DANCE

            A series of movements that follow the speed and rhythm of the piece of music.
Dance is one of the most beautiful forms of art that has grown in leaps and bounds. It is no
longer just a hobby; it is also one of the most lucrative professions as well.  Besides, dance
therapy is very much in vogue these days simply because the experience of dancing helps a
person to heal from within.

            Dance is a form of expression that helps a person bring forth who they are, and what
they're passionate about. Every dance form has its own unique identity. Each dance is
beautiful in its own way and has a different appeal to it. Every country has a distinctive
approach about its dance style, with ethnicities worldwide merging dance forms, and even
creating new ones, transforming the very idea of dance.

Purpose of dance

1. Ceremonial Dance – Dancing to show praise or to commemorate important events.

2. Recreational Dance – A dance to have fun or to socialize.

3. Artistic Dance – Movement that is performed to entertain an audience.

WHY DO PEOPLE DANCE?

Ø  Has been used in worship.

Ø  Plays a role in courtship.

Ø  Serves as a form of acquaintance for  man and woman.

Ø  Brings magical power to people.

Ø  Brings victory or somehow restores  health to life.

Ø  Entertainment.

Ø  Inspiration.

Ø  Work-out.

Characteristics of a Good Dance

Ø  Unity
Ø  Variety and contrast

Ø  Transition

Ø  Repetition

Ø  Climax

ELEMENTS OF DANCE

1. BODY

            BODILY SHAPES

            This refers to how the entire body is molded in space on the configuration of body
parts. The body can be rounded, angular, or a combination of two. Other body shapes can
be from wide to narrow and from high to low. They can be symmetrical and asymmetrical.

a. Symmetrical - balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both

sides.

b. Asymmetrical- unbalanced shape, movements of two sides of the body do not match or
completely different from each other.

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.

2. ACTION

            Any human movement included in the act of dancing— it can include dance steps,
facial movements, partner lifts, gestures, and even everyday movements such as walking.
Dance is made up of streams of movement and pauses, so action refers not only to steps
and sequences, but also to pauses and moments of relative stillness.

Dancers may use movements that have been choreographed or traditional dances taught by
others who know the dances. Depending on the dance style or the choreographer's
decision, dancers may also revise or embellish movement they have learned from others.
            Movement can also be improvised, meaning that the dancers make it up "on the
spot" as they spontaneously dance. Movement that travels through space is broadly called
locomotor movement in contrast to axial movement, which occurs in one spot.

            Understanding and discussing action does not require extensive dance terminology
since movement can be categorized and described according to its qualities. For example,
while a “sashay” in American Square Dance might be called a “chassé” in Ballet or an
“undercurve” in Modern Dance technique, we can also describe it as a “slide” since that
essential characteristic is present in all those steps.

3. SPACE

            This is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided into
four different aspects, also known as spatial elements.

a. Direction- dance movement 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.

b. Size - movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions.

c. Level - movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level.

d. Focus – performers may change their focus by looking at different direction.

TIME

            The keyword for the element of time is When? Human movement is naturally
rhythmic in the broad sense that we alternate activity and rest. Breath and waves are
examples of rhythms in nature that repeat, but not as consistently as in a metered rhythm.

            Spoken word and conversation also have rhythm and dynamics, but these timing
patterns are characteristically more inconsistent and unpredictable.

            Rhythmic patterns may be metered or free rhythm. Much of western music uses
repeating patterns (2/4 or 3/4 for example), but concepts of time and meter are used very
differently throughout the world. Dance movements may also show different timing
relationships such as simultaneous or sequential timing, brief to long duration, fast to slow
speed, or accents in predictable or unpredictable intervals.

Time may also be organized in other ways including:

 Clock time: The dance is based on units of seconds, minutes, and/or hours. For example,
a certain section of a dance may be assigned a time such as 30 seconds into which all the
choreographed movement must fit. A performance in a public setting may be set up to
repeat continuously between 12:00 Noon and 1:00 PM.

 Sensed time: Dancers pick up on each other's timing such as gradually increasing from a
walking tempo to a running tempo by cueing off each other rather than a music score.
Another example happens when dancers hold a group shape then spontaneously move out
of it based on the group's organic impulse.

 Event-sequence: An internal or external event signals a change such as repeating a

traveling phrase over and over until everyone arrives at a corner of the stage. You also see
this at sports events when a touchdown triggers a dance cheer.

ENERGY

The movements here propelled by energy or force. A force can either initiate or stop an
action. Dance uses different energies and a varied use of theses minimizes the monotony
of the movements in a performance. There are six qualities of dance energies presented
below.

