What is Dance? to create and perform within Physical – develop cardiovascular b.

Local/ Regional –
the arts themselves. endurance. Improves coordination, dances that are unique
- It is the movement of the balance, flexibility, and body to certain localities.
body in a rhythmic way, Dark and Early Middle Ages composition. Lower risks of 2. Modern and
usually with music. cardiovascular diseases. Contemporary
- They performed dance in
Dance Periods village square to welcome Modern Dance – a style
Lower body mass index. Lower where dancers are free to
feudal lords. Common resting heart rate. Improve
1) Pre-Historic Era people did dances that were express their feelings
2) Ancient Egypt metabolism. Enable joint mobility. through movements
social in character. Improves and maintain bone density.
3) Ancient Greek Beginning of Social Contemporary Dance –
4) Ancient Rome Dancing. Mental/Emotional – keeps the brain incorporates strong leg work
5) Catholic Church in Europe sharp. Decrease incidence of and balance of ballet and
6) Dark and Early Middle Ages 2 Types of Dances by Peasants Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. trunk movements of modern
7) Early Renaissance Decrease depressive symptoms. dance.
8) Europe in 15th and 16th Round Dance – holds each 3. Cheer dance – combination
other’s hand and forms a long Increase self esteem and improve
Century body image. Aids in releasing of cheering and dancing.
chain, moves in an open closed Includes mandatory cheer
circle. emotional and physical tension
and gymnastic and acrobatic
Social – gives sense of togetherness. moves.
Pre-Historic Era a. Couple Dance – it was
Encourages positive social 4. Street dance/ Hip-hop –
considered scandalous when
- A major form of religious interactions. Contribute to the performed to hip-hop music,
first seen.
ritual and social expression individual’s self-actualization. with wide range of styles
with primitive cultures. A Dance Steps of Peasants (Slaves, primarily breaking and
way of expressing tribal Serf, Free) Cultural – Promotes cultural values. popping
unity and strength, courtship 5. Ballet – taken from the
a. Gliding Lesson 2: Nature of Different
and mating, worship and Italian word “Ballare”
b. Curtseying Dances
communication. meaning to dance and
c. Posing 1. Traditional Dances (Folk “Ballo” referring to dances
Ancient Egypt & Ethnic) performed in ballroom.
The Renaissance
- Dances of indigenous Combination of arts of
- Dance became full blown
- Dance was wholly accepted communities that show dancing, poetry, music, and
and richly recorded.
in the courts as a gradual cultural traits of people in painting,
Reflected in wall paintings.
increase of capitalist class specific time and place. 6. Ballroom – set of partner
A medium of religious
produced patrons of learning dances, enjoyed socially and
expression. Three Types of Ethnic Dance
and art. competitively. It is also
Ancient Greek Civilization enjoyed on stage, film, and
Europe in 15th and 16th Century 1. Ritual Dance
television.
- An aid to military education, 2. Life-Cycle Dance
7. Festival Dance - cultural
a form of entertainment and - More court dances 3. Occupational Dance
dances performed to the
display. performed by nobility, as strong beats of percussion
well as rise of art in ballet in Folk dance can be
instruments by a community
Ancient Rome Italy and France. Several a. National – with
od people sharing same
dances continued to spread common basic
- Stopped valuing qualities in culture, usually done in
to several countries, movements with slight
art, nations grew wealthy honor of a patron saint or
variations.
and powerful. They ceased thanksgiving. It may be
Benefits of Dance religious or secular in nature.
PHASES OF DANCE LESSON 2: BASIC NATURAL Non-locomotor Movements – 1. Direction – line of
PROGRAM MOVEMENTS various parts of the body move in movement taken, forward,
space with a fixed base. Base may backward, sideward,
1. Creative Rhythms 1. Locomotor
be standing, kneeling, sitting, or diagonal, upwards, or a
2. Folk/Ethnic Dance 2. Non-Locomotor
lying. Flexion, extension, combination.
3. Social and Ballroom
Locomotor Movements– moves pendular, percussive, vibratory, 2. Level – movement through
Dance
the body in a space, any direction sustained, suspended, and space that may be done at a
4. Recreational Dance
with the feet as moving base. rotation. high, low, or medium level.
