness, directness, and
aggressiveness are evoke through
percussive movement.
The movements here propelled by energy
or force. Dance uses different energies and
a varied use of these, minimizes the
monotony of the movements in a
performance. There are qualities of dance
energies presented below:
Sustained – Movements are done
smoothly and continuously, and with flow
and control. It does not have a clear
beginning and ending.
Percussive – Movements are explosive or
sharp in contrast with sustained
movements. They are accented with thrust
energy. They have a clear beginning and
ending.
Vibratory – Movements consist of
trembling and shaking.
Swinging – Movements trace a curve line or
an arc in space.
Suspended – Movements are perched in
space or hanging on air. Holding a raised
led in any directions is an example of a
suspended movement.
Collapsing - Movements are released in
tension and gradually or abruptly giving
in to gravity, letting the body descend to
the floor

Philippine Folk Dance

What is Folk Dance?
Folk dances are the indigenous
dances of any specific “folk” or the common
people. They are traditional customary or
recreational dance forms of a given country
which have evolved naturally and were
handed down across generations.
Folk dances are related to everything
that are important in our daily lives, such as
customs, rituals, and occupations of a
specific group of people. Most of these
dances are related in origin to religious
belief, stemming from emotions,
superstitions, festivals, ceremonies of birth,
courtship, marriage, death, war and
countless themes common to all people
around the world. According to Duggan,
Schlottmann, &Ruthledgein the book of
Aparato 2017, folk dance became the overt
expression of emotion and ideas which
were peculiarly significant or the re-
enactment of customs and event
constituting an important part of their history
and patterns of daily living.
Lopez (2006) defined Philippine folk
dance as “a traditional mode of expression
that employs bodily movements of
redundant patterns linked to definitive
features of rhythmic beats or music”.
She further stated that Philippine folk
dance, to be called such, should have the
following characteristics:
1. It is traditional.
2. It has an expressive behavior.
3. Simple, basic rhythm dominates the
folk dance and establishes the
pattern of movement.
4. It is created by an unknown
choreographer or by communal
efforts.
5. It performs a function in the life of the
(folk) people.
What are the difference between folk,
national, and ethnic dances?
Folk dances are traditional dances
found in a certain country, while national
dances are also traditional folk dances but
have a national scope. They are popular
and widely danced throughout a given
country, often with a number of regional
variations.
Ethnic dances or ethnological
dances are those performed in primitive
tribes and have retained their close kinship
with religious rituals and community
custom. These dances may “require a
certain level of special performing skills”
(Kraus, 1962). These are also symbolic
in meaning, making it harder for those
outside the group to understand. They can
be performed in three different categories,
namely, ritual, life-cycle, and occupational.
In the Philippines, dances originating
from the Ifugao people of the Northern
Luzon, T’boli tribe from Southern Mindanao,
and Tagbanua tribe from Palawan are
examples of ethnic dances.
Below are few examples of the different
types of ethnic dances:
1. Ritual dance –A kind of ethnic
dance that depicts ritual ceremonies.
Examples are Dugso (Bukidnon) and
Pagdidiwata (Palawan).
2. Life- cycle dances – A dance
relating to the cycle of human life
such as birthing , courtship, wedding,
Philippine Folk Dance
What is Folk Dance?
Folk dances are the indigenous
dances of any specific “folk” or the common
people. They are traditional customary or
recreational dance forms of a given country
which have evolved naturally and were
handed down across generations.
Folk dances are related to everything
that are important in our daily lives, such as
customs, rituals, and occupations of a
specific group of people. Most of these
dances are related in origin to religious
belief, stemming from emotions,
superstitions, festivals, ceremonies of birth,
courtship, marriage, death, war and
countless themes common to all people
around the world. According to Duggan,
Schlottmann, &Ruthledgein the book of
Aparato 2017, folk dance became the overt
expression of emotion and ideas which
were peculiarly significant or the re-
enactment of customs and event
constituting an important part of their history
and patterns of daily living.
Lopez (2006) defined Philippine folk
dance as “a traditional mode of expression
that employs bodily movements of
redundant patterns linked to definitive
features of rhythmic beats or music”.
She further stated that Philippine folk
dance, to be called such, should have the
following characteristics:
1. It is traditional.
2. It has an expressive behavior.
3. Simple, basic rhythm dominates the
folk dance and establishes the
pattern of movement.
4. It is created by an unknown
choreographer or by communal
efforts.
5. It performs a function in the life of the
(folk) people.
What are the difference between folk,
national, and ethnic dances?
Folk dances are traditional dances
found in a certain country, while national
dances are also traditional folk dances but
have a national scope. They are popular
and widely danced throughout a given
country, often with a number of regional
variations.
Ethnic dances or ethnological
dances are those performed in primitive
tribes and have retained their close kinship
with religious rituals and community
custom. These dances may “require a
certain level of special performing skills”
(Kraus, 1962). These are also symbolic
in meaning, making it harder for those
outside the group to understand. They can
be performed in three different categories,
namely, ritual, life-cycle, and occupational.
In the Philippines, dances originating
from the Ifugao people of the Northern
Luzon, T’boli tribe from Southern Mindanao,
and Tagbanua tribe from Palawan are
examples of ethnic dances.
Below are few examples of the different
types of ethnic dances:
1. Ritual dance –A kind of ethnic
dance that depicts ritual ceremonies.
Examples are Dugso (Bukidnon) and
Pagdidiwata (Palawan).
2. Life- cycle dances – A dance
relating to the cycle of human life
such as birthing , courtship, wedding,

