VPA Final Exam- Dance

Jazz

American music marked by lively rhythms with unusual accents and often by melodies made up by musicians as they play. It grew out of the music and remains interconnected

Classic

Fashionable year after year. Classical dance is a dance that has been developed over time into highly stylized structures and forms within a culture

Irish step dance

Form of percussive dance originating in Ireland with complex footwork producing rhythm with shoes

Innovation

A new idea, method, or device

Culture

A particular stage, form, or kind of civilization

Choreographer

A person who creates dances

Charleston

A popular dance that originated in the early 20s. The combination of a particular type of jazz music and the highly polished, slippery floors of the Speakeasies gave rise to an in-and-out flicking of the feet, which essentially characterized the dance. It was theatricized and embellished with typical vaudeville moves in a Ziegfield Follies production in 1921.

Expression

A process of conveying ideas, feelings, and meaning through the selective use of the communicative possibilities of dance

Gallop

A sliding step wehreby the body is propelled through space in an uneven rhythm, so the same foot is always leading

Skip

A step and a ho, alternating feet

Call and Response

A structure often associated with African music and dance forms, although it is also used elsewhere, including classical, folk, traditional, and other primal forms. One soloist/group performs, with the second soloist answering or entering in "response"

Blues

A uniquely American form of music, usually 12 bars long, which is a primary influence on the jazz tradition

social dance

dances done in a recreation, or social, context, often partner dances

polyrhythms

more than one rhythm played or performed at the same time; the layering of more than one rhythm

Non-locomotor

movement that is performed around the axis of the body rather than designed for travel from place to place, such as bend and stretch, push and pull, rise and sink, swing and sway, twist and turn, shake

Locomotor movements

movements that travel from one location to another

Ceremonial

of, relating to, or forming a ceremony; one of the purposes of a dance

studio

the working place of an artist

Force

(energy) degree of muscular tension and use of energy while moving, such as heavy/light, sharp/smooth, tension/relaxation, bound/flowing. Tension/relaxation: tension feels hard and tight; relaxation feels soft and loose

Focus

A central point or focus of attention in the movement space; the concentration, attention or specific energy given to movement in space

Ballet

A classic form of dance growing out of the French nobility

Balance

A counterbalancing weight, force, or influence

Jitterbug

A dance in which couples swing, balance, and twirl with lively acrobatics and break-away steps; related to the Lindy Hop and sometimes the named are used interchangeably

Lindy Hop

A dance named by Ray Bolger after Colonel Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. This swing dance had as much "getting into the air" as possible. However, the violently acrobatic style used for exhibitions is not the same as the quietly rhythmic Lindy enjoyed by good dancers on the ballroom floor

Big Apple

A dance popular in the 1930s. This dance originated in a church in South Carolina that had been turned into a black nightclub. The dance includes all the earlier Swing steps and requires a caller. The caller shouts "Shine" and asks for one of the swing steps. A single couple steps into the center and takes the initiative by performing an exhibition of that popular step.

Direction

A dancer's facing or direction of movement; e.g. forward, backward, sideways, up and down

Modern Dance

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

Body Percussion

A form of percussive dance using the body as a percussion instrument with hands beating a variety of body parts to produce rhythm.

Clogging

A freestyle dance style originating in the Blue Ridge Mountains characterized by double time stomping and tap steps resembling a tap dance with the upper body held straight and upright

Accent

A movement or shape performed in such a way as to give emphasis

Leap

A movement whereby the body is propelled through space by springing from one foot and landing on the other foot

Hop

A movement whereby the body is propelled through space by springing from one foot and landing on the same foot

Jump

A movement whereby the body is propelled through space by springing from two feet and landing on two feet

Flamenco

An individualistic, yet structured folk art from Andalucia that is often improvised and spontaneous. The song, dance and guitar are blended together by the passionate rhythms of southern Spain, the form's geographical birthplace

Elements of Dance

Basic ingredients making up movement and dance -- time, space, force; tools used in choreography

Alignment

Body placement or posture; the relationship of the skeleton to the line of gravity and the base of support

Narrative

Choreographic structure that follows a specific story line to convey specific information through the story

Hip-hop

Contemporary urban cultural identity incorporating rap music, graffiti, break dancing; styles of dance related to rap music

Grapevine

Continuous traveling step pattern to the side with step crosses behind and/or in front

African Dance

Dance forms originating in Africa

Contrast

Difference between related things (as in dance movement)

Artistic Director

Director of the creative aspects of a company

Grace

Ease of movement

Dynamics

How a movement is done, movement quality. Movement quality: the identifying attributes created by the gathering, release, follow-through, and termination of energy in the body, which are key to making movement expressive and dance-like. Typical terms denoting movement quality include smooth, sustained, swinging, percussive, and vibratory, as well as effort combinations such as float, dab, punch, and glide.

