PHYSICAL EDUCATION

AND HEALTH
Volume II
 UNIT I
Introduction to
Dance
Brief History and Nature
of Dance
 Learning Objectives
• To know the definition of dance
• To be familiar with the history and
nature of dance
• To understand the specific
benefits of dance and creative
movement
 What Is Dance?
According to American dancer, dance educator, author, and film
and video producer Barbara Mettler…

“Dance is an activity which can take many

forms and fill many different needs. It can be
recreation, entertainment, education, therapy,
and religion. In its purest and most basic form,
dance is art, the art of body movement.”
Unlike athletics or other daily activities, dance
focuses primarily on “an aesthetic or even
entertaining experience” (Myers, 2005).
Reasons of People for Dancing
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)
 Brief History of Dances
 People from the prehistoric era performed ways they hoped
would appease the forces of nature or give them new
powers of their own.
 It was only during the pre-Christian era that the real
knowledge of dance came about within the great
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations.
 Dance became full-blown and was richly recorded in
ancient Egypt as reflected in their wall paintings, reliefs,
and in the literary record in hieroglyphs.
 For ancient Greeks, who thought highly of dance, it was
closely linked with other kinds of experiences such as an
aid to military education among the boys in Athens and
Sparta, as well as a form of entertainment and display.
 The Greek also used dance to aid education in general as
philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates
strongly supported this art as an integration of the body
and soul.
 The ancient Rome gave less importance to dancing as the
nation grew wealthy and powerful.
• It became brutal and sensationalized as their
entertainers were slaves and captives from many
nationalities.
• It was used more often for gruesome purposes.
• It eventually became an integral part of the corruption in
the latter days of the Roman Empire, resulting in the
condemnation of dance by the early Christians.
 After the fall of Rome, the history of dance transformed
following the development of the Catholic Church, which
was by then the sole custodian of learning and education
as well as the source of morals. During this time, theatrical
entertainment was prohibited and dance was performed
only during worships, church services, and religious
ceremonies.
 Although the Church had condemned dance as
entertainment, some singers, dancers, poets, actors,
musicians, and jugglers continued to wander in village
squares to perform during the Dark and early Middle Ages
• These performers were eventually welcomed in the
castles and chateaus of feudal lords.
• The common people also amused themselves by doing
dances that were social in character, marking the
beginning of social dancing.
 Nobility soon followed the peasants’ lead in dancing but in
a more refined and courtly form as court dances emerged
as part of the chivalric way of life.
 During the Renaissance, dance, and art in general, was
wholly accepted and gained impetus.
• The old restraints were loosened and clerical ideas and
purposes no longer dominate all creative expressions of the
human spirit.
• The entertainers now became valuable appendage to
the courts of Italy and France.
 In the 15th and 16th centuries, new court dances in Europe
performed by the nobility came about at about the same
time as the rise of the art of ballet in Italy and France. From
then on, several other dance forms continued to sprout and
spread across several countries.
 After the pinnacle of ballet prominence, contemporary
dances that were stylistic variations of ballet emerged and
evolved in Europe. Other dance forms also came to light
and have been widely recognized worldwide.
 Benefits of Dance and Creative
Movement
PHYSICAL
• Develops cardiovascular and muscular endurance
• Improves coordination, balance, flexibility, and body
composition
• Lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Lowers body mass index
• Lowers resting heart rate
• Improves lipid metabolism
• Enables joint mobility (hip motion and spine flexibility)
 • Helps improve and maintain bone density, thus
helping prevent osteoporosis
• Helps recover coordination and neuromuscular skills
after injury

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL
• Helps keep the brain sharp
• Decreases incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s
disease
• Decreases depressive symptoms
• Increases self-esteem and improves body image
• Aids in releasing emotional and physical tension
SOCIAL
• Gives sense of togetherness within a group
• Encourages positive social interaction and
interpersonal relationship in a group
• Contributes to the individual’s potential for self-
actualization in society

CULTURAL
• Promotes cultural values