PEH102-SHS-SG-WK3-4

FUTURE READY FUTURE SMART PROGRAM

STUDY GUIDE

Subject PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH

Topic Dance Appreciation and Composition
Level Grade 12
Week Week 3 - 4
School Year 1st Quarter/SY 2021-2022

I. Objectives

• Identify the different characteristics of a good dance.

II. Discussion

Dance Appreciation and Composition

What makes a good dance?

A good dance displays a significant meaning or conveys a message. Sometimes, it
portrays life experiences. Dance may be presented abstractly and symbolically but still
covey emotion and meaning (McGreevy-Nichols et al. 2005). A good dance lifts and
transports the audience from their seats during the performance.
▪ Beginning - shape, pose, or an entrance.
▪ Middle - an exploration of the main idea.
▪ End/conclusion –shape, a pose, an exit.

What is a form?
A form is an instrument by which idea and elements are arranged or combined
into a logical sequence which results in unity and consistency, and through which the
content or idea can be expressed and communicated. It is the organizing factor of any
work or dance composition (Lockhart 1982).
The form should progress through time from the beginning to the end of the
choreography (Mintons, 2007). Each section is composed of several units that are
smoothly connected to each other. The small units are called phrases.

What is a phrase?
When you combine one movement with several others, they form a unit. When
units are pieced together, they make up a section in the choreography and the sections
together form a whole dance. Therefore, “a phrase is the smallest unit of form in the

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whole dance” (Blon and Chaplin, 1988). It can be related to a sentence in writing
compositions. Choreographers and dancers use movement phrasing when working on
dances.

Although Minton (1997) suggests that movement phrases should vary in length
and shape, most of the dances these days use equal length phrases. Commonly, a
single phrase consists of eight counts. It is easier for building routines and choreographic
combinations with an 8-count phrase.

What is a motif?
A good dance contains a theme or a motif to be able to convey its meaning or
intention to the audience. A dance without meaning makes it harder for the audience to
understand; thus, making it superficial and easy to forget.
A single movement or a short phrase of movement that embodies the style and
intention of the dance is called a motif. A good dance uses a motif in which the
movements are repeated, varied, and developed by manipulating the movement
components or elements.
One good example of dance with a motif is the Itik-Itik Philippine folk dance. It is
easy to identify the motif if this dance as it simply portrays the movements of an itik
(duckling).

Characteristics of a Good Dance

What are the characteristics of a good dance?

Like any superb tasting dish, dance can only be considered good if it has the right
ingredients. Whether it has meaning or may be presented abstractly, it must contain
certain qualities that make the choreography effective. These characteristics include
unity, continuity and development, variety and contrast, transition, repetition, and climax.
1. Unity – The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent and flow
smoothly together. The movements fit together and each plays an important role
that contributes to entirely a dance.
2. Continuity and development - The phrases of the dance that are organized
progressively, making each movement phrase move naturally into the next.
There is a continuous development of the movement phrase and the audience
is swept along to the end.
3. Variety and contrast - Making one or several variations that highlight the facet
of the motif. This provides variety within the development of the dance. It
introduces new material, which is noticeably different from anything so far seen
in the dance (Rickett- Young, 1996.)
4. Transition - This is the link between movements phrases and sections of the
dance. It makes the logical progression of the dance flow smoothly. It is vital
because it keeps the unity and continuity of the dance.
5. Repetition – It emphasizes movements and phrases that are important to

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dance and gives a feeling of closure to a work (Minton, 2007). Some phrases
need to be repeated in choreography so that the audience can see those
movements again and identify their significance.
6. Climax - This is where the apex of energy on the dance is reached (Schrader,
1996). It is similar to a climax in a story where a series of events culminates.
The climax may be a fast and enraged blast of energy and action, or it could
fade away to a gentle and quiet exit that marks the end of a particular story.
All these characteristics are organized to contribute to the development of a
meaningful dance. It is easier to recognize a good dance when all these characteristics
have been applied in the choreography. As the author in dance choreography, Sara Cerny
Minton (2007) has pointed out, “All phrases in a work should be designed to form the
integrated sections of your dance, and all the sections of the dance should be placed in
a sequence that moves toward an appropriate conclusion. The development of work
should lead the audience logically from the beginning through the middle and onto the
end of the dance.

Choreographic Forms in Dance

What are the various choreographic forms in dance?

Selecting the structure which best expresses the dance idea is fundamental (Rickett-
Young, 1996). Dance and music closely resemble in so many ways. It is not surprising
that they follow similar forms. The shape of a dance or a piece of choreography is based
on common musical forms (Minton, 2007). These compositional forms are traditional
frameworks that have set patterns categorized as sequential, contrapuntal, episodic, and
other compositional forms.

1. Sequential Forms – these forms contain themes/motif which progress in a specific

order. They are arranged accordingly.
a. AB (two-part) form – the simplest of the sequential forms and is similar to a
verse and a chorus of a song. It is a binary form with two contrasting sections
consisting of a beginning section (A) followed by a second section (B). Each section
contains elements that contrast in tone or quality. Examples of which are light and
dark, huge and tiny, love and hate. This form is commonly used inmany folk
dances and songs.

b. ABA (three-part) form – composed of introductory theme (A), a contrasting theme

(B), and a restatement of the original theme (A). (A) is the unifying theme and the
center of interest, then (B) gives contrast. The original (A) returns either as an
exact repetition or in an easily recognizable variation or development. Most popular
songs use this form where there is chorus (A), a verse (B), and a repetition of the
chorus (A) which is often somewhat elaborated to highlight the idea of the song
(Rickett-Young, 1996).

