Movement that represents an action abstractlynot mime.
accumulation is a choreographic device or structure in which new movements are successively added to preexisting movements, as in A, AB, ABC, and ABCD.
air pathway: a body part-created pattern in the air (for example, arm, leg, head).
American postmodern dance is a style of contemporary dance that first appeared in the 1960s and is characterized by choreographers’ experimentation with ideas and styles that go against established dance conventions.
A piece of art created by artistic endeavor (for example, a haka, ballet, hip- hop performance).
A shape made by a dancer or dancers that lacks a line of reflection is said to be asymmetrical (mirror line).
A choreographic technique known as “augmentation” enlarges motions in both space and time.
Body awareness is a component of dance that focuses on the body’s forms, base, parts, and locomotor and non-locomotor motions.
The area of the body that keeps a dancer balanced is known as the body basis (such as two feet, or one hand and one foot).
the head, fingers, ankles, elbows, knees, shoulders, toes, and wrists are among the body parts.
Body percussion is the skill of creating sounds using the body (e.g., foot stamping, thigh slapping)
Butoh is an avant-garde, expressionistic dance style that was developed in Japan following World War II.
Often used in African dance and music, the call-and-answer structure has one soloist or group perform, followed by another soloist or group performing in response to the first.
A canon is a choreographic tool or structure where movements initiated by one dancer are precisely replicated by each next dancer.
Chance is a method of choreography whereby movements are picked at random or arbitrarily organized to produce a movement sequence or a dance.
To choreograph a dance is to choose, come up with, and put movement patterns and sequences together.
a particular technique for managing movement to create dance choreography (for example, repetition, inversion, accumulation).
The method (such as teacher instruction, group cooperation, collage, or chance) by which choreography is created is known as the choreographic process.
The way that movement is organized and structured to form a dance is known as the choreographic structure (for example, ABA , theme and variations, narrative).
Modern dance style known as “contact improvisation” is centered on improvised movement and weight-transfer between dancers.
A counterbalance is a multiple-person balance in which each individual depends on the others to stay in shape.
Understandings, behavioral patterns, customs, values, and symbol systems that can be expressed in artistic creations and that a group of people have gained, maintained, and passed down.
The techniques, traditions, protocols, and principles specific to a given dance form, genre, or style are collectively referred to as dance practices.
A byproduct of the dance-making process is dance work (i.e., haka, ballet, hip hop performance)
the essential principles of movement; dance (for example, space, time, energy, relationships, body awareness).
A choreographic technique known as embellishment adds intricacy to a move, such as a hand gesture or an arm movement.
Dance aspect known as “energy” that emphasizes the weight, texture, and flow of movement, as in “float,” “swing,” “sudden,” “smooth,” “sharp,” “percussive,” “vibratory,” and “explosive.”
a path that is traveled over the floor (zigzag, curved, straight, diagonal).
a general phrase used to describe a particular sort of dance (such as theatre dance or folk dance); a specific method, style, or genre of dance. form: the choreographic structure or structures that shape a dance production.
genre: a particular kind of dance that has a history or tradition and may be recognized by its traits, social roles, and cultural circumstances (for example, romantic ballet, hip-hop, kapahaka).
In graphic notation, lines and forms are used to depict movement.
idea: a concept in the visual, aural, or kinesthetic arts, alone or in combination.
Interpretation is the process of a viewer analyzing or appreciating the meaning contained in a piece of art, or the specific message that an artist wishes to convey.
level refers to a dancer’s height in relation to the ground (for example, high, medium, low).
Locomotor movement is when the body moves through space (for example, running, creeping, rolling).
meaning: either what an artist conveys in a piece of art or what a viewer derives from a piece of art.
During the choreography process for dance, a movement or gesture can be expanded upon or evolved in a number of different ways.
movement: a collection of actions connected in a recognizable pattern.
a set of movements that are longer than a phrase but shorter than a dance section is referred to as a movement sequence.
Non-locomotor movement is any movement in which a bodily portion keeps the body fixed in place (for example, bending, twisting, stretching).
pathways: The shapes that a dancer’s body or body parts make as they move through space, either in the air or on the floor.
Personal movement vocabulary refers to a person’s unique movement patterns, which can be recognized and developed through improvisation.
Personal space is the “space bubble” that encircles the body and extends as far as it and its parts can go without moving.
Relationships: a component of dance that emphasizes how the body interacts with itself, other people, and the dance environment.
A choreographic technique known as “retrograde” involves performing movements or a motif backwards (like a rewound video).
