Module 2:

Dance
Elements
(pt.2)
 WHEN ANALYZING THE ELEMENTS OF
DANCE, IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND
DANCE SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES EMPLOYED IN
COMPOSITION DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY.

OFTEN USED CHOREOGRAPHIC

PRINCIPLES:
THEME & MUSIC
CANNONS REPETITION
VARIATIONS CHOICES
 DOMINO EFFECT
DANCE
COMPOSITION- A CANNON IS AN EFFECTIVE
CANNON MEANS TO:

1. EXTEND TIME IN A PIECE

2. ALLOW AUDIENCE TO SEE THE

MOVEMENT MULTIPLE TIMES
DANCE COMPOSITION- REPETITION

REPEATING
MOVEMENT CAN BE USED
FAMILIARITY IN AN INDIRECT
BENEFITS OF PHRASE
FOR MANNER (ABA
REPETITION: UNDERSCORES
AUDIENCE FORM) THINK
ITS
EXPERIENCE OF A
SIGNIFIANCE
TO THE SANDWICH .
AUDIENCE
 DANCE COMPOSITION- THEMES & VARIATIONS

š IN A DANCE THAT USES THEME AND VARIATIONS, THE THEME IS

THE CENTRAL PHRASE AROUND WHICH THE OTHER PHRASES ARE
CREATED.
š THINK ABOUT MUSIC- MELODY (THEME) WITH VARIATIONS
EMERGING FROM THERE.
š CLASSICAL BALLETS WERE BUILT WITHIN THIS STRUCTURE TO
PROVIDE VARIETY AROUND A DOMINANT IDEA OR CONCEPT.
 MUSIC PROVIDES MOVEMENT WITH THE AURAL
COUNTERPART TO THE VISUAL SPECTACLE.

DANCE SEVERAL CHOICES WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC

COMPOSITION- SELECTION- DOES THE MUSIC DRIVE THE
MOVEMENT? HOW DOES THE USE OF RHYTHM AND
MUSIC MELODY ACCENTUATE THE DANCER’S MOVEMENTS?

IN SOME GENERS, THE MUSIC RUNS PARALLEL TO THE

STRUCTURE OF THE DANCE (MUSIC MIRRORED WITHIN
THE MOVEMENT).

CHOREOGRAPHERS CAN USE MUSIC THAT

PURPOSELY JUXTAPOSES THE MOVEMENT.
DANCE COMPOSITION- MUSIC CONT.

WHILE THERE IS NO CORRECT BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS

WAY TO MERGE MUSIC AND (B.A.S.T.E) AND VARIOUS
MOVEMENT, THE CHOREOGRAPHIC TOOLS,
CHOREOGRAPHER’S PAIRING CHOREOGRAPHERS HAVE AN
OF THE TWO UNDOUBTLY ENDLESS SUPPLY OF MATERIAL
AFFECTS THE DANCER’S WITH WHICH TO EXPERIMENT
IMPACT ON THE AUDIENCE. AND CREATE NEW WORK.
ELEMENTS RECAP

THERE ARE 5
ELEMETNS BODY ACTION
OF DANCE

SPACE TIME ENERGY

 PARTS OF
INITATION
THE
BODY BODY
POINTS

BODY
PATTERNS
SHAPES
BODY- QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN OBSERVING
THIS ELEMENT

Are multiple areas of

Are the movements the body moving
From where in the
happening only in the simultaneously, moving
body is the movement
limbs, or does it involve in opposition, or are
happening?
the core? they moving in
isolation?
 NON-LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENT
ACTION (AXIAL OR STATIONARY)

LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENT
(TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE)

VERBS!!! (CAN INCLUDE

PEDISTERIAN MOVEMENT OR
DANCE TERMINILOGY)
 WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE
ACTION- MOVEMENT? USE DESCRIPTIVE
QUESTIONS WORDS TO HELP BREAKDOWN
ACTIONS OBSERVED.
TO CONSIDER
WHEN IS THE DANCER IMPROVISING?
(CREATING MOVEMENT IN
OBSERVING REAL TIME- DEVELOPING ON
THIS ELEMENT THE SPOT)
 SIZE OF THE MOVEMENT PERFORMED

LEVEL
SPACE
LOCATION

DIRECTION/PATHWAY

RELATIONSHIPS

ORIENTATION

FOUCS
 šHOW DOES THE DANCER
SPACE- MOVE THROUGH THE
QUESTIONS TO SPACE?
CONSIDER šWHERE IS MOVEMENT
WHEN LOCATED?
OBSERVING šHOW IS THE SPACE BETWEEN
THIS ELEMENT THE DANCERS
MANIPULATED?
 METERED, FREE, OR INTERNAL
TIME RHYTHMS

CLOCK TIME

TIMING RELATIONSHIPS- EX:

CANNON (DOMINO EFFECT) OR
CHANGING TEMPO OF MOVEMENT
TIME- QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN OBSERVING THIS
ELEMENT

HOW LONG DOES IT HOW LONG DOES IT

IS THERE A CHANGE
TAKE THE DANCER TO TAKE THE DANCER TO
IN THE SPEED OF THE
COMPLETE A TRAVEL ACROSS
MOVEMENT?
MOVEMENT/PHRASE? STAGE
 ENERGY

š SERVES TO PROVIDE ADVERBS TO ACCOMPANY THE ACTION

VERBS
š THINK- TERMINOLOGY FROM LABAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS
š ATTACK
š WEIGHT
š FLOW
š QUALITY
 IS THE ENERGY DIRECT OR
ENERGY- INDIRECT?
QUESTIONS LIGHT OR HEAVY?
TO CONSIDER
WHEN SUSTAINED OR QUICK?
OBSEVING
THIS ELEMENT BOUND OR FREE?