DancePart of the Arts &

HumanitiesCore Content

http://hometown.aol.com/tapestrylj/TAPESTRYSITE/Colonial.html

Altered from Lori Theaker, MSLS for use with 11th grade students at Millwood High School, 2009, by S.

MacInnes.

True or False

*Dance is always done to music.

*You need a partner to dance.

*The first ballet dancers were men.

*To dance, you need special training and you have to be thin.

Dance and Movement

• What is the difference between everyday movements and dance?

• When does movement become dance?

Movement becomes dance when the elements of dance (space, time, and force) are intentionally incorporated.

AH-E-2.1.31, AH-M-2.1.33

SPACE• Pathways - curved lines, straight lines, zigzags,

circles, figure-eights, and many more• Focus – the direction the body is facing, eye

focus direction• Shape - large, small, rounded, and angular• Level - high, medium, low or on the floor• Direction - forward, backwards, diagonally,

sideways

AH-E-2.1.31, 1.15, 2.23

TIME

• TEMPO - fast, slow, moderate, accelerating, decelerating• DURATION - short, long• BEAT - pulse of the music

AH-E-2.1.31, 1.15, 2.23

Dynamics• How is the body moving?

– Energy – strong, light, tense, relaxed– Flow – sustained, suspended, lyrical,

staccato.

Relationship• With whom or what is the body moving?

– Grouping – apart, connected, solo, duet, ensemble formation.

– Dancer relationship – side-by-side, near, far, role-relationship.

– Interactions – leading, following, mirroring, unison, contrast, meeting, parting, reaction.

FORCEthe use of energy while

moving• QUALITY – smooth, sharp, round, free, flowing

• ENERGY – weak, strong

• WEIGHT – heavy, light, suspended collapsed

AH-E-2.1.31, 1.15, 2.23

All dance movements can be labeled as

locomotor or non-locomotor.

NON-LOCOMOTOR – movements that do not change location

AH-E-2.1.31

LOCOMOTOR – movements that travel

Locomotor Movements

Dancers using locomotor movements may walk, run, skip, hop, jump, slide, leap, or gallop. These movements may be high (possibly indicating joy), medium, or low (possibly indicating sadness.)

AH-E-2.1.31, 1.15, 2.23

Non-locomotor Movements

Dancers are using non-locomotor movements when they stay in one place but bend, stretch, twist, or

swing their body.

How is a dance created?

Dances are created by combining locomotor and nonlocomotor

movements.

A dance, like a book,

has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

AH-M-2.1.34

Dance has 3 main forms

• ceremonial (religion, celebration, ritual)

• recreational (folk, social dancing, aerobic dance)

• artistic (ballet, modern, narrative, tap, lyrical).

AH-E-2.2.32

Culture and Dance

• Nearly all cultures incorporate dance in some way.

• Dance is a major component of many cultures.

• Dance is often used to communicate or celebrate.

Some more about dance & culture

• Cultures use dance in ways that are both social and personal.

• What are some examples of culture and dance you can think of? How do those cultures use dance?

AH-E-2.2.33, A-HI-2.2.31, AH-M-2.2.32

Dance is also representative of time periodsWhat time period do you think of when you hear:

• Charleston,• Virginia Reel,• Swing,• Disco,• Break dancing, or• Hip Hop?

Something to think about…How are the dances of these time periods related to the politics of the time?

AH-H-2.3.31, AH-H-2.3.311

Dance in History

• Dance has played an important function in many cultures throughout history.

• Dance styles, costumes and music often reflect the political climate of the time.

• Dances such as the “Locomotion”, “Macarena”, and even the “Chicken Dance” all perform a function in our society – they create a “group” of dancers having fun!

AH-E-2.2.31, 1.15, 2.23, 2.25

Dance types• Ethno-cultural – singing games (hokey-pokey),

religion or ceremonial (aboriginal spirit dance), folk (French-Canadian, step dance, Scottish country dance), Classical (Chinese ribbon dance).

• Social – trend (funk, hip-hop, line dancing), ballroom (waltz, foxtrot, tango, swing)

• Historical – baroque, renaissance, minuet, Charleston, twist, disco, lambada, hip-hop.

• Modern – creative (centers on a dancer's own interpretations instead structured steps), classical (Bausch, Graham – dev’t of modern w/ technique), post-modern (everyday mov’t as art)

• Theatrical – tap, musical theatre, dance drama, ice dance, ethno-cultural

Answer the following questions:1. Who started folk dance?

• Ordinary people2. What is the main difference between folk

and popular dances?• Popular dances are usually popular for only a

short time.3. What is a ballroom dance that came from

folk dance?• The waltz

4. Why did a lot of new dances come from the United States?

• The mixing of immigrant cultures produced new forms of dance.

5. What type of dancing became popular in the mid-1980s?

• Breakdancing.

Is there anything else I should know?

Dance allows the dancer or choreographer to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and feelings through movement. These movements are structured and repeatable, in that they can be taught to others.

AH-E-2.1.14, 1.15, 2.22

Dance is often used to tell a story

AH-M-2.2.31, AH-2.2.32, AH-E.2.1.31

Like a story or a book, each dance has a

beginning, middle and an end. Dance is made

up “movement materials”, connected into “phrases” and put

together into a complete dance.

Speaking & writingForm a group of 3 – 4. Discuss one of the

following dance forms with your partners and write some descriptive words for that form.

Classical ballet

Waltz

Jazz

Break dance

Disco

Tango

Latin ballroom

Example:

Chinese folk dance

•Traditional

•Dragon dances

•Generation

•Festival occasions

•Lion dances

Bibliography

Resources used for this presentation include:

• KET’s DanceSense, • an original Power Point presentation

created by Anna W. Martin (sent to JCES staff by HSE Pam Clemons)

• Microsoft Office ClipArt files• Nova Scotia Dance 11 curriculum

guide, 1999