PEH 3
Direction
- dance movements can travel in any direction. The performers can go forward, side, backward, diagonal, circular, and so on. They may also face any direction while executing a single movement or several phrases.
six qualities of dance energies
-Sustained -Percussive -Vibratory -Swinging -Suspended -Collapsing
Dance
-differs from athletics or other daily activities because it focuses primarily on "aesthetic or even entertaining experience" (Myers, 2005). -can be seen among all the people and civilizations of the world. -thrived at different periods of history and most were a result of intercultural exchange and contact (Alejandro, and Santos-Gana, 2002). -has been a major form of religious and social expression within primitive cultures. 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. It was said that the first use if the dance was as a gesture in order to communicate.
Timing
-the movements timing may be executed in varying tempo (speed). Performers move with move with the tempo of an underlying sound, known as a beat or pulse. -can be varied by moving faster or slower than the normal beat. -When a sequence of movement or a group of phrases is done in varying tempos, they generate rhythmic patterns. - The addition of silent or pauses also adds to rhythmic patterns
Classification of Philippine Folk Dances:
1. Life-cycle dances 2. Festival dances 3. Occupational dances 4. Ritual and ceremonial dances 5. Mimetic or drama dances 6. War dances 7. Social amenities dances
Fundamental Positions of Arms and Feet : Second Position
Arms: Arms are opened sideward with rounded elbows. Feet:Feet apart about one foot away form each other
Fundamental Positions of Arms and Feet :Fifth Position
Arms: Both arms are raised above the head with rounded elbows. Feet:Both arms are raised above the head with rounded elbows.
Fundamental Positions of Arms and Feet :First Position
Arms: Both arms are raised in front of chest with rounded elbows. Feet:Heels together, 45 degrees open
Fundamental Positions of Arms and Feet : Third Position
Arms: Right are is raised above the head and left arm is maintained in second position. Feet:Right heel close to the left in step
Fundamental Positions of Arms and Feet : Fourth Position
Arms: Right heel close to the left in step Feet:Right foot placed in front of the left foot about one foot away from each other
Symmetrical
Balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both sides
Spatial elements
Direction, size, level , focus
Plato highlighted two types of music and dancing
Noble and Ignoble
BENEFITS OF DANCE AND CREATIVE MOVEMENT
Physical, Mental/Emotional, Social, Cultural
Education
Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates are Greek philosophers who strongly asserted that dance is an art as an integration of body and soul.
Dance comes from different periods
Prehistoric era, Pre-Christian, Ancient Greeks, Education, Ancient Rome, Catholic church, Renaissance
ELEMENTS OF DANCE
Space, Timing, Dance Energies, Bodily Shapes, Group Shapes
Folk dance
These are hundreds of traditional dance collections found in the country that are mostly for all occasions. They come from the southern to northern parts of the Philippines islands. These dances exhibit the customs, ideas, beliefs, superstitions, and events of daily living in a certain Filipino community.
Ancient Greeks
dance is closely linked with other kinds of experiences. Dancing was 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 renaissance as the gradual increase of the capitalist class produced patrons of learning and art in Europe. During the renaissance, dance and art in general gained impetus. The 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. A vast dance movement occurred throughout the courts of Europe I the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times, new court dances performed by the nobility came about as well as the right of the art of ballet in Italy and France. From then on, several other dance forms continued to sprout and spread across several countries. Other dance forms also came to light and have been widely recognized worldwide (Kraus and Gaufman, 1981)
Dance Energies
dance uses different energies and a varied use of these minimizes the monotony of the movements in a performance. There are six qualities of dance energies.
Ritual and ceremonial dances
dances performed as part of the rituals and ceremonies of a certain tribe or group of people.
Festival dances
dances that are either religious or secular and relate to the celebration of recurring events of special significance.
Occupational dances
dances that depict the means of livelihood of the Filipino people. Palay festival, a national dance in rice-growing regions, is an example of an occupational dance wherein dancers portray different steps in rice-growing - from planting to harvesting to threshing, flailing, pounding, airing and winnowing (Aquino, 1979).