and funeral. Examples are Binasuan

(Pangasinan) and Dalingdaling
(Muslim courtship dance form Sulu).
3. Occupational dance – A kind of
dance that exhibit work and
occupation of the dancers. Examples
are Mag Asik (Cotabato) and
Mananagat (Cebu) dances.
The Philippines has a very rich and
varied folk dances. There are hundreds of
traditional dance collections found in the
country that are mostly for all occasions.
They come from the southern to northern
parts of the Philippine islands. These
dances exhibit the customs, ideas, beliefs
superstitions, and events of daily living in a
certain Filipino community. The origin of the
dances may be seen by looking at the
costumes, props, and implements of a
certain group or tribe.
Wedding dances
Example: (Livio& Carina Wedding
Dance)
What are the different types of Philippine
Folk Dance?
There are several ways to classify
Philippine folk dances. According to Reyes-
Aquino 2017 folk dances may be classified
by geographical extent of origin, nature,
speed of movement, formation, and
distinguishing feature.
The three major regional
classifications of Philippine folk dances are
tribal dances for the Cordilleras, dances
from lowland Christians, and Muslim
dances.
1. Tribal dance from the Cordilleras
– It includes no-Christian dances from
the Cordilleras.
2. Lowland Christian dances
–These come from places with
Western influences such as that of
the Tagalogs, Ilokanos,
Pampanguenos, Pangasinense,
Bisayans, and Bicolanos. These
dances are influenced by Hispanic
and European cultures.
3. Muslim dances
–These are from the people of the
Southern islands of the Philippines
such as in Mindanao and Sulu.
These dances are influenced by
Arabic and Indo- Malayan cultures.
Philippine folk dances, regardless of their
classification, may also be categorized as:
1. Life-cycle dances – It serve as ritual as
one passes to a different stage in life such
as from birth to childhood to adulthood.
Below are some different dances that
portray life-cycle:
Courtship dances
Example: (La Kuratsa)
2. Festival dances- Dances that are either
religious or secular and are connected with
the celebration of recurring events of
special significance.
Example: (Sublian Festival)
 For video- source:
3. Occupational dances – Dances that
depict the means of livelihood of the Filipino
people.
Example: (Magsasaka)
4. Ritual and ceremonial dances –
Dances performed as part of the rituals and
ceremonies of a certain tribe or group of
people.
5. Mimetic or drama dances – Dances
that mimic animals, inanimate objects, or
other people. The dancers get into roles
other than themselves and become actors,
totally immersed in the story behind the
dance. The Itik-itik dance from Surigao is an
example of a mimetic dance as it imitates
the movements of a duck.
6. War dances- Dances that express feud
and enmity wherein to male dancers

