History of Dance

Mental, emotional (benefit)

Aids in releasing emotional and physical tension

Catholic Church

Christian fathers approved the use of dance, provided that its form and intent were holy and profound; transformed the history of dance.

Social (benefit)

Contributes to the individual's potential for self-actualization in society

Renaissance

Dance and art in general gained impetus; entertainers now became valuable appendage to the courts of Italy and France and they were to serve the secular goals of the wealthy and powerful nobles who had emerged throughout Europe.

Ancient Rome

Dance became brutal and sensualized since the performers are slaves and captives from many nationalities, and it was used more often for gruesome purposes. It became part of corruption resulting in the condemnation of dance by early Christians

Pre-Christian

Dance became full blown and was highly recorded in ancient Egypt; It was reflected in their wall paintings, reliefs, and in literary record in hieroglyphs.

Social (benefit)

Dance gives a sense of togetherness in a group; provides a unique opportunity meaningful group involvement as it encourages intense, positive social interaction and interpersonal relationships in a working group.

Ancient Greeks

Dance is closely linked with other kinds of experiences; taught as an aid to military education among boys of Athens and Sparta, not just for religious and military training but also for entertainment and display.

Renaissance

Dance then was wholly accepted in the courts during early _________ as the gradual increase of the capitalist class produced patrons of learning and art in Europe.

Catholic Church

Dances then became part of worships and church services

Mental, emotional (benefit)

Decreases depressive symptoms; Increases self-esteem and improves body image

Physical (benefit)

Help improve and maintain bone density, thus helps prevent osteoporosis

Mental, emotional (benefit)

Helps keep the brain sharp; Decreases incidences of dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Physical (benefit)

Helps recover coordination and neuromuscular skills after surgery

Physical (benefit)

Improves lipid metabolism; Enables joint mobility (hip motion and spine flexibility)

communicate

It was said that the first use if dance was as a gesture in order to ________.

dance

It was used as a way of expressing and reinforcing tribal unity and strength, as an approach for courtship and mating, and as a means of worship and communication, and therapeutic experience.

Physical (benefit)

Lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases

1. to please the gods 2. to please others, 3. to please themselves or self-expression; and 4. to build community within an ethnic group or social interaction

Main reasons why people dance:

Pre-Christian

Most of dances in this era were chiefly a medium of religious expression.

Education

Plato, Aristotle and Socrates are Greek philosophers who strongly asserted that dance is an art as an integration of body and soul.

Cultural (benefit)

The people around the world are brought to "a closer understanding of the lives of the people represented and to an appreciation of their respective folk cultures" through the folk dances of a specific country; Promoted cultural Values.

Ancient Rome

They gave less importance in dancing. It stopped valuing such qualities in art as the nation grew wealthy and powerful. The romans ceased to create and perform within the arts themselves.

Mental, emotional (benefit)

They revealed that dance can offer an "acceptable way to release emotional and physical pressure". Also, it was assumed that there is a correlation between aerobic exercise and body image.

Noble

Type of music and dancing according to Plato that is fine & honourable.

ignoble

Type of music and dancing according to Plato that is imitating what is mean and ugly

Symmetrical

[bodily shape] balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both sides

Asymmetrical

[bodily shape] unbalanced shape; movements of two side of the body do not match or completely different from each other

Space

[element of dance] the area the performers occupy and where they move.

Group shapes

[elements of dance] a group of dancers perform movements in different group shapes. They are arranged in ways that are wide, narrow, rounded, angular, symmetrical or asymmetrical and are viewed together as a total picture or arrangement within a picture frame.

Bodily Shapes

[elements of dance] refers to how the entire body is molded in a space or the configuration of the body parts

Timing

[elements of dance] the movements' ______ may be executed in varying tempo (speed); can be varied by moving faster or slower than the normal beat. Performers move with move with the tempo of an underlying sound, known as a beat or pulse.

Sustained

[qualities of dance energy] movements are done smoothly, continuously, and with flow and control; does not have a clear beginning and ending.

Percussive

[qualities of dance energy] movements are explosive or sharp in contrast with sustained movements. They are accented with thrust of energy. They have a clear beginning and end

Suspended

[qualities of dance energy] movements are perched in a space or hanging on air (ex. holding a raised leg in any direction)

Collapsing

[qualities of dance energy] movements are released in tension and gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity letting the body descend to the floor. A slow ______ can be described as a melting or oozing action in a downward direction.

Vibratory

[qualities of dance energy] movements consist of trembling or shaking. A faster version of percussive movement that produces jittery effect.

Swinging

[qualities of dance energy] movements traced a curved line or an arc in space; relaxed and giving in to gravity on the downward part of the motion, followed by an upward application of energy.

Direction

[spatial element] dance movements can travel and face any _____ while executing a single movement or several phrases

Level

[spatial element] movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level

Size

[spatial element] movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions

Focus

[spatial element] performers may change their ______ by looking at different directions.

Dance Energies

a varied use of these minimizes the monotony of the movements in a performance

dance

differs from athletics or other daily activities because it focuses primarily on "aesthetic or even entertaining experience"

dance

major form of religious and social expression within primitive cultures

Pre historic era

people in this era performs dance in a way they hoped would appease the forces of nature or give them new powers of their own; dances during this period have not been fully recorded

Physical (benefit)

when done regularly, dancing is a good way to develop cardiovascular and muscular endurance, body composition as well as balance and flexibility.