Dance is a way of knowing and communicating

Dance is a way of knowing and communicating. All societies use dance to communicate on both personal and cultural levels and to meet physical and spiritual needs. Dance, as with all the arts, has its own language. We need to learn this language in order to fully understand appreciate the world of dance.

The Language of Dance Elements: Body, Action, Space, Time, Energy Choreographic Forms: Theme and Variations, Rondo and Narrative Styles: Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Modern

Elements: • Remember: BASTE • Body, Action, Space, Time, Energy

Body » The body is the instrument of dance. Just as a painter paints with a brush, in dance it is through the body that movements appear. » You can use: the whole body, body parts, body zones (front, back, left side, right side, top half, etc. ), and body bases (what supports the body ex: feet, hands, head ). » Initiation: Dance movements are initiated, or originated by the body.

Action is any human movement included in the act of dancing. Action can include dance steps, facial movements, lifts, carries, and catches, and even everyday movements such as walking. Actions can travel (locomotor) or move on the spot (non-locomotor).

All dance movements can be labeled as locomotor or nonlocomotor. NONLOCOMOTOR-movements that do not change location LOCOMOTOR-movements that travel AH-E-2. 1. 31

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.

Space • SPACE: Is where the body moves. It is the area occupied by the dancer’s body; includes direction, size, pathways, levels and shapes. • Direction: which way a dancer faces or moves; e. g. , forward, backward, sideways, up and down. • Size: magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large movements • Pathways: patterns made as a dancer moves through the air or on the floor (straight, vertical, horizontal, zig-zag); can be made with locomotor or non-locomotor movements, separately or in combination. • Levels: the vertical distance from the floor. Movements take place on three levels: high, middle or low and deep. • Shapes: the form created by the body’s position in space. Aspects of shape are open/closed, symmetrical/asymmetrical, angular and curved.

Relationships in Space • Relationship: Compares where a person is positioned compared to where other people or things are in the space. • To what or to whom describes the relationship. • Relationship is the connection between things, be they dancers to each other, dancers to objects, or a dancer's body parts to each other. • Relationship words: in front, beside, behind, over, under

Time TIME: The relationship of one movement or part of a movement to another. • • • How fast or slow (tempo) a dance movement is How even or uneven (beat) a dance movement is How long or short (duration) a dance movement is Varying the speed of movements provides variety.

Energy (Force) • Energy: Degree of muscular tension and use of energy while moving. • It refers to the force of an action. HOW? • Dynamics: how a movement is done; how the body moves • Flow: continuity of movement (bound/free flowing/balanced/neutral) • Weight: strength or lightness of movement (heavy/light)

Choreographic Forms Choreography is the art of arranging dances Theme: the basic idea of the dance, which the choreographer dramatizes through the conflict of characters. Rondo: a dance structure with three or more themes where one theme is repeated. ABACAD Narrative: choreographic structure that follows a specific story line to convey specific information through a dance Variations: contrasts in the use of the dance elements, repetitions.

Styles (characteristics) Ballet: a classic form of dance growing out of the French nobility. Its root is court dances. It is known for its: • standardized dance movements • specialized leaps and lifts • French terminology to describe each standardized movement • Pointe shoes for women • slippers for men • costumes---tights, tutus

Styles (characteristics) Tap: is a percussive dance form in which dancers produce sound by wearing shoes to which metal taps have been added. Tap dance, an American dance form which concentrates on footwork and rhythm, has roots in African, Irish and English clogging traditions. Its roots lie in recreational dance (Irish Step dance, jig and African steps). It is known for: • An emphasis on rhythm • Tap shoes • Costumes—formal to street wear • Improvisation

Styles (characteristics) Jazz: American music marked by lively rhythms with unusual accents and often including melodies made up by musicians as they play. Its roots are in social dances and early musical theatre dance. It’s known for: • Stylized movement • Accents in hands, head, hips and feet • English/French terminology to describe movements • Jazz shoes or boots • Costume related to theme of dance • Improvisation

Styles (characteristics) Modern: a form of dance developed by dancers interested in breaking from ballet traditions and expressing a more liberating form of movement. It expresses complex emotions and abstract ideas. It is known for: • Freedom of movement • Usually barefoot but can use shoes based on theme • Costume related to dance theme • Improvisation used in the development of choreography

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.

Dance is often used to tell a story 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.