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c. Rondo form (ABACA) – in this form, the unifying theme (A) returns after each
contrasting theme. (A) appears after every contrasting section at least three times,
but it can itself be varied (Rickett-Young, 1996). It can be described as
ABACADAEAFA development of movement idea (Minton,2007). Here, section (B),
(C), (D), (E), (F) are the contrasting themes while (A) is constantly repeated every
after each section.
d. Theme and Variation form – the motif is a series of movements to which variations
are added throughout the development of the entire choreography. The
motif/theme can be a single phrase or several movement phrases placed together
in a sequence (Minton, 2007). The order of the movements is kept the same all
throughout the variations. It can take the form of subtle adjustments in dynamics,
space, style, mood, and tempo (Rickett-Young, 1996)
Take note that although most of these forms contain contrasting parts, the
sections should be similar enough to suit the character of the entire dance.
Additionally, skillful transitions are needed between each section to maintain
unity and continuity in the dance.

2. Contrapuntal Forms – here, several themes are woven together in choreography

to form a complex structure. The main theme is seen against one or more other
themes (Rickett-Young, 1996). There are four contrapuntal forms of dance:
a. Ground Bass – single theme starts the dance and is repeated all the way through
the dance while other contrasting themes are simultaneously performed with it.
This form is best done in a group working either in contrast to each other or
against a soloist.
b. Round or Canon – consists of two or more movement phrases or theme inwhich
the main movement phrases is imitated exactly and completely by the successive
movements, but done in a staggered manner (McGreevy et al. 2005). For instance,
the first dancer performs the theme, the second dancer phrase, and the fourth
enters on the last half of the second phrase. The round ends in the same order
as the last dancer finishes off the movement or theme (Rickett- Young, 1996)
c. Fugue or Accumulation – a choreographic form that is constructed by adding on
different movements or dance phrases in every repetition of the main movement
theme (McGreevy-Nichols et al. 2005).
d. Suite – every section of the dance (beginning, middle, and end) use different
tempos and qualities. Commonly, it has a moderate beginning, a slow middle
section, and a fast and lively end section (Minton, 2007).
3. Episodic Form – Episodic forms are not musical forms; instead, they are found in
literature. They tell a story through connected and progressive sections called
episodes. Narrative form is an episodic form that tells a story or conveys an idea and
the sequence of the story determines the structure of the dance

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(McGreevy-Nichols et al. 2005).

4. Other Compositional Forms

a. Natural structures – mostly come from natural structures such as reasons, life
cycles, and everyday life experiences. All these present rich materials for organic
dance structure.
b. Collage – consists of “a series of movement phrases that are often unrelated but
have been brought together to create a single dance with a beginning, a middle,
and an end.
c. Tableau – different movement phrases are performed by different dancers
simultaneously in the same space. The dancers may execute a tableau at a
different location on the stage and connect transitional movements for each scene
to produce a progression of moving snapshots (Minton, 2007)
d. Chance – the movement phrases are performed in random order spatial placing.
Every time the dance is performed, it is done in a different order and therefore
has a different appearance.

EVALUATING A GOOD DANCE

How is the quality of dance evaluated?

The success of any dance performance may depend on who the evaluators are.
Appreciation of the importance of dance comes from the points of view of the
choreographer, the dancer, or the audience. These people are the ones who would be
able to analyze, understand, and appreciate the performance. According to LindaRickett-
Young (1996), the evaluators’ roles are categorized as:
1. Choreographers – they will evaluate a part of an ongoing process of
developing a personal style that is both spontaneous and organized.
2. Dancers – they will evaluate according to the specific demands that the
performance places on them.
3. Audiences – they will evaluate according to the particular context of the dance.
To transpire evaluation and appreciation in dance, the evaluators must have a
basic understanding and knowledge of the elements and characteristics of
choreography (discussed in the previous sections). They must be knowledgeable
enough for them to give sound evaluation and develop a noble appreciation in
any work of art or composition.

Stages in Assessing a Dance (Dance Critique)

1. Description – involves close observation of all the elements, characteristics, and
components of dance as described in the previous sections of this worktext. Here,
the evaluator/critic notes down the composition of the dance in terms of the
elements and the characteristics of dance. Examples of which are noting down the
variation, unity, space, time, transitions, climax, and so on.
2. Interpretation – involves an appreciation of the ideas, content, images, and
style contained within the dance.

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3. Evaluation – takes into consideration how effectively the features (i.e, elements,
characteristics) and the context of the dance have been utilized in the actual
performance of the dancers to portray the content and the quality of the dance.
Analyzing and evaluating dance does not come out naturally and does not happen
overnight. Beginner evaluators/critics need guidance and direction in conceptualizing a
dance critique.

References
Conrado R. Aparato, Zyra Ruth Talaroc-Brebante, Lualhati Fernando-Callo, Peter Fermin Dajime. PHYSICAL
EDUCATION AND HEALTH VOLUME 2. QUEZON CITY: Rex Printing Company Inc., 2016.

Interenet References:
• https://www.coursehero.com/file/39996666/PE-Grade-12docx/. Accessed 4 July 2020.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the Good Samaritan Colleges.