engage in physical combat with Spartan-like

intensity (Loper,2006). Maglalatik is an
example of war dance as this depicts a
battle between Muslims of Southern
Philippines and Christian Filipinos of
lowland overlatik (the residue after coconut
boils down).
7. Social amenities dances – Dances that
express social graces, hospitality, and
offerings of gifts to friends.
The Fundamentals of Movement
An understanding of fundamentals of
movement is necessary before dance can
be used as a means of expression or
communication. Movement may be axial or
loco-motor, using personal space or general
space. Axial movement is a movement of
the body or any part of the body over
stationary based support. Flexion,
extension, rotation bending, stretching and
twisting, or any combination of these
movements plus a forceful release of
energy produces an interesting design
pattern.
Types of Movements:
1. LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENT SKILL -
These are movements that cause the
body to travel from one spot to another.
They form the establishment of the
gross motor coordination and involve
large muscle movements.
EXAMPLES:
 Walking - It is the transfer of weight
from one foot to other foot.
 Hopping - It is the transfer of weight
on the same foot. The body springs
into the air from one foot and lands on
the same foot.
 Leaping - It is the transfer of weight
from one foot to the other as in a run,
but a great spring causes the body to
be in the air for a moment with both
feet off the floor. The leap may be long
and low or short and high.
 Sliding - It is a combination of two
walking steps. The forward step or
the first part of the movements is
rhythmically long, and the second
step, in which the other foot is brought
up to the forward foot and the weight
placed on it, is rhythmically short.
 Galloping - It is the combination of a
leap and a walk. The leap, the first part
of the movement, is rhythmically long,
and the walk onto the other foot is
rhythmically short.
 Skipping - It is a combination of a walk
and a hop. The movement is
performed on the same foot. The step,
which is the first part of the movement,
is rhythmically long, and the hop which
is the second part of the movement is
short.
 Jumping - It is the movement in which
the body springs into the air from one
or both feet lands on both feet.
 Running - It is the transfer of weight
from one foot to the other foot with a
slight spring as the weight leaves the
back foot to come down on the forward
foot. The toes touch the floor first, and
then the heel comes down. The
movement of the legs and feet can
cause the body to be carried upward
as well as the forward.

2. NON-LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENT
SKILLS -These are movements
performed without significant movement
from place to place.
EXAMPLES:
 Bending - It is to incline the body by
contracting a shortening of a body part
from a joint.
 Stretching - It is to flex by extending
or strengthening a body part from a
joint.

Common Dance Terms

Arms and Hands
 Abrasete –This is a Spanish origin
wherein the girl at the right side of the
boy holds his right arm with her left
hand, free hands down at the side.
 Hayon – hayon –A Visayan term which
means to place one forearm in front and
the other behind the waist.
 Jaleo – A Tagalog term of Spanish
origin wherein partners stand side by
side facing opposite direction. Hands on
waists, elbows near or almost touching
one another.
 Kumintang – An Ilocano term which
refers to turning the hand from the wrist
and either clockwise or counter
clockwise direction.
 Kunday – Kunday – It is similar to
kumintang, but done twice for every
movement on a faster beat.
 Salok – A Tagalog term which means to
scoop the arm downward upward in
front of the body; the trunk following the
movements of scooping arm
Foot
 Brush – With the weight on one foot,
swing the free foot and hit, strike or
touch the floor lightly with the heel or
ball of the foot.
 Cut – To displace quickly on foot with
one another.
 Place – To put the foot flat on the floor
without putting weight on it.
 Pivot – To turn with the ball, heel or
whole foot on fixed placed or point.
 Point – Touch toe or ball of free foot on
floor and remain there briefly.
 Slide – To glide the sole of one foot
along the floor with or without weight.
 Stamp – To bring the foot forcibly and
noisily to the floor.
 Step – A simple transfer of weight from
one foot to the other foot.
 Tap – Toe or ball of free foot is placed
momentarily on floor lifted again
immediately.
 Touch – It is same as point.

Company
 About Us
 StuDocu World University Ranking 2021
 Doing Good
 Academic Integrity
 Jobs
 Dutch Website
Contact & Help
 F.A.Q.
 Contact
Legal
 Terms
 Privacy Policy
 Cookie Statement
Social