What is dance?

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”(Barbara Mettler, 1980)

BENEFITS OF DANCE
Physical
- Develops cardiovascular and muscular endurance
- Improves coordination, balance, flexibility, and body composition
- Lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease
- Lowers body mass index
- Lowers resting heart rate
- Improves metabolism
- Enables joint mobility
- Helps improve and maintain bone density
Mental/Emotional
- Helps keep the brain sharp
- Decreases incidence of dementia
- Decreases depressive symptoms
- increases self esteem and improves body image
- Aids in releasing emotional and physical tension
Social
- Give sense of togetherness within a group
- Encourages positive social interaction
- Contributes to the individual’s potential for self actualization in society
Cultural
- Promotes cultural values

Elements of Dance
Body
Painters have brushes, canvas, and paint. Sculptors shape clay, wood, and metal. A dance’s materials
are their arms, legs, and torsos. Dancers isolate specific body parts or manuplate their entire body to
create lines, shapes and forms.
Action
Any movement of the body while dancing is called action. leaping, walking, hand gestures, facial
expressions, even pauses and rests are all distinct actions. Action can be done in two ways with the
body held in one place or with the body in movement. Stretching, twisting, bending can be done in
one place. Running and Rolling are done as the body is moving through space.
Space
This is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided into four different
aspects, also known as spatial elements
A. Direction - dance movements can travel in any direction ( forward, side, backwards, diagonal,
circular)
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
Time
Every Action a dancer performs has a beginning and end so there’s always an element of time
involved in dance. Like music dance can have structured rhythm. It can also be free flowing and
unpredictable)

Dance Energies
Dance uses different energies. There are six qualities of dance energies ( Helps Identidy Emotions )
A. Sustained-movements are done smoothly, continuously, and with 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 have
a clear beginning and ending
C. Vibratory-movements consists of trembling or shaking. A faster version of percussive movements
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.
F. Collapsing - movements are released in tension and gradually or abrupt;y giving in to gravity,
letting the body descend to the floor

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. They can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
A. Symmetrical - balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both sides
B. Asymmetrical - unbalanced shape; movements of two sides of the body do not match or
completely different from each other