PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTH 3  Aids in releasing emotional and physical

tension
BRIEF HISTORY AND NATURE OF DANCE

 Dance
 SOCIAL
 Is an art form that involves movement of the
 Gives sense of togetherness within a
body. Dance may be participatory, social,
group
performed, ceremonial, or competitive
 Encourages positive social interaction
and interpersonal relationship in a group
 Dance differs from athletics or other
 Contributes to the individual’s potential
daily activities because it focuses
for self-actualization in society
primarily on “an aesthetic or even
 Promotes cultural values
entertaining experience” (Myers, 2005)

Where did dance come from?

ELEMENTS OF DANCE
 3000 BC
“Existence is movement. Action is movement.
 It is believed that the first people to
Existence is defined by the rhythm of forces in
dance were Egyptians
natural balance”
-Rudolf Van Laban
 1400 BC
 Ballet started in Italy but only got famous
The human body is living in time and space,
around 1500
and it exhibits some effort. Thus, all movements
occur in time, through space, and with efforts
 1600 BC
(Schrader, 1996). Since dance entails a lot of
 Masque Dancing started from elaborate
movements, it uses the very same elements:
pageants and shows
Space, time, and energy.
 1900 BC
 Space
 Merengue, Jazz, and Acro starts to get
This is the area the performers occupy
prominent
and where they move. It can be divided into
four different aspects, also known as the
 1950 BC
spatial elements
 Contemporary dance was developed
by Merce Cunnigham
 Direction
- Where the body moves (Forward,
 21ST
backward, up, down, sideways, diagonally)
 Dance nowadays is to be the byproduct
of hip-hop in the 70’s
 Size
- How large or small movements
Benefits of Dance and Creative Movement
 Level
- The vertical distance from the floor (High,
“Dance is fun! It lifts the spirit, strengthens the
medium or law)
body, and stimulates the mind.’
- Wayne Sleep, 1986
 Focus
- Where the dancer’s eyes look as s/he is
 PHYSICAL
dancing
 Develops cardiovascular and muscular
endurance
 Timing
 Improves coordination, balance,
The movements in timing may be
flexibility, and body composition
executed in varying tempo (speed).
 Lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases
Performers move with the tempo of
 Enables joint mobility
an underlying sound, known as beat or
 Helps improve and maintain bone
pulse.
density
The timing can be varied by moving
 MENTAL
faster or slower than the normal beat. When
 Helps keep the brain sharp
a sequence of a movement or group of
 Decreases incidence of dementia and
phrases is done in varying tempos, they
Alzheimer’s disease
generate rhythmic patterns.
 Decrease depressive symptoms
 Increases self-esteem and improves
 Energy
body image
 The movement here propelled by energy of
force. A force can either initiate or stop an
action. Dance uses different energies and varied
use of these minimizes the monotony of the
movement in a performance.
Six qualities of dance energies
 Sustained
- movements are done smoothly,
continuously, and with flow and control. It does
not have a clear beginning and ending.
- slow, smooth,continuous,even
 Percussive
- movements are explosive or sharp in
contrast with sustained movements. They are
accented with thrust of energy. They have a
clear beginning and ending.
- sudden, sharp, choppy, jagged
 Vibratory
- movements consist of trembling or shaking.
A faster version of percussive movements that
produces a jittery effect
- shake, tremble, wiggle
 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.
- sway, to and fro, pendulum, undercurve
 Suspended
- movements are perched in space or
hanging on air. Holding a raised leg in any
direction is an example of a suspended
movement
- stillness, balance, high point
 Collapsed
- movements are released in tension and
gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity, letting
the body descend to the floor.
- fall, release, relax
DANCE APPRECIATION AND COMPOSITION
A good dance displays a significant
meaning or conveys a message. Sometimes it
also portrays life experiences. Dance may be
presented abstractly and symbolically but stilll
convey emotion and meaning (McGreevy-
Nichols et al. 2005)
All works, whether it is sports, music, or dance,
must have a form brought to their elements by
means of orderly arrangement, meanng, and
purpose (Lockhart, 1982)
A good dance must have a shape or form for
its choreography to be effective
 Form
- a form is the instrument by which ideas and
elements are arranged or combined into a
logical sequence which results in unity and
consistency, and by means of which the content
or idea can be expressed and communicated.
 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 of
a whole dance.
 Motif
- a good dance contains a theme or a motif
to be able 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.
Characteristics of a Good Dance
 UNITY
- the interconnected phrases of the dance
are coherent and flow smoothly together.
 CONTINUITY AND DEVELOPMENT
- the phrases of the dance that are
organized progressively, making each
movement phrase move naturally into the next.
 VARIETY AND CONTRAST
- making one or several variations that
highlight the facet of the motif
 TRANSITION
- this is the link between movementrs,
phrases, and sections of the dance
 REPETITION
- it emphasizes movements and phrases that
are important to the dance and fives a feeling of
closure to a work.
 CLIMAX
- this is where the apex of energy in the
dance is reached (Schrader, 1996)
CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS IN DANCE
Selecting the structure which best
expresses the dance idea is fundamental.
Dance and music closely resemble in so many
ways. It is not surprising that they follow similar
forms.
 SEQUENTIAL FORMS
 - These forms contain themes/motif which
progress in a specific order. They are arranged
accordingly; AB Form, ABA Form, Rondo Form

 AB Form
- The simplest of the sequential forms and is
similar to a verse and a chorus of a song
which consists two contrasting sections.

 ABA Form
- Composed of introductory theme (A), a
contrasting theme (B), and a restatement of
the original theme (A)

 Rondo Form (ABACA)

- In this form, the unifying theme
(A) returns after each contrasting theme

 CONTRAPUNTAL FORMS
- Several themes are woven together in
choreography to form a complex structure. The
main theme is seen against itself or against itself
one or more other themes.

 Round or Canon
- consists of two or more movement phrases
or theme in which the main movement
phrases is imitated exactly and completely
by the successive movements, but done in
staggered manner.

 Suite
- Every section of the dance use different
tempos and qualities. Commonly, it has a
moderate beginning, a slow middle section,
and fast and lively end section.

 Episodic Form
- They tell a story through connected and
progressive sections called episodes.

 OTHER COMPOSITIONAL FORMS

 Natural Structure
- Something to do with nature (e.g.
flowing movement is water)
- It is well-connected with nature

 Collage
- the collection or combination of all
choreographic performance into once (e.g.
tiktok; how many dance trends do you
know)

 Tableau
- posing (with message)
- move very slow to the next pose in
order to preserve the quality of tableau

 Chance
- randomness and sense of chance