Isolations

Movement of one part of the body independently of the rest

Improvisation

Movement that is created spontaneously, ranging from free form to highly structured, but always with an element of chance. It is instant and simultaneous choreography and performance

Ragtime

Music played with a strong march-style rhythm and a lively melody with accented notes falling on beats that are not usually accented

Kathak

One of the classical dance forms of India. Each classic form represents the culture of a particular region or a group of people. This dance form originated in the north and at first was very similar to the Bharatanatyam. Persian and Muslim influences later altered the dance from a temple ritual to a courtly entertainment

Pathway

Patterns made as a dancer moves through the air on the floor (e.g., straight, vertical, horizontal, zig-zag); can be made with locomotor or non-locomotor movements, separately or in combination

Energy

Power or ability to be active

Artistic

Relating to or characteristic of art or artists, showing skill and imagination; one of the functions of dance

Craft

Skill in planning, making, or doing

Coordination

Smooth working together of parts, as in good muscular coordination

Craze

Something that is very popular for a short time

Walk

Steps are from one foot to the other, the weight being transgerred from heel to toe

Run

Steps from one foot to another performed at a relatively fast tempo

Movement

The act or process of moving

Imagination

The act, process, or power of forming a mental picture of something not present and especially of something one has not known or experienced

Interaction

The action of influence of people, groups, or things on one another

Design

The arrangement of elements that make up a structure or a work of art

Choreography

The art of arranging dances

Dance

The art of human movement. There are many kinds of dances, Ethnic dances are dances that are usually created and performed by a specific ethnic group within a society or culture. Folk dances are dances that are usually created and performed by a specific group within a culture and generally originated outside the courts or circle of power within a society. Ballet is an example of an artistic dance.

Duration

The length of time a movement lasts

Composition

The organization of the parts of a work to achieve a unified whole. Compositional forms: structure of dance compositions such as AB, ABA, and narrative

Form

The shape and structure of something

Level

The vertical distance from the floor. Movements take place on three levels: high, middle, and low or deep level

Civilization

The way of life of a people

Native American dance

The wide variety of dances of the original peoples of North America. Example: the Ghost Dance

ABA

Three-part structure; a three-part dance compositional form in which the second section contrasts with the first section. The third section is a restatement of the first section and can be in a condensed, abbreviated or extended form

Analyze

To examine the unique features of a work of art as they relate to the elements of the art form and principles of design, composition, performance, and/or production; identifying and examining separate parts as they function independently and together in works of art

Kabuki

Traditional popular Japanese drama with singing and dancing. It has been associated with dance from the beginning. Generally, the dances tend to be more "earth bound" than Western styles, and while ensembles do occur, the majority of dances are solos by the principal characters

AB

Two-part structure; a dance compositional form made up of two contrasting sections, each of which may or may not be repeated

Beat

Underlying rhythmic pulse

phrase

a brief sequence of related movements that have a sense of rhythmic completion. A movement, or dance, phrase is a series of movements with a beginning, middle, and end.

time

a dance element, includes duration, tempo, and beat

style

a distinctive manner of moving or dancing; the characteristic way a dance is done, created, or performed that identifies the dance of a particular performer, choreographer, culture, or period

rhythm

a flow of sound of movement having regular accented beats; a movement or activity in which some action repeats regularly. Metric rhythm: the grouping of beats in a repeating pattern. The time signature is a written symbol in music that denotes a metric rhythm; for example, 3/4, 4/4.

reel

a lively dance originally of the Scottish Highlands

transition

a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another

tap

a percussive dance form, producing sound by means of shoes to which taps have been added

rehearsal

a private performance or practice session in preparation for a public appearance

performance

a public presentation

Patterns

a repetition of lines, shapes, and/or movements that results in a spatial or movement design

Rap

a rhythmic chanting often in unison of usually rhymed words to a musical accompaniment

syncopation

a temporary accenting of a normally weak beat in music to vary the rhythm

swing

a way of expressing time in music that generated energy and motion within the pulse. Swing dance ;an ever-popular blend of several African American dances, which include the Lindy and other dances that accompany ragtime, jazz and blues, as well as other dance music of the past 90 years

recreational

a way of refreshing mind or body; a dance may have a recreational purpose

powwows

an American Indian ceremony of conference, usually incorporating dance competitions

ritual

an established form for a ceremony

salsa

popular music of latin american origin with elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock

percussive

something rhythmic in nature

space

the area of space occupied by the dancer's body; includes direction, size, pathways, levels and shapes. General space: the dance area. Personal space: also called kinesphere, the area of space occupied by the dancer's body. Size: magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large

shape

the form created by the body's position in space. aspects of shape are open./closed, symmetrical/asymmetrical, angular/curved. Symmetry: a balanced, even design of shapes and/or movement in space. Asymmetry: uneven, irregular designs

tradition

the handing down of information, beliefs, or customs from one generation to another

torso

the human body except for the head, arms , and legs

technique

the manner in which basic physical movements are used (as by a dancer)

structure or choreographic structure

the specific compositional forms in which movement is structured to create a dance

Tempo

the speed with which a movement is performed

training

to teach in an art, profession, or trade

Collaborate

to work with others