1. Dance Intro Unit

2. Journal: Dancing in the Streets
Think of a dance that you know or that you’ve seen someone else do.
Pretend you’re teaching it to someone who knows NOTHING about dance. Write detailed step-by-step instructions for executing the movements.
Then, describe the setting (church? Club? Etc.) in which this dance is usually performed.
And finally, explain: What is the purpose / cultural significance of this dance?

3. The Purposes, Elements
and Styles of Dance

4. 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 and appreciate the world of Dance.

5. Purposes of Dance – The Reasons People Dance Artistic Dance
Dances created and performed in order to convey a meaning.
Performed for an audience
Ballet, modern jazz, tap

7. Purposes of Dance – The Reasons People Dance Ceremonial Dance
Dances that are performed at celebrations (wedding dances) or ceremonies (Native American dances for hunting, war, rain, etc.)

9. Purposes of Dance – The Reasons People Dance Recreational Dance
Dances performed in a social setting (Folk, Line, Ballroom, etc. )

11. Movement Locomotor – movement from one place to another
Walk
Run
Hop
Jump
Slide
Leap
Gallop
Non-locomotor – stationary
Bend
Stretch
Twist
Swing

12. Expressive Qualities of Movement
Movement can be used to communicate
ideas and emotions.

13. Space Shape (circle, square, line, etc.) Level (high, low, middle)
Direction (left to right, right to left, forward, backward, clockwise, counterclockwise, etc.)
Pathways (straight line, spiral across, curve, etc.)

14. Time
Beat (rhythm)
Tempo (fast or slow)

15. Force
Use of energy while moving:
Hard
Soft
Light
Heavy
Gentle
Strong

16. Elements Force The use of energy while moving. Space
The area covered by dance movements Such as Directions, Level, Pathways, and Shape
Time
How fast or slow (tempo), even or uneven (beat) and how long or short (duration) the movement is. .

17. African Dance Assignment (whole group)
As you view the following video clips, answer the following questions for each dance:
What is the purpose of the dance?
Describe the movements used in the dance using the appropriate terminology.
How do the dancers make use of space?
What kind of force is used in the dance?
What ideas and emotions does the dance communicate?

18. African Dance Clips

19. Describe the Elements in this Clip

20. Describe the Elements in this Clip

21. Styles: 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

24. Will Ferrell… Buddy the Elf or Ballet Dancer? You tell me.

25. Costumes—formal to street wear
Styles: Tap
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

28. Styles: Jazz
American music marked by lively rhythms with unusual accents and often including melodies made up by musicians as they play. It’s 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

31. Styles: 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

35. Authentic Engagement
You’re going to see 2 videos (each is about 2 minutes long). Complete this assignment on a sheet of paper to be turned in.
Summarize the dance in each of them using vocabulary that you already know, as at least 3 new vocabulary words from today’s notes.
Then, COMPARE AND CONTRAST the two dances. What makes them different? What do they express about the HUMAN CONDITION??
I will collect this at the end of class—I expect it to be a well-thought out response!!!

36. Save the Last Dance

37. Savion Glover