DANCE THEORY

Introduction

Dance theory is a relatively new concept. It developed in the 20th century. It is closely related to
contemporary dance.

Dance theory is a broad term encompassing the origins, styles, genre, footwork, and artistic

expression of dance.

The three broad categories of dance theory are: philosophy (concerning the aesthetic meanings
behind dance, or semiotics); choreology (movement analysis and description); and sociology
(regarding the role of dance in society and culture). Dance theory explores the communicative,
physical, mental, emotional, and artistic aspects of dance as a medium of human expression and
interaction. It analyses dance with respect to social settings and cultures.

The aesthetics of dance refers to the understanding of the nature of dance, or our interest in
dance, as an art form, portraying judgments of beauty, grace, goodness, excitement, and other
aesthetic qualities. Aesthetically, there are a number of dance theories:

Philosophical Aesthetic Theory

Like any art form, dance is a representation of human emotion, conflict, representation itself, and
overall life. And like the rest of the art world, it should be accessible to all humanity. Dance is a
gift through which the artist shares his/her talents for the betterment of humanity.

Sociological Aesthetic Theory

This is another branch in dance theory developed by anthropologists and sociologists, a.k.a.
social science theory. This theory explores dance ethnic features, for example, dance as a
medium of cultural and social interaction. Different dance genres and styles are analyzed
according to their social settings and cultures. Researchers discuss how dance relates to social
class, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender and other areas.

Therapeutic/Medical Theory

Therapeutic dance theory uses dance therapy or dance movement therapy (DMT) which is the
use of movement and dance for emotional, cognitive, social, behavioral and physical conditions.
DMT is founded on the basis that movement and emotion are directly related. The ultimate
purpose of DMT is to find a healthy balance and sense of wholeness.

Adherents of therapeutic dance theory believe that dance can be used to heal serious disorders
and diseases. Although dance is known for reducing stress, it is also viewed as effective in
helping to heal other disabilities and diseases.

Choreologists Aesthetic Theory

This theory is based on the principles of choreography, which is the art of designing sequences
of movements. Choreography refers to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means
of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing".

The word choreology is commonly used to talk about two different (but complementary)
disciplines: movement analysis and dance notation. Movement analysts study movement itself,
frequently considering its shape, dynamics, or functionality.

The choreologists belief that any good dance should be well choreographed. They ultimately
give attention to directions of movement which are lines in which dance can be created. This
theory combines aesthetics and the pattern in which the body of dancers and his movement on
the floor can be designed. The assumption here is that, when a dance is well choreographed, it
will be able to communicate action, mood and emotion.

PRINCIPLES OF DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY

DMT is conducted by a certified therapist and is known bring positive changes over a wide
range of patient population. They adhere to the following theoretical principles:

 Body and mind are interconnected so that a change in one impacts the other.
 Movement can express aspects of the personality.
 Part of the therapeutic relationship is communicated through non-verbal means.
 Movements can be symbolic and can represent unconscious material/processes.
 Movement improvisation/experimentation can bring about new ways of being.
They aim to:
 Facilitate life-span development.
 Prevent, diagnose, and treat issues that interfere with healthy functioning.
 Assess, evaluate, and develop treatment goals.
 Implement planned interventions.
 Develop and adjust treatment to continuously meet the needs of the client.

DMT is still an evolving field with many unexplored areas. It is increasingly used to treat a
variety of behavioral, psychological, and medical conditions to promote insight, integration
and well-being, as well as to diminish undesirable symptoms. Studies have shown dance to
be important in planning executive decisions.

Dance/movement therapy is a versatile form of therapy founded on the idea that motion and
emotion are interconnected. The creative expression of dance therapy can bolster
communication skills and inspire dynamic relationships. It is commonly used to treat
physical, psychological, cognitive, and social issues such as:

Physical Issues:

 Chronic pain
 Childhood obesity
 Cancer 
 Arthritis
 Hypertension
 Cardiovascular disease

Mental Health Issues:

 Anxiety
 Depression
 Eating Disorders
 Poor self-esteem
 Post-traumatic stress
Cognitive Issues:

 Dementia (impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions – interfering with

daily activities – caused by damage to brain nerve cells)
 Autism (ASD – autism spectrum disorder – a brain developmental disability)
 Communication issues

THE PHILOSOPHY OF DANCE

Dance is multifaceted enough which makes it connect with many branches of philosophy.
Dance has been practiced throughout history for artistic, educational, therapeutic, social,
political, religious and other purposes. There are also types of dance that are not considered as
dance proper, such as digital dance, or types of competition dance that have features that make
them similar to aesthetic sports like gymnastics.

Philosophical approaches (once these are identified) provide some of the many ways to approach
dance in order to better understand what it is and why it matters.

1. Analytic Ontology of Dance as Art

The dance philosophy that is a subset of philosophical aesthetics is interested in the question,
“what is the nature of dance as art?” This is an attempt to find a true definition or “essence” of
dance, an object of appreciation that can be evaluated independently of any particular subjective
experience or perspective of it, in this way hoping to identify something “true” about dance as
art.

2. Dance as Agency and Intentional Action

This philosophical approach to dance focuses at looking at the expert action involved in dance as
art. When considering dance as a form of expert action (similar to sports, for example), the
technical and athletic prowess as well as artistic skills such as expressivity or grace, are the focus
of analysis. This approach focuses on the thinking and inside activities that take place in the
studio or on the stage or other performance contexts, as well as literature. It also focuses on the
agency and activities of audience members or appreciators who are not dancers and dance-
makers. 
3. Dance, Lived Experience and Somatic Awareness
There are fields of philosophy, particularly in the pragmatic (practical), and non-Western
traditions, that treat art as both activity and as experiential phenomena. These phenomenological
kinds of philosophy treat lived experience (experience or involvement, choices and knowledge
gained through the experience), including bodily and somatic (physical or exclusively affecting
or relating to the body as opposed to the mind) experience, as something that can provide
legitimate descriptive or causal evidence (explanatory evidence) for philosophic (logical or
rational) claims. 

4. Dance and Cognitive Science

A number of dance philosophers who are interested and involved in using empirical research
(direct observation and measurement of phenomena – experiential, practical, realistic) in the
cognitive sciences (of the mind or intellect) to help our understanding of the cognitive-physical
components of making dance art in actions, events and performances use research on
neurological processing (connected, coordinated or reinforced from the mind – reasoning,
memory, intelligent behavior) of kinesthetic responses (physical, using body organs) to dance in
general.

5. Dance, Film and Digital Technology

Dance is developing in ways that include not just live, bodily performances on stage but dance
that is in digital, filmic and other technological or technologically-enhanced forms. New dance
philosophy (as philosophy of these new dance arts) is emerging accordingly.