Dance Appreciation
and Composition
Recreational dance a social activity in which people of all
ages can participate. Includes folk, cultural, and historical
dances, and social dances from the past and
present.Dance fitness a fun way to increase cardiovascular
endurance, strength, and flexibility. Various dance genres
support fitness. (Ex. Zumba fitness and Cardio dance)
Good dance
➢ A good dance displays a significant meaning or conveys
a message (also life experiences).
➢Dance may be presented abstractly and symbolically but
still convey emotion and meaning. It has a:
1. Beginning – may come in a form of shape, a pose, or an
entrance.
2. Middle – consists of a development or the exploration of
the main idea.
3. End/conclusion – should be clear and may be in a form of
a shape, a pose, or an exit.
➢A good dance therefore,
must have a shape or form
for its choreography to be
effective.
Form
• Is the instrument by which ideas and elements are
arranged or combined into a logical sequence which
results in unity and consistency, and by which the content
or idea can be expressed and communicated.
• It is the organizing factor of any work or dance
composition
• The form should progress through time from the
beginning to the end of the choreography. Each section is
composed of several units that are smoothly connected to
each other. These small units are called phrases.
Phrase
• A phrase is the smallest unit of form in the whole dance.
Choreographers and dancers use movement phrasing
when working on dances.
• Commonly, a single phrase consists of eight counts, with
which it is easier for building routines and choreographic
combinations.
Motif
• A good dance contains a
theme or a motif to be able
to convey its meaning or
intention to the audience.
• It is a single movement or
a short phrase of
movement that embodies
the style and intention of
dance.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE
1. Unity.
• The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent
and flow smoothly. The movement flows together and
each plays an important role that contributes to the
entirety of a dance.
2. Continuity and Development.
• The phrases of the dance that are organized
progressively, making each movement phrase move
naturally into the next. There is a continuous development
of the movement phrase and the audience is swept along
to the end.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE
3. Variety and Contrast.
• Making one or several variations that highlight the facet of
the motif. This provides variety within the development of
a dance. It introduces new material and adds flavor and
excitement in a dance.
4. Transition.
• This is the link between movements, phrases, and
sections of the dance. It makes the logical progression of
the dance flow smoothly. Transitions may vary from length
and complexity.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE
5. Repetition.
• It emphasizes movements and phrases that are important
to the dance and gives a feeling of closure to a work.
6. Climax.
• This is where the apex of energy in the dance is reached.
1. Sequential Forms
• These forms contains themes/motif which progress in a
specific order. They are arranged accordingly.
a) AB (two-part) form – the simplest of the sequential
forms and is similar to a verse and a chorus of a song. It is
a binary form with two contrasting sections consisting of a
beginning section (A) followed by a second section (B).
b) ABA (three-part) form – composed of introductory
theme (A), a contrasting theme (B), and a restatement of
the original theme (A). (A) is the unifying theme and the
center of interest, then (B) gives contrast.
1. Sequential Forms
c) Rondo Form (ABACA) – in this form the unifying theme
(A) returns after each contrasting theme
d) Theme and Variation form – the motif is a series of
movements to which variations are added throughout the
development of the entire choreography
2. Contrapuntal Forms
• Here, several themes are woven together in
choreography to form a complex structure. The main
theme is seen against itself or against one or more other
themes.
a. Ground Bass – single theme starts the dance and is
repeated all the way through the dance while other
contrasting themes are simultaneously performed with it.
b. Round or Canon – consists of two or more movement
phrases or theme in which the main movement phrases is
imitated exactly and completely by the successive
movements, but done in staggered manner.
2. Contrapuntal Forms
c. Fugue or Accumulation – a choreographic form that is
constructed by adding on different movement or dance
phrases in every repetition of the main movement theme.
The movement phrases can be developed by reversing,
inverting, argumenting, or dimininshing throughout the
dance.
d. Suite - every section of the dance (beginning, middle,
and end) use different tempos and qualities.
3. Episodic form
• Episodic forms are not musical forms. Instead, they are
found in literature. They tell a story through connected
and progressive sections called episodes. Narrative form
is an episodic form that tells a story or conveys an idea
and the sequence of the story determines the structure of
the dance.
4. Other Compositional forms
a. Natural Structures – mostly come from natural
structures such as the seasons, life, cycles, and everyday
life experiences.
b. Collage – consists of “a series of movement phrases that
are often unrelated but have been brought together to
create a single dance with a beginning, middle, and end.
4. Other Compositional forms
c. Tableau – different movement phrases are performed by
different dancers simultaneously in the same space.
d. Chance – the movement phrases are performed in
random order and spatial placing.
How is the quality of the dance evaluated?
Evaluators’ roles are categorized as:
1. Choreographers – they will evaluate a part of an
ongoing process of developing a personal style which is
both spontaneous and organized.
2. Dancers – they will evaluate according to the specific
demands that the performance places on them.
3. Audiences – they will evaluate according to the
particular context of the dance.
Stages in Assessing a Dance (Dance Critique)
1. Description – involves close observation of all the
elements, characteristics, and components of a dance.
Here, the evaluator/critic notes down the composition of the
dance in terms of the elements and the characteristics of
dance.
2. Interpretation – involves an appreciation of the ideas,
content, images, and style contained within the dance.
3. Evaluation – takes into consideration how effectively the
features and the context of the dance have been utilized in
the actual performance of the dancers to portray the content
and the quality of the dance.