Reversal: the execution of a motif or sequence’s moves in the opposite order (but not in a backwards direction).
rhythmic: having to do with timing patterns; these timing patterns frequently correspond to the rhythms of the accompanying music (i.e., distinctive combinations of note durations, accents, and silences)
A choreographic structure known as the rondo form alternates opposing sections with a recurrent section (ABACAD, etc.).
Sasa is a Samoan dance in which groups of dancers move rapidly and in unison to the rhythm of split drums, tin pans, or rolled mats.
a set of motions that are longer than a phrase but shorter than a dancing section.
A social text is a piece of art that speaks to the society or culture in which it was created and illustrates the dynamics inside.
The dance element of space consists of level, size, range, location, emphasis, direction, and pathway.
Style is the recognized or distinctive way that a dance is created, transmitted, and interpreted; style is frequently linked to a specific artist, performance group, choreographer, or time period.
symmetry: a dancer or dancers’ creation of a shape with a line of reflection (a mirror line).
taiaha: a wooden Mori spear with intricate carvings, or the art of wielding one.
Te Reo Kori is a program that teaches fundamental movement techniques utilizing tools like poi, rakau, and whai.
Technology include dance props (such as a taiaha, scarf, or chair), electronic media (such as video, computers), and production technologies that are used to help produce, present, explain, document, view, interpret, or learn about dance performances (for example, lighting, costume, sound).
theme: the topic, idea, or subject (such as water, rage, drug usage, a story, or a specific image) on which a dance or a piece of a dance is based.
Any creative or non-artistic work that can be “read,” whether it employs words, images, or sounds, is referred to as text.
Steps, actions, sequences, and methods of moving that may be unique to an individual (as in creative dance) or exclusive to a certain dance genre are referred to as vocabularies (for example, folk dance).
In This Article...
What does dance inversion mean?
Inversion is the movement of the body in space while it is supported by the arms, hands, shoulders, or head. Isolation: The capacity to move one portion of the body while maintaining the motion of another.
What does dance fragmentation mean?
Fragmentation a choreographic technique in which only a portion of the movement pattern is changed. A movement is divided into more manageable parts.
A
The term “actions” refers to both locomotor and non-locomotor movements made by the body.
Aesthetics: criteria for evaluating the artistic worth of a piece of art.
alignment refers to the position or posture of the body as well as how the skeleton is related to the base of support and the line of gravity. Alignment correctly reduces stress on the muscles and joints and improves dance technique.
analyze: to look at the special qualities of a piece of art with relation to its constituent parts and the rules of design, composition, performance, and/or production; to recognize and analyze individual components in works of art as they work both separately and collectively.
B
Body bases: Constituents of the body that provide the rest of it stability. For instance, the body base when standing is the feet, and when kneeling, it is the knees.
Bodily sections or body appendages, such as the arms, legs, head, torso, and so forth, are referred to as body parts.
C
Call and response is a pattern that is frequently connected to African music and dance, but it can also be found in classical, folk, traditional, and other primitive forms. A soloist or ensemble first performs, and then another soloist responds or enters in “response.”
The canon is a choreographic style that is based on the corresponding musical form and involves both solo and group performances of the same movement or phrase at various points in time.
The specific compositional structures known as choreographic structure describe how movement is organized to produce a dance.
Dance that has evolved over time into highly stylized structures and forms is known as classical dance. Classical forms typically evolve inside a society’s court or power structure.
- a structure that consists of two distinct portions that may or may not be repeated.
- The second section of the three-part compositional form ABAa contrasts with the first section. The first section is restated in the third section, which may be shortened, expanded, or condensed.
- a narrativechoreographic system that uses a predetermined plot to tell a predetermined story.
D
Dance critique is the process and outcome of analyzing dance critically. It typically involves describing, interpreting, and analyzing dance in addition to making some sort of judgment.
a preliminary step in responding to artistic creations. Identifies the components of a certain art form that are present in a work and communicates them verbally or in writing. It also specifies the time, place, and creator of the piece.
Dynamics: the aspect of dance that pertains to the execution of a movement; movement quality.
E
Elevation is the act of lifting one’s body off the ground, as in a leap, hop, or jump.
Dances created and performed by certain ethnic groups within nations or cultures are referred to as ethnic dances.
Expression is the process of using dance’s communicative potential to communicate concepts, emotions, and meaning.
F
the concentration, attention, or particular energy devoted to movement in space; the focal point or focus of attention in the movement space.