1. Sustained - movements are done smoothly, continuously, and with flow and control does
not have a clear beginning and ending

2. Percussive - movements are explosive or sharp in contrast with sustained movement.

They are accented with thrust of energy. They have clear beginning and ending.

3. Vibratory - movements consists of trembling or shaking. A faster version or percussive

movements that produce a jittery effect. (Minton, 2007)

4. Swinging - movements trace a curved line or an arc in space. The movements are
released and giving in to gravity on the downward part of the motion, followed by an upward
application of energy.

5. Suspended - movements are perched in space or hanging on air, holding a raised leg in
any direction is an example of a suspended movement.

6. Collapsing - movements are released in tennis 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 (Minton, 2007)
HIP-HOP

            Brief History

             The  word  hip-hop  was  derived  from  the  word  “hep”,  an  African-American
vernacular  English  language  since  1904  which  means  “current”.  It was apparently
invented by a New York rapper Kevin Donovan, (known as Afrika Bambaataa), who was
dubbed as the Grandfather of  Hip-hop. The  dancing style  of  Hip-Hop  developed  from 
the  music  style  that  was  first  introduced during  the  1970s  in  New  York  City  among 
young  Hispanic  and  African-American  communities  and  was  made  popular  in  the 
1980s  by  media’s exposure of several hip-hop dance groups in America. These group of
young people  were  looking  for  a  creative  outlet  to  vent  their  frustrations  and
disappointments with society. It started with funky beats reverberating at house or
basement parties and the streets of New York. Hip-hop evolved as a street dance which
was a cultural dance variation in the United States and is generally  a  form  of 
entertainment  where  technical  and  teachable  dance aspects replaced the cultural
symbolism and message of the true essence of African-American  hip-hop  dance.  The 
word  street  dance  arrived  in  the Philippines  from  the  United  States  during  the  1980s 
but  only  gained unparalleled  popularity  during  the  1990s.  There are various street dance
battles held locally across the country as well as hip-hop dance competitions
internationally. The first Philippine Team who won the World Hip Hop Dance Championships
is the Philippine All Stars. One of the pioneers of street dance in the Philippines is Jungee
Marcelo.  Marcelo started the first formal street dance class in the Philippines after arriving
from US in 1991. After almost 11 years  of  living  in  a  community  dominated  by  African-
Americans  in  Los Angeles, he brought with him his knowledge of urban dance in the
country.

Nature and Characteristics:

 The  movement  of  hip-hop  dance  contains  an  assertive  angularity  of body posture
and an insistent virtuosic rhythmicity. 

 It is freestyle in nature and maybe practiced in either a dance studio or in an open space
outdoor.

 It consists of four fundamental characteristics such as rapping (MCing); Disc jockeying

(DJing);  Break dancing  (B-boying);  and  Graffiti  Art (Aerosol Art).

 Can also be described by elements such as bounce or recoil, tightening of the body,
agility and coordination, and fun.

 It has several styles that comprise two main categories, the Old school (breaking,
popping, and locking) and the New school (house, krumping, street jazz).
7  It consists of four fundamental characteristics such as rapping (MCing); Disc 
jockeying  (DJing);  Break  dancing  (B-boying);  and  Graffiti  Art (Aerosol Art).  Can also be
described by elements such as bounce or recoil, tightening of the body, agility and
coordination, and fun.  It has several styles that comprise two main categories, the Old
school (breaking, popping, and locking) and the New school (house, krumping, street jazz). 

FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS

Term Illustration Description

    ·     Executes several
explosive, acrobatic
  movements with breaks or
freezes in between acts
 
·     Hold the position of the
  movement for a few seconds
before continuing  or  shifting
1. Breaking to the next movement

(Break dance)
   

  ·     A quick contraction and

relaxation of muscles to
  producing jerking of various
joints
2. Popping
    ·     It includes a lot of
acrobatics and physically
    demanding moves, such as
landing on one’s knees and
    the split

    ·     Other famous moves are

waving of arms, pointing,
  walking stationary, and
grabbing and rotating
3. Locking
the cap or hat
     
   

  ·     Characterized by
unrestrained, rapid- fire, and
4. Krumping highly energetic moves of the
limbs and torso

·     A dance style to release

anger
    ·     It  is  a dance style that
imitates the angular poses
    seen in ancient Egyptian art

    ·     Used to  have a limited

set of static hiero-inspired
  poses, but they now create
more complex geometric
5. Tutting patterns wherein multiple

(Tetris) limbs interact

     

  ·     Combination of skating,
stomping and shuffling
 
·     There is a fast and
  complex steps combined
with fluid movements of the
6. House Dance torso