CHAPTER 3:

Dance Appreciation
and Composition
Learning Objectives
To know what makes a good dance
To understand the words form,
phrase, and motif in relation to a
good dance
To enumerate the characteristics of
a good dance
To enumerate the various
choreographic forms in dance
To know how to analyze and
evaluate a good dance
What Makes a Good Dance?
 A good dance displays a significant meaning or
conveys a message, at times portraying life
experiences.
 A good dance lifts and transports the audience from
their seats during the performance.
 A good dance has a:
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; and
3. End/Conclusion ‒ should be clear and may be
in a form of a shape, a pose, or an exit.
 A good dance must have a shape or form for its
choreography to be effective.
What Is a Form?
 It is the 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.
 It is the organizing factor of any work or dance
composition.
 It should progress through time from the beginning to
the end of the choreography.
What Is a Phrase?
 It is “the smallest unit of form in the whole dance”.
 Commonly, a single phrase consists of eight counts,
with which it is easier for building routines and
choreographic combinations.
What Is a Motif?
 It is a single movement or a short phrase of movement
that embodies the style and intention of the dance.
 It is used in a good dance to be able to convey its
meaning or intention to the audience since a dance
without meaning makes it harder for the audience to
understand; thus, making it superficial and easy to
forget.
 It is used in a good dance in which the movements are
repeated, varied, and developed by manipulating the
movement components or elements.
 One good example of a dance with motif is the Itik-Itik
Philippine folkdance. It is easy to identify the motif of
this dance as it simply portrays the movements of an
itik (duckling).
Characteristics of a Good Dance
• Unity
The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent
and flow smoothly together.
• Continuity and Development
The phrases of the dance are organized progressively,
making each movement phrase move naturally into the
next. There is a continuous development of the movement
phrase and the audience is swept along to the end.
• Variety and Contrast
This means making one or several variations that highlight
the facet of the motif to provide variety within the
development of a dance and to introduce new material.
• Transition
This is the link between movements, phrases, and
sections of the dance to make the logical progression of
the dance flow smoothly and to keep the unity and
continuity of the dance.
• Repetition
It emphasizes movements and phrases that are
important to the dance and gives a feeling of closure to
a work.
• Climax
It may be a fast and enraged blast of energy and action,
or it could fade away to a gentle and quiet exit that
marks the end of a particular story.
Choreographic Forms in Dance
1. SEQUENTIAL FORMS
These forms contain themes/motifs which progress in a
specific order.
a. AB (two-part) Form
 It is the simplest of the sequential forms and is
similar to a verse and a chorus of a song.
 It is a binary form with two contrasting sections
consisting of a beginning section (A) followed by a
second section (B).
 This form is commonly used in many folk dances
and songs.
b. ABA (three-part) Form
 It is composed of an introductory theme (A), a
contrasting theme (B), and a restatement of the
original theme (A), which is the unifying theme
and the center of interest.
 Most popular songs use this form where there is
chorus (A), a verse (B), and a repetition of the
chorus (A), which is often somewhat elaborated to
highlight the idea of the song.
c. Rondo Form (ABACA)
 In this form, the unifying theme (A) returns after
each contrasting theme and appears after every
contrasting section at least three times, but it can
itself be varied.
 It can be described as ABACADAEAFA
development of movement idea.
d. Theme and Variations Form
 The motif is a series of movements to which
variations are added throughout the development
of the entire choreography.
 The motif/theme can be a single phrase or several
movement phrases placed together in a
sequence.
 The order of the movements is kept the same all
throughout the variations. It can take the form of
subtle adjustments in dynamics, space, style,
mood, and tempo.
2. CONTRAPUNTAL FORMS
Here, several themes are woven together in
choreography to form a complex structure. The main
theme is seen against itself or against one or more
other themes.

a. Ground Bass
 Single theme starts the dance and is repeated
all the way through the dance while other
contrasting themes are simultaneously
performed with it.
 This form is best done in a group working either
in contrast to each other or against a soloist.
b. Round or Canon
It consists of two or more movement phrases or
themes in which the main movement phrases are
imitated exactly and completely by the successive
movements, but done in staggered manner .
c. Fugue or Accumulation
 It is a choreographic form that is constructed by
adding on different movement or dance phrases in
every repetition of the main movement theme.
 The movement phrases or the motif can be
developed by reversing, inverting, augmenting, or
diminishing throughout the dance.
d. Suite
 Every section of the dance (beginning, middle, and
end) use different tempos and qualities.
 Commonly, it has a moderate beginning, a slow
middle section, and a fast and lively end section.
3. EPISODIC FORMS
 They are not musical forms; instead, they are found
in literature.
 They tell a story through connected and progressive
sections called episodes.
 Narrative form is an episodic form that tells a story
or conveys an idea and the sequence of the story
determines the structure of the dance.
 As in all good soap operas, each section or chapter
reveals more of the plot and has its own interest,
variations, and contrast.
 Classical ballet often uses these forms.
4. OTHER COMPOSITIONAL FORMS
a. Natural Structures
They mostly come from natural structures such as
the seasons, life cycles, and everyday life
experiences all of which present rich materials for
organic dance structure.
b. Collage
 It consists of “a series of movement phrases that
are often unrelated but have been brought
together to create a single dance with a
beginning, a middle, and an end”.
 The overall form remains a whole even though
the content may be illogical.
c. Tableau
In this form, different movement phrases are
performed by different dancers simultaneously in the
same space wherein the dancers may execute it at a
different location on the stage and connect
transitional movements for each scene to produce a
progression of moving snapshots.
d. Chance
 The movement phrases are performed in random
order and spatial placing.
 Every time the dance is performed, it is done in
different order and therefore has a different
appearance.
 Originally, the dance phrases were arranged by
tossing coins to decide on choices and the order of
performance, hence, coming from the word by
chance.
Evaluating a Good Dance
CATEGORIES OF EVALUATORS’ ROLES
• Choreographers
They will evaluate a part of an ongoing process of
developing a personal style which is both spontaneous
and organized.
• Dancers
They will evaluate according to the specific demands that
the performance places on them.
• Audiences
They will evaluate according to the particular context of
the dance.
 STAGES IN ASSESSING A DANCE (DANCE CRITIQUE)
• Description
It involves close observation of all the elements,
characteristics, and components of a dance.
• Interpretation
It involves an appreciation of the ideas, content, images,
and style contained within the dance.
• Evaluation
It 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.
GUIDE QUESTIONS IN ANALYZING AND
EVALUATING A DANCE PERFORMANCE
SAMPLE DANCE ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION