HANDOUTS IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES TOWARDS HEALTH AND FITNESS 2 (CHAPTER 3)

CHAPTER 3 : DANCE APPRECIATION AND COMPOSITION

Trivia:

Recreational dance is a social activity in which people of all ages can participate. Recreational dances come from
all over the world and include folk, cultural, and historical dances, and social dances from the past and present. These
types of dances use a variety of steps, figures, and formations. The styles, performance, and music are related to the
cultural roots, historical ears, and geographic areas form which the dance originates.

Dance fitness, on the other hand, is a fun way to increase cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility.
Various dance genres support fitness.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD DANCE?

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 still convey emotion and meaning (McGreevy-Nichols et al. 2005).
It has beginning, middle and end/conclusion. A good dance, therefore, must have a shape and form for its choreography
to be effective.

WHAT IS A 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.

WHAT IS 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 sections together form a whole dance. “A phrase is the smallest unit of form
in the whole dance” (Blom and Chaplin, 1988).

WHAT IS MOTIF?

A single movement or a short phrase of movement that embodies the style and intention of the dance is called
motif. A good dance uses a motif in which the movements are repeated, varied, and developed by manipulating the
movement components or elements.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE?

1. UNITY – The movements fit together, and each plays an important role that contributes to the entirety of a dance.
2. CONTINUINITY & DEVELOPMENT – The phrases of the dance that are organized progressively, making each
movement phrase move naturally into the next.
3. VARIETY & CONTRAST – Variety and contrast in movement phrases add excitement and flavor in the dance. Changing
the direction, use of energy, timing of a movement phrase, and avoiding repeating them in exact way are ways to
add variety to the dance.
4. TRANSITION – This is the link between movements, phrases, and sections of the dance. It makes the logical
progression of the dance flow smoothly.
5. REPETITION – Some phrases need to be repeated in choreography so that the audience can see those movements
again and identify its significance. Usually, when a certain phrase or a section of choreography is repeated, it is the
main message of the dance.
6. CLIMAX – This is where the apex of energy in the dance is reached (Schrader, 1996).

All these characteristics are organized to contribute to the development of a meaningful dance. It is easier to organize a
good dance when all of these characteristics have been applied in the choreography.

VARIOUS CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS IN DANCE

1. SEQUENTIAL FORMS
These forms contain themes/motif which progress in a specific order.
a. AB (two-part) Form – simplest form and like a verse and a chorus of a song.
b. ABA (three-part) Form – exact repetition of chorus (A), verse (B), chorus (A).
c. Rondo Form (ABACA) – unifying theme (A), contrasting themes (B,C,D,E,F…).
d. Theme and Variations Form -
2. CONTRAPUNTAL FORMS
Several themes are woven together in choreography to form a complex structure.
a. Ground Bass
b. Round or Canon
c. Fugue or Accumulation
d. Suite
 3. Episodic Form
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 (McGreevy-Nichols et al. 2005).
4. Other Compositional Forms
a. Natural Structures – seasons, life, cycles, everyday life experiences.
b. Collage – series of movements brought together to create a single dance.
c. Tableau – moving snapshots.
d. Chance – it is done in different order and therefore has different appearance.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

EVALUATING A GOOD DANCE

The success of any dance performance may depend on who the evaluators are. Appreciation on the importance
of dance comes from the point of view of the choreographer, the dancer, or the audience.

1. Choreographers – evaluates a part of an ongoing process of developing style.

2. Dancers – evaluates according to the specific demands that the performance places on them.
3. Audiences – evaluates according to the context of the dance.

STAGES IN ASSESSING A DANCE (Dance Critique)

1. Description – notes down the composition of the dance in terms of the elements and the characteristics
of the dance.
2. Interpretation – involves an appreciation of the ideas, content, images, and style contained within the
dance.
3. Evaluation – how effectively the features and context of the dance have been utilized in the actual
performance of the dancers to portray the content and the quality of the dance.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prepared by:

MR. JUDE VINCENT A. GALOS, LPT

Instructor