Lesson 2 BENEFITS, ELEMENTS,

AND CHARACTERISTICS OF
DANCE
Wash Your Hands
Sanitize
Wear your Facemask
Social Distancing
BENEFITS OF DANCE

“Dance is fun! It lifts the spirit,

strengthens the body, and stimulates
the mind.” – Wayne Sleep
Physical Benefits
-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 Benefits
-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 Benefits
-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 Benefit
-Promotes cultural values.
A. SPACE
- the area the performers
occupy and where they move.
FOUR ASPECTS ALSO
KNOWN AS SPATIAL
ELEMENTS
a. Direction- Dance movement can
travel in any direction.

b. size- Movements can be varied by

doing larger or smaller actions.
c. focus- Performers may change
their focus by looking at different
directions.
d. level- Movements can be
done in a high, medium, or
low level.
B.TIMING
The movements in timing may
be executed in varying tempo
(speed). Performers move with
the tempo of an underlying
sound, known as beat or pulse.
C. DANCE ENERGIES

The movements are propelled by energy or

force. A force can either initiate or stop an
action. Dance uses different energies and a
varied use of theses minimizes the monotony
of the movements in a performance.
 Six Qualities of Dance Energies
1. sustained- movements are done smoothly,
continuously, and with flow and control. It does not
have a clear beginning and ending.
2. percussive-movements are explosive or sharp. They
have a clear beginning and clear ending.
 3. vibratory- movements consist of trembling or
shaking. A faster version of percussive movements that
produces a jittery effect
4. swinging- movements trace a curved line or an arc in space.
The movements are relaxed and giving in to gravity on the
downward part of the motion, followed by an upward
5. suspended- movements are perched in space or hanging on
air. Holding a raised leg in any direction is an example of a
suspended movement.
6. collapsing- movements are released in tension and
gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity, letting the body
descend to the floor.
D. BODILY SHAPES
It refers to how the entire body is molded in
space or the configuration of body parts. The body
can be grounded, angular, or a combination of two.
Other body shapes can be from wide to narrow and
from high to low.
 
a. symmetrical-balanced shape; movements are
practically identical or similar on both sides.
b. asymmetrical-unbalanced shape; movements of
two sides of the body do not match or completely
different from each other

***GROUP SHAPES
- a group of dancers perform movements in different
group shapes. They are arranged in ways that are wide,
narrow, rounded, angular, symmetrical and asymmetrical and
are viewed together as a total picture of arrangements within
a picture frame.
What makes a good dance?
-a good dance displays a significant meaning or conveys a message. Sometimes
it portrays life experiences. Dance may be presented abstractly or symbolically
but it still conveys emotion and meaning. A good dance lifts and transports the
audience from their seats during the performance.
A good dance has:
1. beginning- may come in a form of shape, a pose, or an entrance
2. middle- consists of a development or the exploration of the main idea
3. ending/ conclusion- should be clear and may be in a form of a shape, a pose, or
an exit

-A good dance therefore, must have a shape or form for its choreography to be
effective.
What is FORM?
-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.
The form should progress through time from the beginning to
the end of choreography. Each section is composed of several
units that are connected to each other. These small units are
called phrases.
What is a PHRASE?
-is the smallest unit of form in the whole
dance. Commonly, a single phrase consists of
eight counts.
What is a MOTIFF?
-the style and intention of a dance
- One good example of a dance with motif
is the Itik-Itik Philippine folkdance.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE
 
1. UNITY- The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent and flow
smoothly together. The movements fit together and each plays an important
role that contributes to the entirety of a dance.
2. CONTINUITY and DEVELOPMENT- The phrases of the dance that are
organized progressively, making each movement phrase move naturally into
the next. There is a continuous development of the movement of phrase and
the audience is swept along to the end.
3. VARIETY and CONTRAST- add excitement and flavor in the dance
*Variety- changing direction, use of energy, timing, and avoiding repeating
them in the exact way
*Contrasting movements- slow to fast, short to long, minimal to large
movement
4. TRANSITION- link between movements, phrases, and
sections of the dance. It keeps the unity and continuity of
the dance.
5. REPETITION- needed so the audience can see the
movements again and identify their significance, Usually,
when a certain phrase or section of choreography is
repeated, it is the main message of the dance.
6. CLIMAX- This is where the apex of energy in the danced is
reached.
How is the quality of the dance evaluated?
The success of the dance performance may depend on
who the evaluators are. Appreciation on the importance of
dance comes from the points of view of:
1. Choreographers- they will evaluate a part of an ongoing
process of developing a personal style which is both
spontaneous and organized.
2. Dancers- they will evaluate according to the specific
demands that the performance places on them.
3. Audiences- they will evaluate according to the particular
context of the dance.
 
Stages in Assessing a Dance (Dance Critique)
 
1. Description- involves close observation of all the elements,
characteristics, and components of a dance.
2. Interpretation- involves an appreciation of the ideas, contents,
images, and style contained within the dance.
3. Evaluation- takes into consideration how effectively the
features (i.e., elements, characteristics) and the context of the
dance have been utilized in the actual performance of the
dancers to portray the content and the quality of the dance.