What is Dance?

-It is an activity which can take many

forms and fill many different needs. It
can be recreation, entertainment,
education, therapy, and religion.
-It is an ART, the art of body
movement.
-It uses body as an instrument of
expression in time an space.
 Dance differs from athletics or other daily
activities because it focuses primarily on an
aesthetic or even entertaining experience.

REASONS why people dance:

a. To please the gods
b. To please others
c. To please themselves
d. To build community within an ethnic
group or social interaction
 Brief History
and
Nature of Dance
(PREHISTORIC) not yet fully recorded

-Origins of dance are rooted in the

prehistoric past. Various artistic, religious,
and social forces started out the
incorporation and development of dance.
-Dance was a way of expressing and
reinforcing tribal unity and strength, as an
approach of courtship and mating, as a
means of worship, communication, and
therapeutic experience.
-First use of dance was a gesture in order
to communicate.

-Man danced originally to supplicate the

gods on all important occasions of life.
(PRE-CHRISTIAN ERA) medium of religious
expression

-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.(reflected in wall
paintings, reliefs and in hieroglyphs)
(ANCIENT GREEKS)

-Dance was linked with other kinds of

experiences.
-Dance was taught as an aid to military
education among the boys in Athens and
Sparta.
-It is also a form of entertainment and
display.
-It is used in education.
-According to Plato, Aristotle, and
Socrates, dance is an art as an integration
of body and soul.

2 kinds of dance and music accdg. to Plato

a. noble (fine and honorable)

b. ignoble (imitating what is mean
and ugly)
(ANCIENT ROME)

-Gave less importance to dance/dancing as

they grew wealthy and powerful.
-Dance became brutal and sensationalized
and was used more often for gruesome
purposes.
It became an integral part of corruption
resulting in the condemnation by the early
Christians.
(DEVELOPMENT OF CATHOLIC CHURCH)
transformation of history of dance
-Church- sole custodian of learning and
education as well as the source of morals.
-When the first Christian emperors came,
theatrical entertainment was prohibited.
-Dance still existed and was performed within
the church during religious ceremonies.
(form and intent should be holy and
profound)
-It became part of worship and church
(DARK and early MIDDLE AGES)
-Dance was performed in village squares, and
was eventually welcomed in the castles and
chateaus of feudal lords.
-Common people also amused themselves by
doing dances that were social in character.
(beginning of social dancing)
-Peasants performed two basic types of
dancing:
a. round dance
b. couple dance
-Nobility came followed the peasants’
lead in dancing but in a more refined and
courtly form. Court dances emerged as
part of the chivalric way of life.

- Movements/ steps, and venue differ

between nobility and peasants.
Nobility- because of the nature of clothing
and elaborate accessories, steps were
limited to gliding, curtseying, and posing.
They danced in smooth floor or wood or
polished marble called the ballroom.

Peasants- have large movements and

wide-stepping figures. They danced on
grass or on the beaten earth.
(EARLY Renaissance)
-Dance then was wholly accepted in the
courts.

(RENAISSANCE)
-Dance and art in general gained impetus.
- The entertainers now became valuable
appendage to the courts of Italy and
France and they were to serve the secular
goals of the wealthy and powerful nobles.
(15th and 16th Centuries)

-Vast dance movement occurred

throughout the courts of Europe.

-New court dances were performed by the

nobility.

-Rise of the art of ballet in Italy and France.

-Several other forms of dances 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
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 helps 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