Social dance

Objectives:
• Describe the nature and
background of the dance
• Execute the basic position of
social dance
• Discuss the importance of
communication to oneself

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.

The Language of Dance
Elements: Time, Space and Force
Choreographic Forms: Theme and
Variations, Rondo and Narrative
Styles: (characteristics of)
Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Modern

TIME: the relationship of one movement or
part of a movement to another. Includes pulse,
speed (or tempo), duration, rhythm, and
phrases.
SPACE: the area of space occupied by the
dancer’s body; includes direction, size,
pathways, levels and shapes.
FORCE: (energy) degree of muscular tension
and use of energy while moving.
Elements

Rondo: a dance structure with three or more themes where
one theme is repeated. ABACAD
Theme: the basic idea of the play, which the author
dramatizes through the conflict of characters.
Narrative: choreographic structure that follows a specific
story line to convey specific information through a dance
Variations: contrasts in the use of the dance elements,
repetitions.
Choreography is the art of arranging dances
Choreographic Forms

SPACE
• Pathways - curved lines, straight lines,
zigzags, circles, figure-eights, and many
more
• Shape - large, small, rounded, and angular
• Level - high, medium, low or on the floor
• Direction - forward, backwards, diagonally,
sideways

All dance movements can be labeled as non-
locomotor or locomotor.
NON-LOCOMOTOR-movements that do not
change location
AH-E-2.1.31
LOCOMOTOR-movements
that travel

Locomotor Movements
Dancers using locomotor
movements may walk, run,
skip, hop, jump, slide, leap, or
gallop.. These movements
may be high (possibly
indicating joy), medium, or
low (possibly indicating
sadness.)
AH-E-2.1.31, 1.15, 2.23

Non-locomotor Movements
Dancers are using non-locomotor movements when
they stay in one place but bend, stretch, twist, or
swing their body.

Styles (characteristics)
Ballet: a classic form of dance
growing out of the French
nobility. Its root is court
dances.

Tap: is 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

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

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

Dance in History
• Dance has played an
important function in many
cultures throughout history.
• Dance styles, costumes,
and music often reflect the
political climate of the time.
• Dances such as the
“Locomotion”, “Macarena”,
and even the “Chicken
Dance” all perform a
function in our society –
they create a “group” of
dancers having fun!
AH-E-2.2.31, 1.15, 2.23, 2.25

Is there anything else I should
know?
Dance allows the dancer or
choreographer to
communicate their ideas,
thoughts, and feelings
through movement. These
movements are structured
and repeatable, in that they
can be taught to others.
AH-E-2.1.14, 1.15, 2.22

Dance is often used to tell a story
AH-M-2.2.31, AH-2.2.32, AH-E.2.1.31
Like a story or a book,
each dance has a
beginning, middle, and
an end. Dance is made
up “movement
materials”, connected
into “phrases” and put
together into a complete
dance.

How is a dance created?
Dances are created by combining
locomotor and nonlocomotor
movements.
A dance, like a book,
has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
AH-M-2.1.34

Culture and Dance
• Nearly all cultures
incorporate dance in
some way.
• Dance is a major
component of many
cultures.
• Dance is often used
to communicate or
celebrate.

Some more about dance & culture
• Cultures use dance in ways that
are both social and personal.
• What are some examples of
culture and dance you can think
of? How do those cultures use
dance?
AH-E-2.2.33, A-HI-2.2.31, AH-M-2.2.32

Dance has 3 main forms
• ceremonial (religion,
celebration, ritual)
• recreational (folk,
social dancing, aerobic
dance)
• artistic (ballet,
modern, narrative, tap,
lyrical).
AH-E-2.2.32

SOCIAL DANCE
- a major category of dance forms where
sociability and socializing are the primary
focuses of the dancing
- are partner dances - in fact, quite often
when spoken about social dances, ballroom
or other partner dances are kept in mind
https://www.auburn.edu/academic/classes/hhp/hastie/social%20dance/socialdance.htm

Social Dance: Ballroom Dance
- partner dances
- Typically it includes
Standard (also termed
Smooth or Modern)
dances such
as waltz or foxtrot, and
Latin (also termed
Rhythm) dances such
as cha cha and rumba

Social Dance: Ballroom Dance
- normally danced to straight-beat
- couples dance around the floor;
and when formalized, the lady
wears a long gown and the
gentleman a bow-tie and tails

Social dance

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