War dances
dances that express feud and enmity wherein two male dancers engage in physical combat with Spartan-like intensity (Lopez, 2006). Maglalatik (Biña, Laguna) is an example of war dance as this depicts a battle between Muslims of Southern Philippines and the Christians Filipinos of the lowlands over latik (the residue after coconut boils down). In this dance, the Muslim won, and the Christians sought conciliation in order to convert the Muslim Moros to Christianity (Aquino, 1979).
Social amenities dances
dances that express social graces, hospitality, and offerings of gifts to friends. All social ballroom dances and most of the "Filipinized" Western dances that show camaraderie merriment belong to this group (Lopez, 2006).
Mimetic or drama dances
dances that mimic animals, inanimate objects, or other people. The dancers get into roles other than themselves and become actors totally immersed in the story the dances tell. The itik-itik dance from Surigao is an example of a mimetic dance as it imitates the movements of a duck.
Life-cycle dances
dances that serve as ritual as one passes to a different stage in life such as from birth to childhood to adulthood; from singlehood to marriage; and from life to death. Below are the different dances that portray life cycle: a. Courtship dances b. Wedding dances c. Funeral dances
Catholic Church
development of the Catholic Church in Europe following the fall of Rome transformed the history of dance. Christian fathers approved the use of dance, provided that its form and intent were holy and profound. Dances then became part of worships and church services.
Noble
fine and honorable
Ignoble
imitating what is mean and ugly
Group shapes
in this element, 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
it refers to how the entire body is molded in a space or the configuration of the body parts. The body can be rounded, angular, or a combination of two. Other boy shapes can be from wide to narrow and from high to low. They can be symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Sustained
movements are done smoothly, continuously, and with flow and control. It does not have a clear beginning and ending.
Percussive
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
movements are perched in a space or hanging on air. Holding a raised leg in any direction is an example of a suspended movements.
Collapsing
movements are released in tension and gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity letting the body descend to the floor. A slow collapse can be described as a melting or oozing action in a downward direction.
Level
movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level.
Size
movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions
Vibratory
movements consist of trembling or shaking. A faster version of percussive movement that produces jittery effect.
Swinging
movements traced a curved line or an arc in space. The movements are relaxed and giving in to gravity on the downward part of the motion, followed by an upward application of energy.
Prehistoric era
people in this era perform a dance in a way they hoped would appease the forces of nature or give them new powers of their own. As Krauf and Gaufman (1981) said, "man danced originally to supplicate the gods on all important occasions of life". Nevertheless, dances during this period have not been fully recorded.
Focus
performers may change their focus by looking at different directions.
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. Dance became brutal and sensualized since the performers are slaves and captives from many nationalities, and it was used more often for gruesome purposes (Kraus, et al., 1981). Eventually, dance became part of corruption resulting in the condemnation of dance by early Christians.
Space
this is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided into four different aspects also known as spacial elements
Pre-Christian
through middle eastern civilizations, dance became full-blown and was highly recorded in ancient Egypt. It was reflected in their wall paintings, reliefs, and in a literary record in hieroglyphs. Most of the dances in this era were chiefly a medium of religious expression.
Asymmetrical
unbalanced shape; movements of two side of the body do not match or completely different from each other.
Physical
• Develops cardiovascular and muscular endurance • Improves coordination, balance, flexibility, and body composition • Lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases • Lowers body mass index • Improves lipid metabolism • Enables joint mobility (hip motion and spine flexibility) • Help improve and maintain bone density, thus helps prevent osteoporosis • Helps recover coordination and neuromuscular skills after surgery
Social
• Gives a sense of togetherness within a group • Encourage positive social interaction and interpersonal relationship in a group • Contributes to the individual's potential for self-actualization in society
Mental/emotional
• Helps keep the brain sharp • Decreases incidences of dementia and Alzheimer's disease • Decreases depressive symptoms • Increases self-esteem and improves body image • Aids in releasing emotional and physical tension
Cultural
• Promoted cultural Values