1. Part of the Arts & Humanities Core Content
Dance
Part of the Arts & Humanities
Core Content
Altered from Lori Theaker, MSLS for use with 11th grade students at Millwood High School, 2009, by S. MacInnes.

2. True or False. Dance is always done to music
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.

3. 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 , AH-M

4. 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 , 1.15, 2.23

5. TIME TEMPO - fast, slow, moderate, accelerating, decelerating
DURATION - short, long
BEAT - pulse of the music
AH-E , 1.15, 2.23

6. Dynamics Relationship 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.

7. FORCE the use of energy while moving
QUALITY – smooth, sharp, round,
free, flowing
ENERGY – weak, strong
WEIGHT – heavy, light, suspended
collapsed
AH-E , 1.15, 2.23

8. All dance movements can be labeled as locomotor or non-locomotor.
NON-LOCOMOTOR – movements that do not change location
LOCOMOTOR – movements that travel
AH-E

9. 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 , 1.15, 2.23

10. Non-locomotor Movements
Dancers are using non-locomotor movements when they stay in one place but bend, stretch, twist, or swing their body.

11. 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

12. Dance has 3 main forms ceremonial (religion, celebration, ritual)
recreational (folk, social dancing, aerobic dance)
artistic (ballet, modern, narrative, tap, lyrical).
AH-E

13. 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.

14. 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 , A-HI , AH-M

15. Dance is also representative of time periods
What 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 , AH-H

16. 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 , 1.15, 2.23, 2.25

17. 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

18. Answer the following questions:
Who started folk dance?
Ordinary people
What is the main difference between folk and popular dances?
Popular dances are usually popular for only a short time.
What is a ballroom dance that came from folk dance?
The waltz
Why did a lot of new dances come from the United States?
The mixing of immigrant cultures produced new forms of dance.
What type of dancing became popular in the mid-1980s?
Breakdancing.

19. 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 , 1.15, 2.22

20. 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.
AH-M , AH , AH-E

21. Speaking & writing
Form 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

22. 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