PATHFIT MIDTERM REVIEWER
DANCE
o Dance is a form of expression of oneself through rhythmic
movement.
o Dance is perhaps the oldest of the arts, reflecting man’s age-old
need to communicate joy or grief by using the most immediate
instrument at his disposal – his body.
o Dancing a means of expressing one’s emotions through movement
disciplined by rhythm. It is an act of moving rhythmically and
expressively to an accompaniment.
o The word dancing came from an old German word “danson” which
means to “stretch”. Essentially, all dancing is made up of stretching
and relaxing.
o Dance in Philippine Setting – influences the diversity of our
cultural beginnings and the drama of our everyday lives.
o It blends the exotic customs & cultures of many countries races –
Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Spanish & American.
o Filipinos possess natural grace, an inborn love for music and dance.
Dancing was considered a religious activity among them. They
danced for many occasions – Birth, love, courtship, thanksgiving,
wedding, war, victory, marriage, planting & harvesting,
prosperous voyage, recovery from sickness and healing of the
sick.
THE ELEMENTS OF DANCE
o Body – who? Dancer
 Parts of the Body: head, eyes, torso, shoulders, fingers, legs,
feet, etc.
 Patterns: upper/lower body, homologous, contralateral midline
 Body shapes: Symmetrical/asymmetrical, rounded, twisted,
angular, arabesque
 Body systems: muscles, bones, organs, breath, balance, reflexes
 Inner self: senses, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, intention,
imagination
o Action – what? Action
 Locamotor (Travelling): Slide, Walk, Run, Hop, Turn,
Somersault, Gallop, Skip, Crawl, Jump, Roll, Leap
 Non-Locamotor (Axial): Swing, Stretch, Rock, Bend, Tip,
Twist, Shake, Rise, Suspend, Fall
o Space – where? through space
 Size: large, small, narrow, wide
 Level: high, medium, low
 Place: on the spot (personal space), through that space (general
space), upstage/downstage, in place, travelling
 Direction: forward/backward, sideways, diagonal, right/left,
rotating
 Pathway: traveling, traced in air, curved, straight, angular,
zigzag, random, etc.
 Relationships: in front, beside, behind, over, under, alone,
connected, near, far, individual & group proximity to object.
o Time – when? and time
 Metered
Duration: Brief - Long
Speed: Fast - Slow
Beat: Steady - Uneven
Tempo: Quick – Slow
Accent: Single – Multiple
On Beat – Syncopated
Predictable – Unpredictable
 Rythmic Pattern: Patterned - Free
 Timing Relationship: Before, after, unison, sooner than, faster
than
o Energy – how? with energy
 Energy Qualities: Sharp – Smooth
Sudden – Sustained
Strong – Gentle
Heavy – Light
Tight – Loose
Bound (Controlled) – Free
DANCE GENRE
o A dance style, or a dance genre, is simply a certain type of dance.
Although there are hundreds of dance styles, for simplicity, we
categorize different types of dance into a few large groups: creative
rhythm, folk dance or ethnic dance, social/ballroom dance,
recreational dance, and creative dance.
1. CREATIVE RHYTHM
• A contemporary form of dance that combines movement
and artistic expression, without the need for specific
training.
• Typically, creative dance focuses on the development of motor skills
and emotional expression, as opposed to the aesthetics based focus
of dance in more traditional structured settings.
2. FOLK DANCE/ETHNIC DANCE
• Also known as traditional dances based on the fact that they
are handed down from generation to generation being
learned by the younger generations.
• Folk dances show stories of the people, products of certain
tribes, mimicry of certain animals, etc.
• Folk dances are sometimes referred to ethnic dance because
of their being ethnic which means being a characteristic of
particular group of people or coming from a particular
place.
• Arm and body movements are usually simple and relaxed,
with hands held at the waist or hanging at the sides and the
body swaying in rhythm to the movement. In some dances
the performers remain separate; in others, they hold hands,
link arms, or clasp one another around the waist. Steps are
usually repeated in long series, but they often follow quite
complex and strictly ordered floor patterns.
3. SOCIAL/BALLROOM DANCE
• Usually done to introduce people attending formal gathering
to each other or welcome guests to a social gathering.
• Ballroom dance is typically a dance style shared between
one male, who acts as the ‘lead’, and one female, who acts
as the ‘follow’.
• Ballroom dance tends to be very formal and performed in
competitions and referred as dance sports, whereas other
partner social dances are more casual.
• Ballroom dance is sometimes referred to as dance sport, and
ballroom dance styles can be divided into two categories:
smooth dances and Latin dances.
• Smooth dances include the foxtrot, waltz and Viennese
waltz.
• Latin dance include rumba, samba, chacha (or chachacha).
• Other social partner dances include salsa, merengue, and
bachata.
4. RECREATIONAL DANCE
• Refers to any form of informal dancing that is done
primarily for its social, educational or health benefits.
• Dances are done for enjoyment and can be a popular dance.
• e.g. Aerobic Dance
5. CREATIVE DANCE
• Highest phase of dance in the program.
• Original dance pieces are created by the choreographer and
its main purpose is to entertain.
• It is basically classed as spectacular dance that is performed
for viewing by an audience and requiring the dancers to
undergo diligent and extensive training in a particular dance
discipline.
6. BALLET
• Ballo, ballare, meaning "to dance; to jump about”
• Theatrical dance in which a formal academic dance
technique—is combined with other artistic elements such as
music, costume, and stage scenery.
• Was developed during the Italian Renaissance and is a
choreographed dance set to classical music.
7. CONTEMPORARY OR MODERN DANCE
• It draws on classical, modern and jazz dance styles, and is
the most popular form of dance studied today.
• Hip-hop is also referred to contemporary dance and is also
well known as street dance. It can be a competitive dance,
with groups challenging each other to a dance battle.