5. Creative Dance
Such as walking, running, a. Low Lever – create a
a. Flexion – bending/shortening
Creative Rhythms – jumping, hopping, skipping, sense of groundedness,
a body part occurring at a
Fundamental rhythms / natural leaping, galloping, and sliding, connections with the
joint
dances earth, rest, or
a. Walking – moves at a regular b. Extension – stretching/
vulnerability. Bend,
Folk/ Ethnic Dance – Cultural art phase, lifting and setting down straightening of body parts
kneel, roll, crawl.
form handed down from each foot in turn, never off the from a joint.
Crouch, sit, recline.
generations. It communicates ground at once. c. Pendular – swinging/
b. Medium Level – bring a
customs, beliefs, rituals etc. Folk b. Running – walking with swaying of arms or foot
sense of human action
dancing belongs to people and longer strides, there’s a push- forward, backward, or
and scale to dance.
emanates/rise from them. off by the foot sideward.
Dancer moves in ways
c. Jumping – spring on one or d. Percussive – striking and
Social and Ballroom Dance – A that are more likely we
both feet and landing on both hitting, pushing and pulling.
social gathering with the more normally move in space.
feet in any direction. e. Vibratory – shaking and
formal atmosphere than simple Gesture, walk, talk, step,
d. Hopping – spring on one foot beating of body.
and informal parties. Usually held run, balance.
and landing on both the same f. Sustained – slow, smooth
in the evenings. Folk dancing c. High Level – move away
foot. flowing movement with a
originates from them. Participants from the ground, defying
e. Skipping – same as hopping balance movement.
wear formal attire. gravity by pushing up
but bouncing lightly, alternate g. Suspended – sharp
into the air. Jump, hop,
Recreational Dance – Dance steps. movement followed by slow
leap.
mixers, square dance, round f. Leaping – Spring on one foot or prolonged movements
3. Range – the area covered as
dance, and couple dance. They and landing on the other foot. until peak is reached.
the body moves. Small when
have simple patterns and g. Galloping – move in movement is done in one
combinations. Formal attire. continuous forward or place, large when it covers a
LESSON 3: ELEMENTS
sidewards with one foot wide area.
Creative Dance – highest form of OF MOVEMENT SPACE
leading. 4. Floor Pattern – path or
dance. End product of exploration h. Gliding – gliding the foot 1. Direction design that is made while
and improvisation of movements, along the floor. 2. Level moving in space. It can be
the dancer expresses feelings. 3. Range circle, square, straight, or
4. Floor Pattern zigzag.
LESSON 4: MOVEMENT QUALITIES LESSON 5: ELEMENTS OF RHYTHM
1. Time Qualities  Beat  Phrase
2. Force Qualities  Intensity  Count
3. Space Qualities  Pitch  Note
Movement Expression – attained through time, force, and space.  Tempo  Measure
 Accent  Note Pattern
1. Time Qualities
 Meter  Step Pattern
a. Fast Movement
b. Slow Movement
2. Force Qualities 1. Beat – underlying pulse of a rhythm
a. Soft light Movement 2. Tempo – rate of speed of a movement
b. Strong heavy Movement 3. Intensity – variation of stress of movement
c. Strong jerky Movement 4. Pitch – lowness or highness of tone
d. Smooth sustained Movement 5. Accent – emphasis on certain beats
3. Space Qualities 6. Meter – regular recurrence of beats which a musical design into
a. Movement up and down measure
b. Movement across, back & forth, or around 7. Phrase – measures grouped together
c. Movement which is Low 8. Count – pulse beat, time limit
d. Movement which is High 9. Note – printed symbol of musical tone
10. Note Pattern – a note or set of notes, with or without rest used for a
certain dance step
11. Step Pattern – movement done for each of the dance steps
WHAT IS RHYTHM
o Rhythm is the regular occurrence of accented and unaccented beats.
o It is also a term which denotes an aspect of a quality movement that
is sometimes thought of as dance.
o When and individual moves in response to a rhythm or music, we
call the movements as rhythmic movements or rhythms.
o Structured forms which start creative rhythmic movements are called
rhythms.