PRE-HISTORIC ERA

12 HUMSS-WINDSOR
● appease forces of nature
PE AND HEALTH III
● give them new powers of their own
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO KRAUS AND GAUFMAN (1981)
DANCE
“ Man danced originally to
supplicate the gods on all
CHAPTER 1: BRIEF HISTORY AND
important occasions of life”
NATURE OF DANCE

DANCE
● take many forms, fill many diff
needs
● can be recreation, entertainment,
education, therapy & religion
● differs from athletics or other daily
activities
● focus = aesthetic/entertaining
experience
4 MAIN REASONS
1. to please the gods
2. to please others
3. to please themselves/self expression
4. To build community within an ethnic
group/social interaction
EGYPT
● pre-Christian era = real knowledge
of dance came about
(within Great Mediterranean &
Middle Eastern Civilizations)
● Dance = richly recorder in ancient
Egypt
- reflected in wall paintings, reliefs
and literary record in hieroglyphs
GREEKS
● thought highly of dance
● dancing = aid to military education
abong boys in Athens and Sparta

BRIEF HISTORY & NATURE OF ● Form of entertainment and display

DANCE
DANCE
● major form of religious ritual &
social expression within primitive
culture
● way of expressing and reinforcing
tribal unity & strength
EDUCATION
● Dance = used in education
PLATO, ARISTOTLE & SOCRATES
- strongly supported this art as an
integration of body and soul

● approach for:
PLATO
- courtship and mating
2 KINDS OF DANCE AND MUSIC
- means of worship
- communication
1. NOBLE
- therapeutic experience
 - fine and honorable
2. IGNOBLE
- Imitating what is mean/ ugly
ANCIENT ROME
● gave less importance to dancing
● stopped valuing such qualities in art
as nation grew wealthy and powerful
● Dance = brutal & sensationalized
- entertainers were
slaves/captives from many
nationalities
● often used for gruesome purposes
● integral part of corruption
DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN
CHURCH
● transformed history of dance
● Christian fathers = approved use of
dance, said that
form & intent = holy & profound
● dance = part of worships/church
services
2 BASIC TYPES OF DANCING
peasants performed:
1. ROUND DANCE
- dancers hold each other by
hand
- forms a long chain
- move about in an open/closed
circle or extended line
2. COUPLE DANCE
- was not as popular as round
dance
- considered scandalous when
first seen
NOBILITY VS PEASANTS
NOBILITY
● court dances = emerged as part of
chivalric way of life
● nature of clothing & elaborate
accessories = dance steps were
limited to gliding, curtseying and
posing
● BALLROOM = smooth floor or
wood polished marble
PEASANTS
● dances = have large movements &
wide stepping figures
● danced on grass/beaten earth of town
15th & 16th CENTURIES
● rise of BALLET in ITALY &
FRANCE
● after the pinnacle of ballet
prominence = emergence and
evolution of CONTEMPORARY
DANCES (stylistic variations of
ballet)
BENEFITS OF DANCE & CREATIVE
MOVEMENT
“Dance is fun! It lifts the spirit,
strengthens the body, and stimulates the
mind”
-WAYNE SLEEP (1986)
Alzheimer’s Disease
● ⬇️depressive symptoms
● ⬆️self-esteem & body image

● dance = oldest + most popular form ● aids in releasing emotional &

of exercise physical tension

● AEROBIC = an hour of continuous 3. SOCIAL

exercises, choreographed to music
SPECIFIC BENEFITS OF DANCE
1. PHYSICAL
● develops cardiovascular &
muscular endurance
● Improves coordination
● balance
● flexibility
● body composition
● gives a sense of togetherness
within a group
● encourages positive social
interaction & interpersonal
relationship in a group
● contributes to the individual’s
potential for self-actualization in
society
4. CULTURAL

● lowers risk of cardiovascular

diseases

● lowers body mass index (BMI)

● lowers resting heart rate

● improves lipid metabolism

● enables joint mobility

● helps improve & maintain bone

density = helps prevent
osteoporosis

● helps recover coordination &

neuromuscular skills after injury

2. MENTAL/EMOTIONAL
● helps keep the brain sharp

● ⬇️incidence of Dementia &

● promotes cultural values
HEALTH BENEFITS OF DANCE

1. CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS ● increases ability to do more exercise in

terms of intensity/duration

● stamina increases = can do more

challenging/complex movements

2. IMPROVED MUSCLE TONE & ● benefits muscles

STRENGTH
● tone/strengthen muscles in legs,
buttocks, abdominals, back, arms &
shoulders

● some forms of dance = work on

certain body parts but still gets a good
workout

3. IMPROVED BONE DENSITY ● helps with issues like osteoporosis

ex: ballet

4. FLEXIBILITY -ballet classes = strong stretching element

● allows you to move more fluidly
● avoid muscle pulls/tears

5. COORDINATION & AGILITY ● helps you avoid falls

● keeps you balanced when working in
tight places/carrying heavy items
● more complex moves = boosts
coordination & agility

6. STRESS RELIEF ● stress = culprit to many diff health

issues
● dance = can minimize & eliminate
stress
● music, physical exertion & moving the
body with flow = keys to reducing
stress
 7. WEIGHT LOSS ● dance = good way to lose weight
● burns calories = lose weight
● just observe healthy diet

TYPES OF DANCE
● Ballet
● Contemporary or modern dance
● Jazz
● Hip-hop
● Salsa
● Zumba
● Ballroom dancing

CHAPTER II: ELEMENTS OF DANCE

SPACE ● Area that dance performers occupy

● Diff aspects = spatial elements

I. DIRECTION
● forward, backward, diagonal,
circular
II. SIZE
● smaller or larger actions

III. LEVEL
● high, medium, low

IV. FOCUS
● look at diff directions

TIME/TIMING ● executed in varying tempo or speed

● beat or pulse

ENERGY ● movements = propelled by energy or

pulse
● Initiate or stop action
● minimize monotony of movements

SIX QUALITIES OF DANCE ENERGIES

 I. SUSTAINED
● Done smoothly, continuously
& with flow & control
● no clear beginning or ending
II. PERCUSSIVE
● explosive or sharp movements
● w/ thrust of energy
● with clear beginning/ending
III. VIBRATORY
● trembling or shaking
● faster ver = jittery effect
IV. SWINGING
● curved line or arc in space
● relaxed
● gravity on downward part
● upward application of energy
V. SUSPENDED
● movements = perched in space,
hanging in the air
● ex: raising leg
VI. COLLAPSING
● released tension, letting body
descend to the floor

BODILY SHAPES ● how body is molded in space

● configuration of body parts
● rounded, angular or combi
● wide to narrow
● high to low
● symmetrical or asymmetrical

I. SYMMETRICAL
● balanced
● movement is identical or
similar on both sides

II. ASSYMETRICAL
● unbalanced
● movement do not match
● completely different from each
other

GROUP SHAPES ● movements in diff shapes

● wide or narrow
● rounded or angular
 ● symmetrical (narrow) or assymetrical
(rounded)

CHAPTER III: DANCE APPRECIATION AND COMPOSITION

GOOD DANCE
● Displays significant meaning/conveys message
● Lifts and transports the audience from their seats
● w/ beginning, middle & end (conclusion
● have shape/form for effective choreography

FORM
● Ideas and elements are arranged or combined in a logical sequence
● results in unity or consistency
● Organizing factor in dance

PHRASE
● Smallest unit of form in dance
● Related to sentence writing in compositions
MOTIF
● single movement/short phrase of movements
● embodies style and intention of dance
● to convey meaning/intention

Ex: ITIK-ITIK
● movements of a duckling

DANCE = DISH
Good if it has right ingredients
Must contain certain qualities that make choreo effective

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE

I. UNITY
II. CONTINUITY AND DEVELOPMENT
III. VARIETY AND CONTRAST
IV. TRANSITION
V. REPETITION
VI. CLIMAX
UNITY ● Interconnectedness of dance
● Coherent, flow smoothly
● movements fit together
● each move plays an important role,
contributes to the entirety of dance

CONTINUITY AND DEVELOPMENT ● organized progressively

● each movement phrase move naturally
to the next
● continuous development of the
movement phrase
● audience = swept along until the end

VARIETY & CONTRAST ● adds excitement and flavor to the

dance
● changing direction
● use of energy
● timing of a movement phrase
● avoid repeating in exact way

TRANSITION ● Link between movements, phrases and

sections of dance
● logical progression of dance flow
smoothly
● vital, keeps continuity and unity of the
dance

REPETITION ● some needs to be repeated to identify

the significance of dance
● repeated = main message of dance

CLIMAX ● apex of energy

● fast/enraged
● blast of energy or action
● gentle and quiet exit
● marks the end of a particular story

CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS IN DANCE

SEQUENTIAL ● AB (two-part)
● ABA (three-part)
● ABACA (rondo)
● themes and variations form

CONTRAPUNTAL ● ground bass

● round or canon
● fugue or accumulation
 ● suite

EPISODIC

OTHER ● natural structure

● collage
● tableau
● chance

EVALUATING A GOOD DANCE

SUCCESS OF ANY DANCE PERFORMANCE = DEPEND ON WHO THE

EVALUATORS ARE

CHOREOGRAPHER
● evaluate a part of of ongoing process of developing personal style
● Both spontaneous & organized
DANCERS
● evaluate according to specific demands that the performances places on them
MOTIF
● evaluate according to particular context of the dance

STAGES IN ASSESSING A DANCE

1. DESCRIPTION - notes down composition of the dance in terms of the elements and
characteristics
- variation
- unity
- space
- time

2. INTERPRETATION - appreciation of 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