Folk dances are dances that are typically produced and performed by certain cultural groups. These dances typically have their beginnings outside of a society’s court or power structure.
Force (energy) is a measure of how much energy is expended during movement, and includes qualities like weight, smoothness, tension, and flow. Tension and relaxation both feel rigid and constricting; the opposite is true of relaxation.
flow: a continuous motion. We refer to a movement as free-flowing when energy is discharged freely. Also possible is the regulated, constrained discharge of energy.
I
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement, which can be free-form or highly structured but always has a component of chance. Dancers who improvise have the chance to quickly combine parts, but it demands focus and concentration. It is performance and instantaneous choreography.
The beginning of a movement is referred to as its initiation. It specifically alludes to particular body parts and is typically described as either distal (from the limbs or head) or central (from the torso).
Interpret: This method of analyzing works of art identifies the concepts, emotions, and overall message that the artwork conveys. Investigation into the impact of time and place on the artist who made the work is also required.
L
landing: The process through which the body comes to rest on the ground after an upward movement like a leap, hop, or jump.
levels: the elevation above the ground. Three levelshigh, middle, and bottom or deep levelare where movements occur.
Locomotor movements are those that transfer a person from one place to another. Examples of this
- Walking is the movement of one foot in front of the other while shifting weight from the heel to the toe.
- Run: a series of rather quick foot-to-foot movements.
- The act of moving through space by jumping from one foot and landing on the same foot is known as hopping.
- Jump: the act of propelling one’s body through space by launching off of two feet and landing back on the same two feet.
- Leap: a movement in which the body propels itself through space by jumping from one foot and settling onto the other.
- A gallop is a sliding gait in which one foot always leads as the body moves across space at an erratic rate.
- Step and jump back and forth with your feet to skip.
M
Movement quality refers to the distinguishing characteristics produced by the accumulation, release, continuation, and termination of energy in the body. These characteristics are essential for making movement expressive and, thus, dance-like. Smooth, continuous, swinging, percussive, vibratory, and effort combinations like float, dab, punch, and glide are typical adjectives used to describe movement quality. likewise see dynamics.
A dance’s manipulation and development of a single, comprehensive movement topic.
When creating or performing dance, musicality refers to the awareness and sensitivity to the musical components of the dance.
N
Non-locomotor movements, also known as axial movements, are actions that revolve around the body’s axis rather than being intended for moving from one location to another. Examples include bending and stretching, pushing and pulling, rising and sinking, swinging and swaying, twisting and turning, and shaking.
P
pathways: the paths we take as we move across the ground or through the air (i.e., straight, vertical, horizontal, zig-zag). can be carried out using either locomotor or non-locomotor movements, either independently or together.
pattern: a series of repeated lines, forms, or motions that creates a particular spatial or motion design.
a quick series of connected actions that feel rhythmically finished.
The goal of a dance is its intended use within its artistic and/or cultural settings.
S
shape: The shape that the body’s position in space gives it. Shape might be open or closed, symmetrical or asymmetric, angular or curved.
- the dance floor’s general area.
- The area of space occupied by the dancer’s body, also known as the kinesphere.
- size is the range of a body’s size, from tiny to huge.
The distinctive way a dance is done, created, or performed that distinguishes the dance as belonging to a specific artist, choreographer, culture, or period. Style
T
Movements made under tension feel stiff and constricting; those made under relaxation feel supple, loose, and fluid.
- duration is the time elapsed between movements.
- tempo
- the rate at which a movement is carried out.
- beatthe rhythmic pulse that runs beneath.
Time signature: A metric rhythm is indicated by a written symbol in music, such as 3/4 or 4/4.
What does dancing abstraction mean?
The technique of removing movement from a specific or representative setting and (by modifying it with aspects of space, time, and force) generating a new sequence or dance that preserves the essence of the original.
What does the dancing term spiral mean?
The spiral dance, which is also known as the grapevine dance and the weaver’s dance, is a historic form of group dancing used in American Neopaganism, particularly in feminist Wicca and the related “Reclaiming” movement. It is used “to raise power in a ceremony” and is intended to stress “community and rebirth”.
What are the four types of dance choreography?
Structures for organizing movement are known as choreographic forms, which can be characterized as narrative or patterned (e.g. canon, call and response, retrograde, ABA, rondo).
What is the most advanced dance level?
Principal
This is the pinnacle of dancer ability. If a dancer has excellent technical ability and the ability to combine that with lovely artistry, they may be promoted to principal dancer.